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Emem did not see that coming. The Married at First Sight cast member’s marriage to Ikechi has been rocky for weeks, but she was still left stunned when her husband showed up unexpectedly at the Chicago couples’ retreat to ask for a divorce. 

Emem remains committed to the ‘Married at First Sight’ process 

Emem and Ikechi’s relationship has been hanging together by a thread for weeks. He’s made it abundantly clear that he’s unable or unwilling to get over his issues with his expert-picked wife, whom he’s described as “aggressive.” But so far, he’s refused to come out and say he wants out of the marriage. Meanwhile, Emem has remained committed to the Married at First Sight process, despite Ikechi’s stonewalling and refusal to communicate. 

“I would like to continue in this marriage,” she told Dr. Pia Holec in the Feb. 4 episode of the Lifetime show. “Not where it has been though.” 

But Ikechi seemed ready to check out for good. 

“You can want something a thousand times,” he told a producer after his and Emem’s meeting with Dr. Pia. “But, like, if it’s not working, I think that sometimes you have to let go of those things in order to really have what you need.” 

Emem says she’s ‘dated worse men’ than Ikechi

Despite hurt feelings on both sides, Emem and Ikechi walked away from their session with Dr. Pia on a relatively friendly note. The pair closed out the night with a round of video games at a local arcade, which left Emem confused. 

“He told me he doesn’t want to do our marriage anymore,” she later told fellow cast member Michelle. “Here’s the thing. He’s not done. He keeps doing this mixed signal thing, flip, flop. … I can’t make it make sense. I quit trying to make it make sense.” 

Yet Emem still felt she could fix the problems in her marriage. 

“I’ve dated worse men,” she said. “Everybody has their things. I said I was going to do this, I’m going to see it through. I’m going to work this marriage until we can’t work it anymore.” 

Ikechi finally asks Emem for a divorce 

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Emem might have felt there was a way forward with Ikechi, but he made it crystal clear where he stood when he unexpectedly showed up at the couples’ retreat. 

Ikechi pulled Emem away from the group dinner and then dropped a bomb on her. 

“I just wanted to come, I just put an end to everything, This has been a ride,” he said before sliding over a folder containing divorce papers. 

Or rather, a divorce paper. 

“You want me to sign this? Where do I sign this because this is only page one,” she replied in the awkward scene. “I don’t think this is the page I sign. … Where’s the rest of the pages?”

Ikechi tried to tell Emem that signing the papers was just a “formality,” but she wasn’t having it. 

“You can bring me the legal documentation and I will sign that,” she said. “I will award you your divorce. I promise you.”

Ikechi quickly gave up, walking away as Emem accused him of “running again.”

“*sshole,” he muttered as he left. 

“I knew it was over a while ago,” he told a producer. “I think she really wanted a husband. And she really wanted a husband that fit the mold that she has for this said husband. But I’m not everybody’s cup of tea. I’m good. I’m at peace with the decision I’ve made.” 

Married at First Sight airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime. 

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