Temptation Island star Kaci Campbell is revealing why she fought so hard to stay with Evan Smith during the finale when he had clearly crushed her heart and devastated her.

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Despite the fact Evan slept with Morgan Lolar in the middle of the season and chose to leave Temptation Island with her, Kaci -- who had known Evan since college and dated him for years prior to their show appearance -- basically begged Evan to stay with her and figure things out once they returned home to Los Angeles, CA.

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Kaci had a difficult time watching her emotional outburst and harsh rejection on television, but she told Us Weekly there was a good reason why she refused to give up on Evan.

Before filming began, Kaci claimed she and Evan had made a deal to break up at home, off-camera if their journey on Temptation Island happened to lead them in different directions -- and she was just holding up her end of that agreement.

"This is where my head was at honestly: For an entire month before we did the show, Evan and I talked every single day about all the scenarios that could possibly happen. We gameplanned," Kaci told Us in a podcast.

"We said, 'No matter what we see, no matter what we hear, we won't make any decision. There's no way that we'll blindside or humiliate each other. End of story."

Kaci then recalled having a breakdown on shortly before Temptation Island began taping in September 2018.

"Three or four days before we got on the plane to Maui, I kind of cried to him and was like, 'You're going to think I'm insane for even bringing this up, but I feel like it's necessary.' And he was trying to calm me down. He was like, 'Don't cry. It's going to be okay. Talk to me. Talk to me,'" Kaci shared.

"And I asked him, 'If for some reason you fall in love with a girl on this show and it's just like this is The One and you're all in, that's fine, but please don't humiliate and blindside me on national television.'"

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Kaci claimed she asked Evan -- if they ever found themselves in that situation -- to go home with her and have a mature conversation about their future off-camera. 

"[I said], 'Please, let's go home and break up like two civil adults who care and have respect for each other,'" Kaci revealed.

"And he promised me that was what was going to happen. So, I stuck to the gameplan because I'm loyal! I'm a ride-or-die."

Kaci then suggested she wasn't going to be quick to forgive Evan for his mistakes but intended to stick to their agreement for the finale taping.

"I knew what he did to me on that show was not okay under any circumstances and I don't ever want to be with someone like that, but I was in panic mode and so I just went nuts!" Kaci admitted.

"I literally was just apologizing for things because, yes, I don't believe ultimatums are right. With that said, I feel I was in a situation where that was very valid and needed to be done, because I wasn't in a relationship or a situation that was okay. It was really bad and I don't regret it."

"But I was staying loyal and true to myself, and I was protecting someone who had been through absolute hell," she continued.

"And I didn't want to blindside or humiliate him on national television. But I didn't get that same respect in return, so I went into full-blown panic mode."

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Kaci was shown repeatedly apologizing to Evan in the finale for giving him ultimatums about marrying her and putting too much pressure on him.

When Us asked Kaci if she believed the demise of her romance was all her doing, she replied, "No, I freakin' hate it. I am so mortified... I am not okay with how I acted at that final bonfire."

Kaci just couldn't believe how Temptation Island ended considering she went into the process completely calm and confident her relationship with Evan would last forever.

Evan also allegedly told Kaci's parents that he just wanted to go on the show for money.

"Evan, the whole reason he went on the show was to prove to me and my family -- like he literally told my mom and dad, 'We're using the show for a paycheck to save up for our wedding. Your daughter is the only woman I will ever want to marry. I'm there to prove myself and redeem myself from my past,'" Kaci said.

But Kaci assured the magazine she is "genuinely happy" living the single life now and would never get back together with Evan.

"It's the craziest thing because I really thought Evan would be in my life forever, but I am so happy that he's gone," Kaci insisted.

"To be free and feel relief every single day is an incredibly empowering feeling."

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Kaci also has no regrets about ever signing up for Temptation Island to begin with.

"It's the most bizarre statement, but Temptation Island saved my life. It's the biggest blessing that I think could have possibly happened to me," Kaci gushed to Us.

"It saved me from a toxic situation that I was blind to for a very long time. And even though it was heartbreaking and horrible and traumatic, the best things come out of the worst things and I would do it all over again, for sure."

Meanwhile, Evan and Morgan are currently engaged and living together in Washington, D.C.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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