Always easy for other people to say such and so is not important and shouldn't matter. This type of behavior is particularly hurtful because OP was the organizer of the circle, and this was deliberately cruel and rather pointed, I'd say. I hope you keep your relationship with the couple that often invites you to interesting things and perhaps one other couple from this group. I do agree it's better for you if you don't mention the deliberate offense to anyone in the group. I would ease back, way back, on the friendship with the woman who was supposed to be your best friend. Word will get back to her that you're seeing these people, and I'll bet dollars to donuts that she can't resist asking you about it. If she, in any way, implies that she is taking this personally, I would simply tell her it was no more personal than her excluding you from the lunch group (which YOU founded) and leave it at that. People like that are meaner than people who are more overt about things. I would make sure that this best friend and her husband were kept at more than arms length because she obviously is a bad actor, and will try to spoil whatever she can
