My dad is dating my high school counselor.

So, my (24F) older sisters barely found out about this a year ago. My mom, brother, and I (we all live together still with my dad) suspected that he was dating a woman but we didn’t find out WHO until august of last year. For quick context, my parents are still married but have been separated since late 2021, they still live under the same roof because rent is extremely high where we live.

My sisters were scared to tell us that my dad had told them about her because they immediately recognized her name. We eventually found out because my mom’s best friend saw my dad and this woman together eating out. This woman was my high school counselor and I had a very close relationship with her as a student from 2017 till 2019 when I graduated. Why were we close ? Because I started confiding in her about the verbal and financial abuse from my father. I started to see her more often after my english teacher forwarded her an essay I wrote about a time my dad broke my brother’s shelves and thrashed my sisters room in a rage. I even attempted suicide in the fall of 2018 which called for mandatory weekly meetings with this counselor for my whole senior year which was when I really started to look up to her and feel comfortable telling her about everything that went on in my head on top of the issues with my dad.

I cried to this woman, had a special pass to be excused whenever to go to her office when I was having a panic attack. She even had my mom come to some of our meetings and explained to my mom the importance of considering leaving my dad due to the stress it has caused not only me but her and my siblings as well. This woman got to know everything about my life and my parents toxic marriage and gave me the impression that she supported and cared about me. It made me feel so validated and like I had another adult I could run to. I cried when I said goodbye to her during my last meeting with her as a senior, which was also the last time I saw her.

Now before anyone says “does she know he’s your dad?”, I am pretty damn sure she does. We live in a town where a lot of people know each other and I have an extremely rare last name. She also went to high school with my parents. Either she’s stupid and forgot my name, or she genuinely does not care. I feel most anger and betrayal from her than my dad. My mom told my dad that she was my counselor and he genuinely didn’t know, which still hurts because that’s an example of my dad’s lack of genuine involvement with his family. But at the end of the day, my dad genuinely didn’t know, and I know my dad wouldn’t be with her had he known because he’s so careful with his appearance that he’s too classy for that. That being said, my not wanting to EVER be introduced her by my father as his girlfriend does not have to do with my dad being shitty, but because she betrayed me.

I’m still so sick to my stomach over it. How do you date the father of a student who cried to you for years about the abuse he gave them ? I don’t care for the most part as in I’m fine, but man it makes me so angry. I plan to talk to my dad to explain why I will never come around since he thinks we’re all just being hateful on our mom’s behalf.