First, as a writer who has had life interfere with a deadline, I must say that real life trumps fiction, period. I highly admire J.K. Rowling for postponing one of the Harry Potters so she could deal with having a new baby. It shows the respect she gave her readers, herself, and her family. Second, as a writer who also falls in love with my creations, I find self-publishing on Amazon to be a great fallback position on any book I happen to think is ready when a publisher doesn't agree. Just because the publisher breaks the contract with the readers, doesn't mean you need to. Good luck!