'My sister in law betrayed me when I needed her most'

I was very close to my sister in law, Mel. We were the same age and we just connected on so many levels. We worked in the same industry, we knew the same people and we were great mates.

It was Mel who introduced me to my husband Baxter. One of the best things about marrying Baxter was that it meant I'd be officially related to Mel, that's how close we were.

RELATED: 'Why I can't stand my husband's family'

But she ended up betraying me and I haven't spoken to her in five years. It all happened around the time that I found out that Baxter was having an affair. I was absolutely gutted. But I didn't want him to know yet that I was onto him.

I wanted to play this very carefully because he is a lawyer and has great connections. I was worried that if I announced right away that I knew he was having an affair and I was leaving him, he'd have time to work out ways I wouldn't be able to get my fair share of what we own. We have several investments and I was worried that he would use his legal know-how to take advantage of me.

RELATED: 22-year-old slammed for 'using' her 53-year-old boyfriend for his money

But the biggest mistake I made was not following the saying "blood is thicker than water." I stupidly confided in Mel which was the worst thing I could do, because she immediately went to her brother and told him that I knew about his affair and that I was going to try to get the bulk share of our properties.

Baxter tried to deny he'd been having an affair but I was able to show him photos of him with his girlfriend so he was forced to admit it. I also showed Mel those photos because, at first, she defended her brother, saying there was no way he'd cheat on me. Well, she was wrong there!

RELATED: 'My boss left his family for me — and what happened next surprised even me'

Apparently, he'd been seeing this woman for at least six months and was planning on leaving me. I'm glad I got in first but it's been a long battle in court, across three years.

I've never forgiven Mel for betraying me. When I confronted her and asked her why she stabbed me in the back, she said she loved her brother. Yes, I get that. But, as my friend, I thought she loved me too. And I wasn't the one being unfaithful, I loved my husband and the life we had together.

She wasn't able to acknowledge how much he hurt me and what a cheating bastard Baxter was. So she chose her side, she chose to stay close to him and to never speak to me again. This was fine by me as I knew I couldn't be friends with her anymore.

RELATED: 'My wife's secretly checking my clothes for proof I'm cheating'

It was such a painful time and I'm not over it yet. Even though I have a new man in my life, I'm still not over the pain of Baxter's treatment of me and Mel's betrayal. I don't know when I'll be able to trust another person again.