Tom Sandoval has just reached out to Raquel Leviss on Instagram.
Weeks after the Vanderpump Rules alum, 29, told Bethenny Frankel, 52, on her podcast that she was never truly “in love” with Sandoval, Sandoval sent her a birthday message in which he admitted to missing their relationship.
“I believed I was in love with Tom at the time. I now look back on it and see that I was not in love with him,” Raquel shared on Just B With Bethenny. “I also don’t believe that he truly was in love with me either.”
According to Raquel, she shared a connection with Sandoval because she “felt seen and heard by him” — and because she was needing “validation” at the time of their sordid affair, which took place behind the back of Ariana Madix, 38.
“[Tom] really gave me that time of day to share my side of the story in a non-judgment zone and that’s exactly what I needed in that moment,” she admitted.
Then, during that same interview, Raquel claimed Sandoval betrayed her by recording a NSFW video of the two of them on FaceTime without her consent.
“I felt very betrayed. I felt like I couldn’t trust this person. I felt like my privacy didn’t matter to him and he didn’t really give a good excuse besides he wanted me to see it later on to see how beautiful I was. But if he would have asked for permission, I would have said no,” she stated.
In addition to quitting Pump Rules after undergoing two months of mental health treatment, Raquel distanced herself from Sandoval, who has since been linked to singer Tii, even unfollowing her former flame on Instagram.
But while Raquel may not follow Sandoval any longer, he still follows her and made a point to reach out to her on September 12, her 29th birthday.
“Happy Birthday Rachel, I really hope [you’re] finding peace and happiness. Miss [you] friend,” he wrote in the caption of her latest post, which featured a video of her in a greenhouse.
Although Raquel won’t be seen on the upcoming season of Pump Rules, she told her fans and followers on Instagram over the weekend that she would be launching a podcast “soon.”
Vanderpump Rules season 11 is expected to begin airing later this year or early next year on Bravo.