How important is it to the man in the following question?

Question

だって大事なんだよ… それくらい、お前のことが大切なんだってば

I would translate it like: You are important... That is how much you mean to me

The story goes like this (context); One man punches his best friend (who he loved) because that friend wanted to have his wife. After doing that he says that sentence to his wife and they have a sweet love moment.

How important is it to the man in the following question? Does it imply the man considers his relationship with his wife is more important than his friend? If there's a subtlety I might have missed in that regard please tell me.

I understand what the sentence means, I'm asking about the emphasis it was said with in japanese.

Answer 1

だって大事なんだよ… それくらい、お前のことが大切なんだってば

妻｛つま｝は、その友達｛ともだち｝が夫｛おっと｝にとってとても大切｛たいせつ｝な友達｛ともだち｝だと知｛し｝っているので、「どうしてあなたがあんなに好｛す｝きな友達｛ともだち｝を殴｛なぐ｝ったの」と言｛い｝ったか、または、言｛い｝うと同｛おな｝じくらい効果｛こうか｝がある表情｛ひょうじょう｝か態度｛たいど｝を夫｛おっと｝に示｛しめ｝したのだと思｛おも｝います。

Because the wife knows that the friend of her husband is very important for him, she might have said to him, "why did you hit the friend whom you like best?", or she might have shown a facial expression or a manner to him which had an effect almost as same as what she might have said.

夫｛おっと｝が妻｛つま｝に言｛い｝った「だって大事｛だいじ｝なんだよ… それくらい ＝ だってそれくらい大事｛だいじ｝なんだよ。」の中｛なか｝の「それ」とは、「本当｛ほんとう｝なら殴｛なぐ｝ることなどとても考｛かんが｝えられない自分｛じぶん｝が、大好｛だいす｝きな友達｛ともだち｝を殴｛なぐ｝るという行為｛こうい｝に及｛およ｝んだ（＝及｛およ｝ばざるを得｛え｝なかった）こと」を指｛さ｝していると思｛おも｝います。

I think "それ" in the phrase "だって大事なんだよ… それくらい = だってそれくらい大事なんだよ" which he said to her pointed at the seriously big fact that he was not able to avoid hitting his best friend with whom the husband had such relationship that it can hardly assume that he hit the friend.