Who's in the right?

So about eight months ago I joined a campaign after someone in it had to leave due to scheduling changes. The campaign consists of four others. They got into a dispute about two months ago that ended up with the game being put on hiatus. They had played together for around two years at the start of the hiatus.

I am only an observer to the chaos but I do have a bias in what I think is right.

If you're in the campaign "From The Ashes" with Sterling, proceed with caution. I don't want to involve myself in the drama I just want to know the general reddit opinion.

The story is this: Clerlock has a deal with an evil being. Takes levels in cleric, thus severing the connection but NOT nullifying the contract that's already signed with the being.

We as the party want to help her. So we go through the massive plane that belongs to this being. Fighting it's guards and such. We eventually find the macguffin needed to let us completely sever the contract. A sea shell looking artifact that puts the creature under your complete control. Like a fey except it's a very minor old god like creature.

Creature tries to make a new deal, get an even more powerful artifact (specific one) and they'll tear up the contract, consider it complete.

The thing is we have encountered that artifact and we CANNOT get it. Confirmed by GM that is not possible. And if we manage to find a way we would enrage off SO many people for doing it for The Creature and putting that in it's hands.

So Clerlock is taking to Creature and goes to slide the macguffin over the table to it. But before Creature can take it and confirm the deal, Bard grabs it with a dex check for being there before The Creature was.

This causes Clerlock and her partner to get upset. It's quieter during the session but clearly there. We wrap up shortly after and bars asks Clerlock if she's okay. She says yes. We move on Next session there is a WEIRD tension. Bard was good friend with the party but they don't seem to really interact with her. They actively berrate her for taking the macguffin.

In and out of character the reasoning is simple, we fought through a whole plane of bullshit to get there and to have it handed back to the one we're trying to keep it from felt like the bad option. She was trying to save the party from possible insanity or outright death.

Clerlock and Artificer confront Bard after with Druid in tow who's the twos best friend. He's obviously on their side. They said that moment was for Clerlock and it wasn't fair of her to take the macguffin even if it was in character and she should just have let it happen even if it didn't make sense, it was Clerlock's scene.

The GM has said the logical reaction to returning the item to the Creature would be for Creature to kill us. And drive Clerlock insane to sever her tie with her newfound god.

Was Bard in the wrong? I feel awkward being the newest member and being on the "wrong" side. The GM isn't picking sides but has confirmed it was the best course of action for the party and the new contract likely would not have ever been able to be completed.

The bard teleported away, broke the contract with the macguffin (just an order) and didn't come back for a bit though they weren't far. Clerlock just left.

I don't think I'm going to participate in the drama but I want to know what the general opinion is.

Edited for clarification.