After a bitter fight, the ’90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days’ star wondered to himself: “Is this a relationship I can even be in?”

Christian and Cleo faced another hurdle in their relationship on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days.

On Sunday night’s episode, the couple had to face each other in the aftermath of a bitter argument. Despite the fact they’d had sex the previous night, when Christian claimed they “didn’t go all the way” when asked by producers. This “betrayal” left Cleo feeling upset as she questioned whether he was embarrassed to be with her as a transgender woman.

Meanwhile, Christian felt “extremely deflated.” He shared that he sent Cleo a text that morning attempting to explain, but that she called him a “manipulator” and “gaslighter” and “asked if I was a psychopath.”

“It’s just extremely upsetting that something that I feel is a very small situation that could be remedied with just some communication is really blown out of proportion,” Christian said in an interview. “I’m not in a relationship with somebody to be anxious all the time, waiting on them to decide whether or not I’m an evil person or here for ulterior motives. I need to talk about things, because I can’t go on feeling like this.”

Cleo, who has autism, asked her friend Jane to come back with her to the B&B for “emotional support” while she confronted Christian. As Jane sat next to her, she told Christian she was “struggling to understand” where he stood.

Christian claimed he didn’t see his answer to the producers as a lie. Instead, he said, he glossed over what had really happened to buy himself time to check if she was comfortable with him sharing intimate details. He said the presence of Cleo’s friend made him feel “grouped up on” and asked Jane if she could leave the room so he and Cleo could talk alone. After confirming with Cleo, Jane agreed.

Christian admitted to producers that he was “being defensive,” but continued to ask for privacy to work out their issues as a couple.

“Between the two of them chiming in, it’s very uncomfortable,” he shared. “I just want the opportunity to talk to Cleo one-on-one because I feel like now she’s not giving me the benefit of the doubt. And it’s really leaving me thinking, ‘Is this even a relationship I can be in anymore?’”

Later in the episode, Christian asked Cleo for an opportunity to explain his side. He reiterated that he was only trying to double check with her before speaking to the producers and that he felt hurt by her attacking his character.

“When you say something like that, it makes me feel like no matter what I say you’re gonna think I’m saying something in order to manipulate you or gaslight you,” he told Cleo. “I mean, I’m not gonna be in a relationship with somebody who calls me these types of things.”

Eventually, Cleo apologized for not “filtering myself” and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Christian also apologized and the two of them exchanged an emotional hug with a renewed sense of hope for their relationship.

“This was really extremely rough today and it was for you too,” Christian said to Cleo. “But this can make us trust each other more. It can make us know more about each other and it can make our relationship stronger. I do believe that.”

Still, Cleo later admitted to producers that she hadn’t shaken all of her doubts. “I’m feeling so confused right now because I’m still unsure that he’s comfortable with dating a trans woman,” she said. “But I’m trying to keep the peace, shut it all down, and not think about it because I’m terrified that if don’t, this could be the last straw for our relationship.”

Christian felt mostly optimistic and said that, going forward, he hoped Cleo would understand that “she can trust me.”