Melissa Gorga Says Nieces 'Have Hate' for Her and Joe Amid Teresa Giudice Battle on RHONJ

On Tuesday's new episode of "Real Housewives of New Jersey," tensions within the group continued, despite Teresa reaching out to her brother in a half-hearted attempt to smooth things over. While the family members have had a sometimes-contentious relationship for years, it really intensified after Gorga was iced out of being a bridesmaid for Teresa's wedding.

As Teresa called up her brother, she asked him, flat out, "You wanna make peace?" Joe did, but he also hoped to "move forward" without actually addressing any of their past issues -- since talking about them would only "upset" him all over again. This actually sounded great to Teresa, who added, "My therapist says it's not good to talk about the past because you're never gonna get anywhere."

That was about the extent of the conversation, as Teresa invited her brother to her homecoming party. He wound up bailing on the bash, telling his wife Melissa he was "not ready" to attend and also simply didn't want to be there. In a confessional, he said he didn't think his sister actually wanted him there and didn't want to be anywhere where he'd feel uncomfortable.

Melissa wound up attending alone, saying she was "frustrated" her husband didn't show, since she believed Teresa would just use his absence as more evidence he's the "bad guy" in this situation.

At one point, Gorga attempted to make some awkward small talk with nieces Gia and Gabriella, with Melissa telling the girls she really missed seeing them and loves them.

"It's just sad because I truly love the girls deep down inside and I know they have hate for us," Melissa said in a confessional. "I know they do. It's terrible. I wouldn't wish this on anybody."

Gia, meanwhile, noted that "every time my mom and Joe have drama, automatically the kids get separated. A wall just goes up."

Speaking with some of her costars later, Melissa said she thought it was "sad" that the girls' uncle wasn't at the event. "This is Joe's only family and he's not here. That f---ing sucks," she said, before Teresa made things even worse during a speech at the party.

As Giudice and Ruelas addressed their guests, they thanked everyone for coming -- and told them, "You guys are our chosen family. We wouldn't want anyone here but you guys." That only rubbed salt in the wound for Melissa, who eventually retreated to the bathroom to break down.

"I have my own breaking points. I don't get it. These subtle digs," she said in a confessional. "What about all these people that have been here for so many years when she was away? Driving the girls to dance. It all means nothing. And I just know Joe's home very upset."

New episodes of RHONJ air Tuesdays on Bravo.