'MAFS' : Nicole Opens Up to Chris About Her Past — but He Admits 'That's Not What I Want in My Life'

'MAFS' : Nicole Opens Up to Chris About Her Past — but He Admits 'That's Not What I Want in My Life'

Christopher "Chris" Thielk and Nicole Lilienthal are still struggling to see eye-to-eye.


In PEOPLE's exclusive look at Wednesday's Married at First Sight episode, Nicole opens up about her previously troubling behavior as a teen.


"I had a decently happy childhood. From the second I was born, I always needed attention. I was just born that way," she says. "I mean, I wish I had a reason why. I think it's a combination of my parents being who they are and just, I got a lot of attention. And then when I was like 13, 14, I was going to a new school because it was high school. I was really figuring out how to not be a kid anymore, basically."


She continues, "My parents, because they were so trusting and loving, they didn't set any ground rules. But I almost wish they had really impressed that upon me because there was that period where I was like, lying a lot, cutting school, staying out late."


Nicole says that when she would partake in confession at her Catholic school, she "would always start with [saying] 'I'm lying again.'"

'MAFS' : Nicole Opens Up to Chris About Her Past — but He Admits 'That's Not What I Want in My Life'

"I'm lying all the time because I was so ashamed of what I was doing without realizing I was ashamed that I was just lying. I was just putting myself in bad situations with bad people and I let my grades fall because my friends would be like, 'Let's skip class and go hang out in someone's basement,'" she recalls. "And I'd be like, 'Okay, that sounds great,' even though I didn't want to, but I didn't want them to think that I wasn't cool or worthy of their friendship. I was just putting on an act basically because I wanted these people to like me, even though they weren't even worthy of my attention."


For Nicole, it is important for Chris "to know everything" about her to better decide if she's "the right person" for him.


"I don't want something to come out in six or eight months, or anytime after Decision Day and you're like, 'Ooh, this changes how I feel about her,'" she adds. "And then we can't come back from that."


Nicole's revelations appear to strike a chord with Chris, ultimately leading him to question whether she is the one for him.

'MAFS' : Nicole Opens Up to Chris About Her Past — but He Admits 'That's Not What I Want in My Life'

"I don't know if I'd be able to marry the woman that Nicole was when she was younger," he tells the cameras. "Because honestly, that reminds me of a lot of some of my exes when I dealt with and that's not what I want in my life."


Chris and Nicole first appeared on MAFS during the show's season 16 premiere — and fans have seen the two struggle to find common ground ever since.


In a recent episode, the pair discussed their differing opinions on how and when they should say "I love you" to each other.


Married at First Sight airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

'MAFS' : Nicole Opens Up to Chris About Her Past — but He Admits 'That's Not What I Want in My Life'