90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days couple Stephanie Matto and Erika Owens are opening up about the latest episode that showed Stephanie brutally dumping Erika after a blowout fight.
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RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? (PHOTOS)
"People leaving hate know NOTHING, and never will. I assure you the whole situation was so much more complex than you realize. I went with my gut instinct," Stephanie, 29, wrote on her Instagram Stories shortly after the episode aired.
But Stephanie took responsibility for her actions, which included throwing and breaking a bowl in a nice hotel room as well as storming out on Erika rather than talking things out.
"I reacted TERRIBLY, but I was under a ton of pressure. It was literally a pressure cooker of emotions. Again, I am seeking help for the way I handle things," Stephanie continued.
"Stop trying to diagnose me. There are actual doctors who can do that. You watched a highly edited clip on a reality TV show. You don't have a PHD. Again, you know NOTHING about the actual situation, and in the end, my gut led me in the right direction."
The Instagram and YouTube sensation concluded, "I understand you have your ideas of who I am, but I don't think it is necessary for you to voice that on my page. Thanks for watching tonight, hopefully people can watch, judge, and respectfully carry on. I apologized to Erika, my mother, and everyone involved."
Meanwhile, Erika, 24, also took to Instagram and posted a statement of her own.
"I've been searching for ways to heal myself, and I've found that kindness is the best way," Erika wrote on Instagram Stories, citing a Lady Gaga quote.
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"Remember tonight and every night, that no matter what, it's so important to be kind. Remember we are all people. We are all human and all have emotions. I thank you all so much for the love and support from the bottom of my heart but that doesn't need to be validated with hatefulness towards anyone. Love and light always. X."
Stephanie from Yonkers, NY, and Erika from Port Augusta, Australia, are both bisexual and the first same-sex couple to appear on the 90 Day Fiance franchise.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOWOn Season 4 of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, Erika introduced Stephanie to her parents in Australia as her girlfriend, but Stephanie worried about coming out to her "conservative" and "traditional" mother, which made Erika fear Stephanie might keep their relationship a secret for too long.
Erika admitted to Stephanie she had insecurities about a partner hiding her because her last serious girlfriend had kept Erika a secret. Upon hearing this news, Stephanie flipped out because this marked the first time she had heard about Erika's prior 10-year romance.
Stephanie felt lied to and betrayed, but Erika said she never mentioned her past relationship in fear Stephanie would react in this exact manner.
Both women broke down into tears, and Erika felt "awful" that Stephanie yelled at her when she was just trying to be open, honest and vulnerable.
Once she calmed down, Stephanie later came back into the hotel and apologized for acting "manic," but trust was broken and Stephanie said their relationship had gone back to "square one."
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE: BEFORE THE 90 DAYS' COUPLES NOW: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? (PHOTOS)
"You are saying to me, 'My mom is definitely not going to be okay with this.' What do you want me to think?!... Why don't you just live with her and not bother pursuing relationships that you know she's not going to be okay with?" Erika asked Stephanie.
"Why are you playing with my heart just because you can't figure your own out?"
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Stephanie said it broke her heart to call things off but her romance with Erika just wasn't working out. Stephanie didn't think either of them could say anything to fix the situation.
"But I'll always love her," Stephanie told the cameras in tears.
Stephanie and Erika began talking about a year before the 90 Day Fiance season began filming.
Stephanie was shown traveling to Australia to get to know Erika better on 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days' fourth season, saying she hadn't ruled out the idea of getting engaged by the end of her trip.
"She is the most beautiful, best smelling, best dressed, most amazing human being. I probably like her way more than she likes me right now, but it's okay, we'll work on it," Stephanie told the cameras after meeting Erika in person for the first time.
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However, Stephanie worried their lifestyle differences might become an issue down the road, and she was right. The pair quickly found themselves entangled in problems, mainly over Stephanie's lack of affection for Erika and her struggles with jealousy, trust and insecurity.
Stephanie argued with Erika over a dating app on her phone and demanded that Erika delete it, and Stephanie also put Erika in an uncomfortable position by grilling her friend Adam, who previously hooked up with Erika, about his feelings.
"After all of this, I'm kind of realizing how much I still don't know about her," Stephanie said of Erika in a confessional. "And I don't see how we're going to make any sort of commitment by the end of this three weeks. I'm not even sure if I want this relationship any more."
After spending some time apart, the girls realized they needed to communicate better, and Stephanie apologized for causing drama and being "a screwed up person." Erika suggested they start their romance fresh as long as Stephanie would try harder to trust her.
Erika therefore came out to her parents as bisexual and they were extremely supportive, encouraging and sweet about their daughter's romantic relationship with Stephanie.
Erika's parents were even okay with the idea of her moving to the United States, but Stephanie still wasn't ready to come out.
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Click here to read spoilers on Stephanie and Erika's relationship and whether they're still together based on footage that leaked online from the reunion-special taping.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE: BEFORE THE 90 DAYS' COUPLES NOW: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? (PHOTOS)
Want more 90 Day Fiance spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our 90 Day Fiance homepage!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
