Married at First Sight featured drama ensuing as four couples went on a retreat to South Carolina together -- including Jacob Harder suggesting Haley Harris is "fake" and leaving the retreat early without a word, Virginia Coombs giving Erik Lake an ultimatum and refusing to compromise, and Briana Myles not feeling like an equal in her marriage during the Season 12 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.

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At this point in Season 12, four of the five Married at First Sight couples reached Day 47 of marriage and only had nine days remaining until "Decision Day."

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The four couples were Haley and Jacob, Erik and Virginia, Vincent Morales and Briana and Clara Berghaus and Ryan Oubre.

Chris Williams and Paige Banks had decided to split shortly before their one-month anniversary, and so no footage was shown of the former couple in the latest episode.

All of the couples were matched for matrimony by the show's experts Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, and Dr. Viviana Coles.

Married at First Sight  Season 12 Episode 15

Before the couples headed to Hilton Head, SC, for a weekend so they could support each other during their final days of the experiment and gain some new perspective on their relationships, Haley received her bracelet in overnight mail.

Haley said her mom had rushed the package because Jacob allegedly requested to have the gift back.

"I don't want the bracelet. I'm good... I'm happy to give it back to him," Haley told the cameras, adding that Jacob didn't give her the gift with selflessness.

Haley and Jacob drove to the retreat separately so they could have their space and not fight.

They also didn't communicate well about their arrival times and when to cook dinner. Haley determined it would be better to say nothing than to start an argument. She felt she had been the one initiating and asking questions without much effort from Jacob in return.

And Erik complained on the drive how he didn't like when Virginia called him out or complained about him when the cameras were on.

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Once three of the couples got together — Erik and Virginia, Haley and Jacob and Briana and Vincent — Erik could tell Haley and Jacob were not in a good place and barely wanted to speak to each other.

"This has been one long, bad first date for me. We just didn't connect," Jacob complained at the dinner table, before suggesting Haley was "fake."

Briana could see Jacob had shut down and didn't want to say anything positive about his relationship, not even what he had learned about himself, and Haley admitted "95 percent" of the process had been "challenging" for her.

Haley told Jacob that he didn't try, and Jacob said that's because their situation was "too heavy." Their dynamic was awkward for the whole group.

Virginia related a little bit to what Jacob and Haley were going through and confessed you can love someone but not like them all the time. With that being said, Erik announced he needed to be patient with Virginia and hoped to become her "No. 1 person" at some point.

Jacob and Haley, however, ended up winning a "MAFS-ology game" in which the spouses were asked to reveal the identity of a cast member who fit a certain description or fun fact. The victory seemed to bring them a little closer together after a night of fun.

Before bed, Briana and Vincent disagreed on what type of activity to do in Hilton Head.

Briana wanted to ride horses but Vincent admitted he was scared of the animal getting out of control. Briana was disappointed Vincent wasn't optimistic and positive about things he hadn't even tried or given a chance.

Clara and Ryan arrived at the retreat the next day. Virginia told Clara behind closed doors they had a little bit of a drunken fight the night prior and both she and Erik are stubborn.

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Clara told the girls that she and Ryan were doing things differently and taking things slower but she was okay with that, but Virginia wondered where Ryan's feelings were at compared to Clara's.

When the couples went on individual dates, Virginia admitted to Erik she had been tempted to run during their marriage but didn't want to because she had committed to him. Erik said Virginia acted like she didn't care about their relationship at all and it hurt him.

"This fight and make up and fight and make up all the time thing, it doesn't work out in the long run," Erik told his wife.

Meanwhile, Clara hoped Ryan would open up more before "Decision Day." Clara wanted to hear "I am in love with you" from Ryan before that final day. Clara told Ryan she wanted more than a friendship with him after paddleboarding.

Vincent agreed to go horseback riding on the beach but admitted he was "super nervous" and uncomfortable about it due to the potential for an accident to happen, like someone being thrown from a horse.

Vincent initially decided not to get on the horse, but he eventually tried it to make Briana happy. Vincent got through it just fine but told Briana he "wasn't feeling it."

"Vincent can be stuck in his ways but I'd like for my husband to be able to go on adventures. If you don't try new things, you won't know the outcome. I can't deal with that for the rest of my life," Briana lamented.

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With eight days to go until "Decision Day," the couples were tasked with writing letters to each other, revealing what they liked about one another or were thankful for in their marriages.

