RHONJ’s Melissa Gorga Is ‘Done’ with Teresa Giudice

Melissa Gorga is sharing her side of the feud with his sister-in-law Teresa Giudice.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 43, told PEOPLE exclusively that she is “done” with Teresa.

“I got off the roller coaster,” she shared. “I don’t want to be on it anymore. We’ll see what happens.”

The reality star added that she will no longer be the one to try to mend fences with her husband Joe Gorga‘s sister, saying, “Melissa has exited the building in that situation. I’m done.”

Melissa said that thinks the family “needs a little time” right now.

“I think that sometimes this goes on. How many times do you want to go in and out, in and out? Eventually you need to protect your immediate family,” she explained. “We need to protect our marriage and our children and our life that we live. We can’t always just try to put our hands out and it doesn’t get reciprocated. We’re tired.”

The cousins still have a relationship though, Melissa confirmed.

“The cousins all talk,” she said. “Everybody’s good. … I feel like the kids should never get involved. They should have unconditional love for their aunts and their uncles. I make sure Antonia, Gino, and Joey do.”

Over the years, the Gorgas have hit some rocky patches in their relationship with Teresa. Some of the tension stemmed from the legal troubles that Teresa and her ex-husband Joe Giudice faced years ago, while more recent drama was centered around Teresa’s treatment of the couple.

In May, Joe and Teresa got into an explosive fight during the Real Housewives of New Jersey season 12 reunion after Teresa called her younger brother a “bitch boy” and dismissively compared him to a Housewife.

The argument got so intense between the two siblings that Joe walked off stage, threatening to “quit” the Bravo franchise. But tensions only intensified between the siblings backstage as they continued to go back and forth. Even reunion host and franchise executive producer Andy Cohen had to step in to prevent Teresa from repeatedly interrupting Joe.

“I wanna have a relationship with you, I love you, but you’ve said some nasty things tonight,” Joe said to his sister. “I don’t want to argue with you anymore.”

Teresa later claimed she had apologized and mended things with her brother, but that was only the start of what was to come between them.

In early August, PEOPLE confirmed that the Gorgas wouldn’t be at Teresa’s wedding to new husband Luis Ruelas. Two sources said Melissa and Joe backed out of attending two days before the ceremony when false rumors about their marriage surfaced amid filming. Both Teresa and Luis’ actions at the time ultimately influenced the Gorgas’ decision.

“Teresa betrayed them in a way that’s unforgivable,” one source said. “They’re not going to celebrate Teresa’s new marriage when all she does is try to tear apart theirs.”

“It’s unfortunate. I think it’s sad,” Melissa told PEOPLE at BravoCon. “I wish we could have gone, but it is what it is. We’ll never get that back, and I didn’t choose it.”