Here's another possibility--maybe he broke the latch but wasn't sure how to fix it. Instead of getting right on it, he decided to take a break. After a little while, he forgot all about it--until you confronted him on the phone. You're already upset and panicking and confronting him with his lack of understanding your feelings, so he's not going to admit that he forgot about it, it would only make him look worse.

It might be pretty far out, but I could honestly see this happening with me. In fact, I can remember a similar situation...which I won't go into for fear of being torn apart by the people who have already responded!

By the way, I totally agree with your therapist about what you should have done to your -ex after that weight comment.