Jacob said he dreaded getting a divorce because he said he wanted to settle down and have a family. He and Haley both agreed they're headstrong and that's probably why they clash so much.

And Ryan's sweet letter made Clara cry, especially because he ended it with, "Love, Ryan." Clara said she couldn't wait to say "yes" on "Decision Day" and see what their future has in store for them.

Clara just needed to hear and be told that Ryan likes her and finds her attractive, and so the letter went a long way with her. Clara told the girls that she was probably in love but would continue working at a pace Ryan felt comfortable with.

Meanwhile, Briana was struggling with the idea of losing her home and moving into a one-bedroom apartment with her husband. She was experiencing a lot of change at once.

Virginia also revealed she planned to move back home for a bit after "Decision Day" because Erik was going to be working a lot anyway, but Erik announced, "I don't like it. I feel like it's a regression, like we're going backwards."

Virginia wanted Erik to rent out his place and help her find a new one, and she announced that she expected Erik to get the work done in four months.

"That's what you've got until my lease is up," Virginia said.

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Erik said he didn't appreciated Virginia's ultimatum and called it "concerning." He said he wouldn't do that to someone he loves.

Virginia explained the main problem is Erik's place wasn't pet friendly, but Erik owned his place and thought it would be logical for them to live in his apartment together.

Virginia, however, wanted her cats to sleep with her in bed and Erik is allergic to cats. Erik said they needed to come up with a compromise, but Virginia didn't seem willing to budge.

"You can't meet in the middle. It has to be your way and that's it," Erik complained.

Virginia said she thought she was going to stay in her apartment for five years and hated the idea of moving again.

Virginia acknowledged she and Erik are both emotional and passionate people who need to try to "keep their emotions in check." Erik told Virginia that he'd give her whatever she wanted in his home, but she didn't seem to believe that.

When the pair went to bed that night, the cats conversation continued -- and it wasn't pretty.

Virginia asked Erik not to get mad at her over her cats, but Erik said they needed to find some middle ground.

Virginia explained her cats do whatever they want and they were used to sleeping on her body in bed, and so Erik asked, "Do you just want me to suffer at night every night?"

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"Well I'm not going to lock them out!" Virginia argued. "I'm not locking them out... You can take allergy medicine."

Erik suggested medicine wouldn't be enough because his eyes would be watery and itchy and he'd probably be sneezing all the time.

Virginia believed that if she happened to be allergic to his dog Tex, he'd behave the same way. But Erik insisted he wouldn't let Tex sleep in the bed so Virginia would be okay.

"The whole cats thing, it seems like she doesn't care at all. There is no sympathy, there's no, like, 'Aww, I'm sorry.' She's just like, 'They're staying with me no matter what.' That's what I get from that every time... When you love someone, you can't do that. I would never," Erik said in a confessional.

"I'm really trying on my end to accommodate and have that compromise, but if she's not willing to meet me in the middle with these conversations and try to resolve these things, then I don't know what else I would be able to do with that."

Virginia repeated how her cats have slept with her for five years, and Erik pointed out that his wife liked to make "excuses over the littlest things."

Suddenly, footage showed Jacob leaving the retreat house in the middle of the night by himself.

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Briana said although he relationship with Vincent was going well, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies all the time. Briana recognized she'd have "a big decision" to make on "Decision Day."

Vincent assumed Briana was going to move in with him in the near future, and that seemed to rub Briana the wrong way.

"Vincent just assumed I'm packing up and going, you know, moving in with him. But you're not going to run over me. It's a no, no -- because I'm on the same level as you," Briana told the cameras.

When Haley woke up the next day, she went looking for Jacob around the house and he was nowhere to be found. Jacob had clearly taken off without a word, and Haley was upset there had been no communication.

Haley thought her relationship was getting better and on the right track since they had fun at the retreat and were able to laugh, so she admitted she didn't know what was happening.

Meanwhile, Clara could tell that Ryan was falling in love with her and had "warm fuzzy feelings," but Ryan didn't like the pressure of having to say those three important words.

"I hope Clara is not upset by it, but I'm definitely not ready [to say 'I love you']," Ryan expressed in a confessional.

Clara felt the heartache she had to endure with exes was worth it to end up with a man like Ryan.

"I think Ryan is vulnerable when prompted. We love each other in the friendship way, for sure," Clara said, before reminding Ryan to express his feelings for her more often.

"But that's not the same as saying, 'I am in love with you,' and I want that pretty badly."

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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