The Bachelor alum Kylee Russell has revealed where she and Aven Jones currently stand after his cheating scandal and if there's any chance they'll get back together in the future.
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But on Saturday, December 9, Kylee took to Instagram Stories to announce that her relationship with Aven was already over due to "multiple infidelities." She thanked God for not allowing her to "live another day in the dark," and she asked fans for privacy because this was "real life" to her.
Aven then broke his silence on Sunday, December 10 via Instagram Stories, confirming that he had made "major mistakes" and was the one to blame for the demise of his post-Bachelor in Paradise relationship with Kylee.
"He was the first man I ever truly loved... I loved him so much, and I still have love for him," Kylee said during the Tuesday, January 23 episode of "The Viall Files" podcast, which is hosted by The Bachelor's Season 21 star Nick Viall.
The Bachelor 27 alum also quipped, "He is a good looking man, unfortunately. It would make it a lot easier if he wasn't."
Kylee admitted to Nick that she had posted about Aven's unfaithfulness on social media and made it public news in order to make it more difficult for herself to forgive him and take him back.
"I've always just wanted to be loved so badly and to build a family and to have that fairy-tale happy ending. I think I would've just looked past it because I had so much love for him, but that's not fair to me," Kylee explained.
"I've done so much growth in these past few years, especially after my Bachelor experiences, and I respect myself too much to have immediately taken him back. And so I think that was kind of my way of forcing myself, 'No, [breaking up] is the right thing to do.' When I posted it, did I have a little bit of, 'Oh god, what have I done?' Absolutely. But it honestly felt right at the moment."
Aven had allegedly cheated on Kylee three times -- once during a guys' night out in Santa Monica, CA, with Eric Bigger and James "Meatball" Clarke as well as twice in Boston, MA, with a childhood friend whom he still has feelings for.
Kylee said a woman had DMed her on Instagram about Aven's cheating in Santa Monica, and then when Kylee confronted Aven about the allegation -- with photo evidence -- he "immediately" admitted his betrayal and later owned up to having cheated on Kylee two more times in Boston.
Kylee read Aven's apology, a "book-long" text message, on Nick's podcast, and in his apology, Aven claimed that he was going to work on himself and hopefully become a better man. His apology was filled with self-pity and self-deprecating language such as, "I am a selfish and inconsiderate prick."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWWhen asked if Aven has truly been trying to make positive changes in his life after his affairs, Kylee shared, "I think the first positive step I saw him take was his response to my post on Instagram. [It was] bare minimum, but he immediately owned up to it. He could've taken the easy way out and said, 'Not everything is as it seems,' or denied it."
Kylee also confessed, "I'm not going to sit here and lie and say I haven't spoken to him. I have spoken to him, and he is currently taking the steps to be a better person. I know he's going to therapy now."
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Kylee said something like this -- a "big slap in the face" -- needed to happen for Aven to open his eyes and change.
"I don't think our relationship could've gotten where it needs to get to if it wasn't for this moment," Kylee noted, adding how Aven knew about her "The Viall Files" podcast appearance and was supportive.
"He wants me to be able to share my side of things, to clear the air and to give my story. He honestly did not [ask me to hold anything back]... I'm not doing this podcast to break him down. I respect him too much."
Kylee said she believes that if a person truly wants to change, he or she can make it happen.
"It's one of the hardest things [I've been through]. In an instant, my life changed," Kylee lamented.
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"I think this topic is a little hard to talk about just because... I don't know myself. I think I'm just taking things day by day. I know, for me, this period of my life is all about making Kylee stronger," Kylee said.
Kylee claimed that Aven never actually believed she'd ever move to San Diego to be with him since she's so close to her family in community in Charlotte.
"I am so glad to say that even after all of this, and after he believed I'd never do it, I am moving to San Diego in the last week of January! But it has nothing to do with Aven," Kylee insisted.
"It's all about me and my personal growth. I'm moving with [Jess Girod] as well as [Kat Izzo]."
Nick went on to ask Kylee flat out if she'd like to date Aven again, and she replied, "Not in this moment."
Nick pushed, "Do you hold out hope that he's doing the work he needs to do so that it would be safe for you to give him another chance?"
"Yes," Kylee replied. "But do I know if I could ever get back to that space? I'm not sure."
Kylee revealed, however, that Aven is "actively" trying to get back with her.
"He needs to do the work. I need to move. I need to set up this life for myself cross country. And then I think it's all about time. If I see he's found himself in a space where he's a better version of himself, [then maybe]," Kylee shared.
But Kylee noted how their breakup is still "fresh" and Aven is coping with the fact he lost her.
"Is he this strong willed about changing just because he's caught up in the moment?" Kylee questioned. "Six months down the road, is he still going to be this new version of himself? There are no guarantees... If not for myself, I hope he changes for him and for another potential partner."
Kylee continued, "I do feel like he has it in him. I just don't know if I'll ever get back into that space of being completely in love with someone but still worrying when they walk out the door what they're going to be doing."
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Kylee admitted if she sees Aven out in San Diego with another woman, it will "definitely sting."
She reiterated, "At the end of the day, I love him and I still hold so much love for him. So that would be hard. And he's going to be a part of my comfort zone because I'm going to be so far away from my family and friends. It's going to take strength for sure."
Kylee concluded how she "can't see into the future" and didn't have an answer for Nick at that time.
"My life was totally swept out from under me, and I'm having to totally regroup and start from scratch. So just give me grace, that's all I ask," Kylee stated.
Kylee is also not dating at the moment and has no interest in dating anyone else from Bachelor Nation.
When looking back on her Bachelor in Paradise experience with Aven on Season 9, Kylee acknowledged how there were definitely some red flags she had ignored.
Kylee said there was a "disconnect" between Aven and herself in which she seemed to do "a lot of the talking" and he just did a lot of "agreeing."
Kylee -- who insisted she had never met or spoken to Aven before their stint on Paradise -- could see that she was "way more into" Aven than he was into her.
"I know with the way the show portrayed it, it looked like I was kind of a crazy, stalker girl and I was obsessed with him... [But] it was more so the idea of what could be," Kylee explained.
Kylee was a fan of Aven when he had competed on Rachel Recchia's season of The Bachelorette, and so she almost viewed him like a celebrity.
Kylee said once she and Aven became romantically involved on the show, she sensed that Aven was just "there for a vacation with his friends" and not to fall in love.
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Although Kylee thought Aven was "all in" on her, he was clearly reluctant to get engaged, as Bachelor in Paradise viewers saw for themselves.
Kylee admitted it was "embarrassing" that she had to "beg a man," repeatedly, to propose marriage to her. Kylee said she regrets her persistence but was bothered by the fact Aven had allegedly told her that he was ready to pop the question to Rachel on The Bachelorette -- but not to her.
"I thought, 'If you can get there for other people, why can't you get there for me?'" Kylee reasoned.
She added, "In my defense, there were other conversations where he was giving me false hope in regards to the engagement. He'd be like, 'Okay, I'm thinking about it, and I really do think I can get there with you. Just give me some time.' And then the next day, he'd be like... 'Hell no.'"
Kylee suggested that Aven flip-flopped and made her "confused" and "emotional."
Kylee also clarified that she was not just looking for a TV engagement but rather a "commitment" from Aven that would "push" them to "work through the hardships" of the real world, especially since they were going to be dating long distance.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
