DEAR ABBY: I would like to address my remarks to "Dying Inside," who witnessed his girlfriend and his "best friend" in a sex act in the friend's car, and asked your advice.
You, my friend, are not alone. There are loads of men and women who have also died inside, but take it from me -- it will only get worse if you don't quickly distance yourself from these two.
My ex-wife, whom I loved too much and took from near poverty, "rewarded" me by cheating with a man I thought was my friend. I had helped him find employment doing gardening at the mall she managed. Because of my blind love for her, I not only allowed her to embarrass me with my friends and family, I also gave her the opportunity to steal my hard-earned money.
So please, "Dying Inside," for your own sake, do not allow this cheat to inflict any more of the pain that I'm sure will follow the pain you now feel. Don't be the fool that I was. Listen to someone who has been there, and not to your heart. Run fast, my friend, and don't look back. -- BROKENHEARTED, BROKEN FINANCIALLY, BUT FINALLY HAPPY
DEAR FINALLY HAPPY: Your signature speaks volumes. Your lesson makes sense. Betrayal is painful to face, not to mention damaging to one's self-esteem. And as hard as the perpetrator may try to justify the betrayal, it doesn't diminish the enormity of it. I'm pleased to know that you are recovering.