Southern Charm fans already knew that Kathryn Dennis and Chleb Ravenell broke up.
It was not until this week’s episode, however, that we actually got to see it.
In the aftermath of their argument, they tried to have a makeup dinner.
The meal looked delicious. Unfortunately, some problems are too great for even meatballs to resolve.
Early on Season 8, Episode 3, Kathryn Dennis calls Chleb’s mother, Debbie, while in the car.
Even when things are not good with her boyfriend of one year, she loves talking to his mother.
Debbie encourages Kathryn to take another stab at their relationship — and Kathryn agrees. But will it work out?
After five days apart, Chleb returns home to their apartment.
There, Kathryn has prepared a homecooked meal, one that heavily features hand-rolled meatballs.
After all, there is an old saying about a man’s stomach and the most expedient route to his heart.
To the cameras, Kathryn expressed lingering uncertainty over whether patching things up would be enough.
“I thought Chleb was going to be my forever person,” she admitted.
“But now it’s like, I don’t know,” Kathryn characterized.
Kathryn then assessed: “I feel like he has one foot in, one foot out.”
“I want to come back home,” Chleb told her. “I love you.”
The two knew that they had a lot to talk about if they wanted this to work. Love alone is not enough.
“I’ve got a lot going on and I feel like you lack empathy for what I’m going through,” Kathryn expressed.
“You don’t care about my feelings,” Chleb countered.
He emphasized: “Honestly, I’m trying to make it work.”
“Over the past several days, I’ve just thought a lot about what I need,” Kathryn admitted.
“And,” she continued, “what I have not been getting in this relationship.”
Kathryn then phrased it directly: “Like, I feel like you’re emotionally unavailable.”
“I’ve been in relationships with emotionally unavailable people,” Kathryn understated.
“And,” she observed, “I haven’t seen you taking the steps to fulfill the role that I would like someone to fill.”
Chleb explained that he found it difficult to open up too much.
In fact, Chleb admitted that her custody battle “makes me pull back” from their relationship.
“I didn’t know what I was getting into before dating you,” he then pointed out.
Chleb characterized: “Like three months into our relationship, you threw the kids straight on me.”
If this is how he really feels, Kathryn suggested, “maybe you should just not be in a relationship.”
“I can’t keep trying if I don’t feel like you’re trying,” she warned.
And it came to the point when they both realized that this was not a reconciliation dinner, but a formal breakup.
“I never pictured what the moment would be like when we really like went our separate ways,” Kathryn began.
“But,” she announced, “I really think that’s the best thing for you and for me.”
“Damn,” Chleb replied with resignation. He then packed his things and departed as Kathryn teared up.
Kathryn Dennis and Chleb Ravenell Break Up on Southern Charm (Recap) was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip .