\n<\/p>\n
Love Is Blind<\/em><\/a> star Stephen Richardson<\/strong> clapped back at critics who slammed him for cheating on his ex-fianc\u00e9e, Monica Davis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Stephen, 34, shared a photo<\/a> of him and Monica, 37, during their time together on Love Is Blind<\/em> season 7 on Wednesday, October 9. This happened to be the same day the newest episodes of the reality show were released that featured the electrician getting busted for sending \u201cexplicit\u201d text messages to another woman.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you being like \u2018boohoo seems to be a recurring theme\u2019 or \u2018I don\u2019t deserve much\u2019 is suuuch an abusive cop out. You\u2019re not a victim. Pretending to think you\u2019re a disappointment because of your choices to avoid accountability while not actually growing or changing is abusive. Change. Don\u2019t lie and manipulate. It\u2019s really that simple,\u201d wrote one Instagram user on Stephen\u2019s post.<\/p>\n The reality star had no problem defending himself in the comments, including saying his withdrawal from the antidepressant Lexapro contributed to the way he acted.<\/p>\n \u201cHey hey heyyy this is a very good take! You should tune in to @loveisblindnetflix to see if things ended this way last year or if we learned how to communicate as rational mature adults and move forward,\u201d Stephen replied. \u201cIt also helps now that I\u2019m not going through Lexapro withdrawal too after like I was during this so I can better rationalize and regulate my own emotions as well. But it ain\u2019t over till the curtains fall so let\u2019s make sure we maintain that same energy all the way through to the reunion! I love you all.\u201d<\/p>\n In another comment, Stephen clarified that he was going through \u201cmassive\u201d Lexapro withdrawal while filming in Cabo San Lucas and Virginia during Love Is Blind<\/em> season 7 which caused his \u201chormones and mental state\u201d to be \u201ccompletely out of whack.\u201d Stephen also replied to another fan and explained that his withdrawal from the medicine wasn\u2019t intentional. He explained that he packed the incorrect bottle and unexpectedly ran out in the midst of filming.<\/p>\n Stephen and Monica connected early on in the Love Is Blind<\/em> pods, but there was trouble in paradise soon after they arrived in Cabo. At one point Monica became irritated with the way Stephen seemed to continually interrupt her while talking. He promised to work on it, but their relationship completely crumbled once they returned to their shared living space in the D.C. area.<\/p>\n Monica discovered sexual texts discussing \u201cfetishes\u201d that Stephen had sent to another woman while he claimed to have been at a sleep study. He didn\u2019t deny the accusation and the two split up on the spot. Since then, both Monica and Stephen have addressed the incident<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was like a dagger to the chest in that moment. Five seconds after, Taylor was asking me, \u2018What did they say?\u2019 And I couldn\u2019t even remember the girl\u2019s name, but I do remember they were really very sexual. I remember one specifically said, \u2018No one\u2019s ever been able to satisfy my kinks the way you do.\u2019 And they were just going back and forth,\u201d Monica said during an interview with Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Stephen, on the other hand, joked that it was \u201cprobably smart to put a password on your phone\u201d in an interview with People<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cBut in all seriousness, the main things are self-talk, self-reflection, and a lot of the things that I believe, I said it in the pods, where it\u2019s like you don\u2019t know if you\u2019re fully healed until your next relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n