Sounds like something unexpected came up... and his explanation is an 'after-the-fact' creation... Just a guess...

But discipline or punishment is worthless if it's presented as a "non-punishment object lesson". That doesn't make sense to me. And if his intent was to truly NOT give you a chance to be a brat again... that shows a lack of trust in your word... OR a lack of desire to deal with you if you were indeed disobedient again. Not very dominant imo.

BUT... I would take all that with a grain of salt... just use it to see if this is a pattern you see developing.

I far prefer an obedient girl, and don't condone brats, but I will deal with situations or behavior that arise that I don't care for. I can't imagine just disappearing without some kind of call.