Married at First Sight star Zack feels he and Michaela are at a crossroads in their relationship and he's not sure how they're going to move forward and recover.
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Zack and Michaela's marriage got off to a strong start because they checked each other's boxes and seemed to have an intense physical attraction, but the wedding bliss came to a screeching halt when the couple had their first fight -- and it was an explosive one at that.
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Michaela was angry Zack decided to sleep in a separate bedroom, and then she accused him of disappearing on her the next morning without a word.
But Zack recalled falling asleep in a separate room by accident and explained to his wife that he had texted her in the morning about having to take his dog Bella to daycare.
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Zack said when he returned home only a couple of hours later, Michaela had already left. To that point, Michaela called her husband "a damn f-cking liar," among other curse words.
Given Zack and Michaela clearly had no issues in the physical department, Married at First Sight: Unfiltered host Jamie Otis asked Zack during the September 1 episode to reveal his struggle with his wife on an emotional level.
"The struggle is just understanding how we handle conflict and understanding how to communicate with one another," Zack explained on Unfiltered.
"This is a situation I haven't been in before, and so I actually don't know how we're going to get past this. I hope we do."
Zack concluded, "I feel like we're definitely at a crossroads."
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Zack insisted he never lied to his wife or ignored her phone calls, and he said he never thought such a simple task -- taking Bella to daycare -- would blow up like it did.
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Zack acknowledged how he didn't understand Michaela's thought process in assuming he was never coming back to their new shared apartment in Houston.
"All my stuff is there," Zack said with a laugh, although he acknowledged he could have left a note or reassured his wife better.
When the spouses met with Married at First Sight expert Pastor Calvin Roberson after the altercation, Zack said it hurt his feelings that Michaela didn't believe what he said and was so suspicious of his whereabouts.
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Michaela broke down into tears, saying she was nervous to let her guard down and totally trust Zack.
Michaela shared how Zack is a "phenomenal" man and she'd like to be with him for the rest of her life; however, she was worried about having safety and security since she had to protect herself after her beloved father's passing.
Michaela struggled to let Zack take on that masculine role in her life and take care of her.
Michaela admitted how she felt abandoned once her father died, and Pastor Cal asked Michaela to allow Zack to be there for her and console her.
Pastor Cal also warned Zack that leaving the house stirred up something deep in his wife, who had to question where her new protector went. Zack couldn't relate to Michaela's traumatic experience, but he promised to have her back and be there for her going forward.
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Michaela worried Zack was trying to take on too much responsibility, but Zack assured her that he wanted to do that and it wasn't too much for him.
"I don't want you to derail this early on," Pastor Cal told the couple as they appeared to get back on track.
Married at First Sight's thirteenth season, which currently airs on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime, also stars Gil Cuero and Myrla Feria, Johnny and Bao, Brett and Ryan, and Rachel and Jose.
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