The undying attention of a love rival may be enough to shake even the most stable relationships to their core.
But one woman has revealed how a strangely affectionate bond between a brother and sister became too much and caused her to end her relationship.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Jacinta Coelho, 30, said she pulled the plug on her relationship with a man referred to as ‘Jack’, after just four months because she could not compete with the love of his sister.
Sydney woman Jacinta Coelho (pictured), 30, said she ended her relationship with a man referred to as ‘Jack’, after just four months because she could not compete with the love of his sister
Jack* and Jacinta hit things off after meeting at a pub years ago, before she was introduced to his family a month later.
The part-time writer from Sydney said she found it ‘odd’ how often Jack would compliment his sister, named as ‘Melinda’*, about her hair and clothing, although it wasn’t a deal-breaker.
‘That was when things got weird… we would go out and she’d be there nine times out of ten. It seemed like she didn’t have her own friends,’ Jacinta said.
‘Jack and I might get a few hours alone but she’d always come into it somehow. If there was any excuse to be there, she’d be there.
The part-time writer said she refrained from making any accusations as things were going well between her and Jack, but bizarre encounters continued to mount (stock image)
‘It almost starts to feel like you’re competing with someone you’re not meant to be competing with – it felt like she was cutting my grass.’
Jacinta said she refrained from making any accusations as things were going well between her and Jack, but bizarre encounters continued to mount.
The 30-year-old recalled snuggling up to Jack on the couch, only to have Melinda menacingly stare at her from a distance.
Melinda would also gush about Jack, telling Jacinta she was still single because ‘there would never be someone more suited’ to her than her own brother.
Jacinta said Jack would even place his hands around his little sister’s waist while she chopped vegetables – but even so, the final straw was still to come.
Jack became defensive after Jacinta confronted him about his sister, and the pair split after just one more date (stock image)
‘I was going to stay over, so I went into his bedroom and was trying to set up and she was asleep in his bed.
‘It was the straw that broke the camel’s back… I had to walk out of the room and ask Jack why she was there.
‘He said: “She does that sometimes. Sometimes she gets creeped out in the other room”, like it was normal.
‘She was 21, it’s not like we were talking about a two-year-old.’
Jack became defensive after Jacinta confronted him about his sister, and the pair split after just one more date.
Jacinta said she went on to have a range of failed relationships before eventually finding the right man, who she married in 2016.
* Names have been changed