First of all, you're NOT really a nice guy... or at least, you don't portray yourself as such. Case in point: An earlier poster gave you a totally polite, objective response. All he did was relate to your situation and mention some friendly advice regarding e-harmony, and rather than thanking him, you chose to rip the poor guy to shreds and call him names. That was a very mean-spirited thing to do, IMHO. A true nice person would have said something like "thanks for the suggestion, but internet dating is really not for me" instead. Part of being a nice guy is being courteous and respectful to the people that are on your side and are trying to help you.
Second, your anger towards "Bastard" is rooted in jealousy, plain and simple. In reality, you are not so different from Bastard. Think about it. Both of you implemented the same general approach, which was to console this girl in her time of despair. Regardless of how you went about it, you and your friend's intentions were ultimately one in the same: to get the girl. I mean, it's nice that you want to be caring and supportive of her, but in the end, you still want to fuck the shit out of her, right? Of course you do!
True, you could say that Bastard took advantage of her because she was in a vulnerable state, whereas you were willing to exercise patience and give her time to heal before making your move - which was a indeed a very respectful and gentlemanly thing to do. However in the real world, most women don't just stay in "limbo" waiting to heal from a bad relationship before they start dating other guys. If you don't go for it - or at least make your intentions clear - then someone else will. I know it sucks, but in a world full of countless other "wolves" with raging hormones, it's just a fact of life. If you're truly interested in a woman, you have to seize the moment and just go for it. Time waits for no man.
Next time, just try to be more direct with her about how you really feel and what your intentions are from the get-go. Surely you can find a tactful way of doing this, without coming across as a jerk, or as someone who's trying to take advantage of her. The bottom line is that women always seem to respond more favorably to direct communication, rather than leaving it up to assumptions. It doesn't matter how obvious it "should" have been that you were interested in her as more than just a friend. While it's true that women tend to have greater emotional intelligence, they fall short when it comes to rational thought and deductive reasoning; therefore a man must modify his approach accordingly.
