The weight of Kyle Richards' ongoing separation from her husband of nearly three decades has not yet eased for her.
In PEOPLE’s exclusive preview of Wednesday’s season 13 finale of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Kyle, 55, breaks down as she confides in Erika Girardi about allegations both she and Mauricio Umansky have faced regarding infidelities in their marriage since PEOPLE confirmed their separation in July.
“There’s literally nothing to do with anybody else,” she tells her costar, 52 after admitting that the questions she and Mauricio, 53, have been facing about cheating have been weighing on her. “This is really just about Mo and me. It’s not about our family. It’s not about external family. It’s not about another person – on his side or my side. This is just about Mo and me.”
Kyle says that Mauricio, who she wed in 1996, is “the person that likes to pretend everything’s okay, which makes it hard sometimes,” before reflecting on the early days of their relationship.
“When we first met, we were really opposites. Complete opposites. And that worked. I always would joke and say – if it wasn’t for me, he would be dead, because I keep him safe. And if it wasn’t for him, I would never take chances in life,” the mother of four continues as she chokes up. “And that worked. And also like — we always grew. Because we’ve been together since our early twenties.”
Erika then points out that their relationship lasted “a really long time,” to which Kyle breaks down in tears as she says, “I know. And it is very admirable and it’s always been something I’m very proud of.”
“You should still be proud, Kyle,” the former actress reminds her friend, who admits through tears, “I’m not proud right now.”
While Kyle feels as though her and Mauricio’s separation is a “letdown,” Erika tells her, “It’s not a letdown. For whom?”
“For me, for him, for the kids, for people who don’t even know us. I mean complete strangers are like, ‘We looked up to you guys and you made us believe in true love,’ ” Kyle continues.
Erika then reminds her, “This is true love. This is true love. Listen to me. There’s only two people in this marriage. So everybody else’s opinion can f--- off.”
“You have to make yourself happy. You’ve raised these girls. You’ve been a good wife to this man. You’ve been a great sister, a great daughter, but if you’re not happy inside – whatever that means for you — you must take that time and find out what you need, and where you need to go with this life,” she advises her longtime friend.
The clip concludes with an emotional Kyle posing a bigger question to her costar about her and Mauricio’s fate, which seems to remain up in the air: “And if we can’t work it out?”
On Sunday, the Bravo star told PEOPLE that she and her husband still aren’t sure what the future holds.
“We're a family no matter what, and we love each other, and we're just trying to figure it out. So right now, it's not on pause,” she said at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards. “We're actively navigating through this and working through it.”
“We're not going to be in this situation forever, whichever way that goes,” she continued. “Time will tell, probably sooner than later, but we're hanging in there. The good thing is we get along well, and we were at an event last night together with the family. And I don't know, it's been working for us. It's kind of strange, but hey, like I said, we're family no matter what.”
Her comments come after a source told PEOPLE in December that Mauricio has been "getting to know" influencer Alexandria Wolfe amid his separation from Kyle.
"Mauricio and Alexandria have been enjoying each other's company since meeting in Aspen," the source said at the time.
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The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' season 13 finale airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo and can be streamed the next day on Peacock.