Dear Amy: Over a decade ago, I escaped an extremely emotionally and sometimes physically abusive partner and proceeded to raise kind, compassionate, and successful children on my own. Now in adulthood, all but one has established a relationship with this pretty much absent parent, who now wants to stage a get-together that includes my new spouse and myself. I use the word “stage,” as my ex has continued to demonstrate manipulative behavior that has hurt me and my children. They have succeeded in creating quite a wedge between me and my middle child.