Married at First Sight star Domynique Kloss has revealed what it would've taken for her to decide to stick it out with Mackinley Gilbert a little longer in their marriage.
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Domynique, 25, and Mackinley, 34, were matched to wed as strangers by Married at First Sight experts Pastor Calvin Roberson and Dr. Pepper Schwartz on the Lifetime reality series' sixteenth season.
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The couple had high hopes for their relationship after their wedding day, but things started going downhill during the honeymoon. Domynique then decided not to move in with Mackinley in Nashville, and she asked for a divorce on Day 12 of marriage.
During the March 1 episode of Married at First Sight: Afterparty, host Keshia Knight Pulliam asked Domynique what would've convinced her to stay in her marriage to Mackinley and keep trying.
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"If Mackinley would have been like, 'Well, I know that we haven't had the greatest experience, but ultimately, I would like to stick this out and we can see how it ends,'" Domynique explained.
"If he would have said anything along those lines, I would not have asked for the divorce."
While Domynique had certainly voiced to Pastor Cal that she wanted the divorce, Domynique insisted on Afterparty that Mackinley wanted it too but allegedly played the victim and spun a different narrative when discussing their split with their Married at First Sight co-stars.
Domynique said Mackinley's claim that he was "blindsided" by Domynique's decision to get a divorce him was "a load of sh-t."
"He is saying something to other people that is the opposite of what he has told me," Domynique claimed.
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"I sent him a text after the meeting with Pastor Cal [when I had asked for a divorce] saying, 'Hey, let me think about it. I'm not completely closed off to continuing on with the process. But in the moment, there's just so much pressure,'" she recalled.
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Domynique alleged that Mackinley responded to her text with a message that read, "I'm good. I don't want anything to do with this. Good luck."
She therefore accused Mackinley of checking out of their relationship off-camera, only to later blame her for their divorce on-camera.
Domynique also told Keshia that Mackinley had suggested they should announce their divorce as a "mutual" decision to their fellow cast members.
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Domynique said once the cast was reunited and it was time to share relationship updates, Mackinley presented the divorce like "it wasn't a [mutual] decision anymore" and he "started throwing darts."
Looking back on her short Married at First Sight journey, Domynique shared that she ultimately "learned to listen to my intuition."
"Because there was something in the pit of my stomach telling me, like, 'There's something not right; this is going to become toxic. Do not proceed and do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.'"
When Domynique told Mackinley that she wanted a divorce on Married at First Sight's latest episode, Mackinley noted that it was "tough to hear" and he felt "let down" and "embarrassed."
And Pastor Cal suggested that Domynique wasn't ready to get married at age 25, which made her feel judged.
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Pastor Cal insisted that he wasn't trying to be mean but a person who is ready for marriage is prepared to fight for it and not quit -- which he said takes time, patience, strength and grit.
"What you're doing is choosing to quit after the first real bump," Pastor Cal said.
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Even Domynique's mother Toya didn't think Domynique had given Mackinley enough time to change, better himself, or prove that he could be a great husband.
But Domynique felt she had been as patient as possible, and she said she wanted to end their negative relationship before it became very "toxic."
When the sparring spouses gathered with their fellow cast members, they were asked if there was any hope for reconciliation.
"Maybe," Domynique replied.
But Domynique later confirmed with Mackinley that she had just said "maybe" due to peer pressure and didn't mean it.
"[That's] a young woman's game, and that's what Dom plays," Mackinley vented to the cameras.
Domynique then told Mackinley that although things didn't work out, they could remain friends. But Mackinley snapped that he didn't need another friend in his life.
Mackinley said while he and Domynique weren't a perfect match, he had been prepared to give their marriage time and effort -- which were two things he didn't receive from Domynique. He believed Domynique simply wasn't ready for marriage.
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