RHOA Star Phaedra Parks 'Knows She Will Be Better Off' Without Ex, Says Source

Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida

Prince Williams/FilmMagic

By Janine Rayford Rubenstein

@JanineRayford

10/11/2014 AT 04:00 PM EDT

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks's impending divorce is far from the happy ending she was hoping for.

"Phaedra is really disappointed with how all of this has turned out," a source close to Parks tells PEOPLE.

Her estranged husband, Apollo Nida, is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence on multiple fraud charges.

Despite Nida's previous run-ins with the law, including a stint in prison prior to their 2009 wedding, the source says, "[Phaedra] had no idea any of that [illegal activity] was going on."

Moving forward, "this divorce is going to be the best thing for her," says the source. "Apollo was always really jealous of her success and the fact that she was the breadwinner."

For now, Parks's attention is on the couple's young sons, Ayden, 4, and Dylan, 1.

"The really sad part is their two little boys having to go through all of this," says the source.

But all in all, "She knows she will be better off without him," the source says. "She's a strong woman and a great mom and really adores her boys."