Charity Explains Xavier’s Bachelorette Exit

For better or worse, you can always count on Fantasy Suites to be one of the most emotional parts of a Bachelor Nation journey — and that proved true for Charity Lawson. During the Aug. 7 episode, Charity and Xavier Bonner had the first date of the week. They didn’t make it to the overnight portion, though: During dinner, Xavier admitted to Charity that he had been unfaithful in his past relationship.

Charity was still willing to give their relationship a chance but became frustrated when Xavier couldn’t promise he’d “put in the work” to be loyal to her in the future. “In my heart, there is not any f*cking doubt,” he said. “But in my mind, there is that doubt. And for me to get to that point, that has to happen tonight. I need to see more.”

That was enough for Charity to part ways with Xavier. The turn of events blindsided Charity in the moment — but if you look back at Charity and Xavier’s journey, there are definitely subtle signs that something was off between the pair. “He’s fun. He’s a great person, but he does remind me a lot of my past,” Charity said during a confessional on their Washington one-on-one date. “And I see some of those qualities that I have grown from, and still am, like, working through.”

Charity was also alarmed by Xavier’s hesitance to commit. But during hometowns, Xavier’s mom assured Charity he was ready — buying the pair a little more time before their Fantasy Suites falling out. However, as Charity tells Bustle, there were other red flags along the way: “things that I think we didn’t really get to see or maybe people missed,” she says.

For example, there was the couple’s conversational chemistry — which, Charity points out, felt reminiscent of previous relationships. “I think he uses flirting a lot to kind of work his magic and he’s good at it! So, I think for me that was the first initial reminder ... of my past,” she explains. “And when I would ask stimulating questions, or questions that were a lot deeper, I wasn’t necessarily getting a full scope of that. I was getting his answer, but then every now and then he would interject with, like, ‘Oh, you're so pretty.’ I’m like, yes, I know. But let’s talk about something else.”

In addition to specific moments, Charity says her concerns about Xavier came down to “mainly just the vibe” she got from the Season 20 suitor. “That’s my intuition talking to me, and I didn’t always listen to it.”

With Charity revealing that she’s in love with her other two suitors during Fantasy Suites, though — and a third making a surprise return — it seems that intuition will be put to the test once more very soon.