Evelyn admits it’s hard to walk away

A tearful Evelyn Lozada doesn’t imagine she’ll ever be able to talk to her husband Chad Johnson again.

“It would have to take some time. I love him very much, and I think us being away from each other is the right thing,” Evelyn told ABC, before questioning exactly what her estranged husband would have to say for himself.

“What is he going to say, he’s sorry?” she asked. "I would like for him to tell me that he got help and that he’s working on himself."

Although their 41-day marriage ended with alleged violence, Evelyn said she wants the best for Chad, who she considers a “good guy.” He just made a bad choice, she said, “and I’m sorry that I’m connected to that, but that was his choice; it wasn’t mine.”

The divorce isn’t final, and Evelyn admits she still has feelings for Chad, but she said she’s got no choice but to walk away.

"It’s the hardest thing in the world to walk away from someone that you really love," she said. "But you have to walk away because I have to protect myself."

Evelyn talks to "Nightline" tonight at 11:35 p.m. EST. Watch a clip of the interview below.

Click on the thumbnails of Ev & Ocho below for larger images from days when things were better.