On season 13 finale of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, all hell broke loose at Dolores Catania's 1920s prohibition-themed party after Danielle Cabral decided to address the swirling rumors about Melissa's infidelity.
Melissa Confession
"I've already heard this story, and do you wanna know how? Through my husband. Do you wanna know how I heard it through my husband? 'Cause his sister called him over to her house secretly without me to tell him this story behind my back. Six months ago, Teresa called Joe over with Louie [Ruelas] because she heard a rumor about me and she believes it so much that she had to call her brother over."
"How dare you tell my husband that I would cheat on him! You're saying this off a baseless rumor of some woman who wants to hurt Margaret with no facts. No anything. Did she think he was just gonna pack his bags and leave? Like what the f–- are you doing?"
"I had no intention of confronting [Teresa] about this, Joe doesn't believe it. It's bulls---. And because I wanted to let her have a peaceful six months leading up to her wedding, look what ends up happening. She has her minion make me look bad in front of everyone so everyone can hear the words 'Melissa's a cheater.' And I'm done."
Melissa also shared with Danielle that she's no stranger to Teresa trying to falsely mislabel her over the years, noting that she's been called a "stripper" and has even been accused of "doing things in parking lots," but she and Joe have "let [Teresa's words] go. Pretty f---ed up sister-in-law I have, isn't it?."
Danielle Defend Herself
Danielle tried to defend herself, circling back to the fact that it's Margaret Josephs' ex-friend Laura who supposedly starting spreading this rumor in the first place. But, once Margaret caught wind of her name in Danielle's mouth, she, too, joined the fight. "You're not a messenger you're a s--- starter!" she yelled at Danielle, as the two women proceeded to just hurl nasty insults at each other. "You guys are such losers," Melissa chimed in, referring to Teresa and Louie. "You're a loser!" "Excuse me?" Teresa asked, to which Melissa hit back, "Yes, you called my husband to your house to tell him that I was in a car with a guy!" "Look at you!" yelled Melissa.
Dolores Confession
Dolores, meanwhile, watched things grow increasingly intense from afar. "I've been around enough fights in my day to know when something's gonna escalate. This is bad," she admitted in a confessional.
Teresa Confession
As Teresa tried to walk away, Melissa followed her and cornered her. "You called my husband!" she insisted, to which Teresa demanded, "Get off of me!" Teresa then set the record straight in a confessional.
"First of all, it wasn't his sister. It was Louie who was like, 'I wanna tell your brother that all of this is coming from Margaret so that your brother can get in front of it.' So, he was looking out for my brother and I never repeated it to anyone."
Joe Confession
In a subsequent confessional, Joe dropped a revealing a bombshell about the dynamics between the families. He claimed Teresa and Louie not only told him Melissa had cheated with "multiple men," but that a few days later, his niece Gia Giudice called him to say "we just think you can do better." Joe also shared his side of the story in a confessional.
"I get a call from Louie. 'What are you doing? I need to see you right away. It's very important.' So I go to her house and Louie says, 'We heard that Melissa cheated on you.' I go, 'Guys, you've got the wrong girl."
Margaret Admit
Even Margaret admitted that she thought there was no way this cheating rumor spread without Teresa's help — regardless of what Teresa or Louie said.
"Jennifer [Aydin] and Danielle wouldn't do anything behind Teresa's back. I think Teresa knew it was gonna happen. I think Teresa looks extremely nervous. I think that's why she was late tonight."
In fact, Margaret wasn't entirely wrong. In a confessional, Teresa admitted Jennifer Aydin told her that she shared the rumor with Danielle in Ireland — after Jennifer vowed not to tell anyone. Teresa explained,
"I told them not to say it, But I can't tell people what to do."
Other Highlights
Back at the party, the husbands started to get involved as Nate Cabral tried to talk Louie down after he got in Melissa's face, which led John Fuda to hold Joe back. Joe said of Louie's behavior,
"Don't get in her face, angry like the devil, I mean, who talks to a woman like that?"
Despite insisting she had next to nothing to do with the rumor, Teresa voiced her hurt and told Jennifer,
"Somehow, the finger always gets pointed at me,"
The morning after the party, Dolores called Melissa on her way to Teresa's house to ask if she and Joe still planned to attend the wedding. Melissa said,
"How can I go and celebrate somebody else's marriage when they are the people constantly trying to destroy mine? I don't need to deal with toxic people that wanna bring me down, even if they come in the shape of your family."
Dolores gently responded that if Melissa and Joe don't go to wedding, then they should know "it's over, over." But Melissa wasn't phased and responded, "It's been over." Dolores eventually hung up with Melissa and arrived at Teresa's house for a sit-down with her, Louie and Jennifer Aydin to recap the evening. In the middle of the conversation, Louie started bragging about how he hired his best friend — a private investigator — to gather information on "everyone in the group.
"While that admittedly confused Dolores, Teresa privately insisted she knew no additional information and publicly concluded she's just "so done. This is what Melissa's been trying to do for over 10 years. She's wanted to get my brother away from me all the time, She got her wish."
The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 can now be streamed in full on Peacock. The Teresa Gets Married special is set to air on May 23 at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
