The Bachelorette finale featured Jenn Tran boldly proposing marriage to Devin Strader, only to have him suddenly "switch up" and dump her over the phone after the Final Rose Ceremony during the Season 21 finale that aired Tuesday night on ABC.
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Jenn meant everything to her mother and brother, and so they wanted to see her in love and with a good man by her side. James was well aware Jenn had been in toxic relationships in the past with emotionally-unavailable men, and so he didn't want to see history repeat itself.
When Devin met Jenn's family, he shared how he and Jenn had similar upbringings, and he gushed about his strong love for Jenn and how he was ready to get engaged. Devin said Jenn made him feel "seen" and "whole," and he added, "Jenn deserves a man who will wake up and choose her."
Devin told the cameras that he couldn't envision being in this world without Jenn as his partner.
James thought Devin was acting with sincerity and that he and Jenn were a good match.
But when Devin asked James for his blessing to propose marriage to Jenn, James responded, "I'm definitely not going to give my blessing now. It's not because I'm not sure about it; it's because I haven't talked to the second guy yet. But I respect that you asked, and I love that actually."
At the end of their date, Jenn reminded Devin that she loved him, and she asked him not to overthink things and get in his head.
Marcus then met Jenn's loved ones, and Jenn said that if Marcus expressed his love to her that day, it would "change everything."
Marcus came across well-intentioned and kind, and Jenn's family couldn't believe how much Marcus had endured and overcome in his childhood having been in the foster care system.
Marcus, however, danced around direct questions and used vague phrases in conversation -- such as "on the path" to finding true love and how he "deeply cared" for Jenn -- to describe his feelings.
Marcus admitted that he was struggling with a feeling of "uncertainty," which made him unsure about how to proceed.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWMarcus couldn't confirm that he loved Jenn at the moment and was ready to pop the question in less than a week, which really concerned Trinh and James.
But Marcus insisted to Jenn's family that being in love with Jenn was "definitely possible."
Trinh wished Jenn would spend more time with the two bachelors before choosing one and potentially getting engaged.
And James asked Jenn how long she'd be willing to wait to hear, "I love you," back from her partner. James simply wanted Jenn to have a mutual love that she deserved.
At the end of the date, Marcus told Jenn that they had made "progress," but that wasn't good enough for The Bachelorette star. Marcus reiterated how he was "struggling" due to pressure he was putting on himself to build a family like he never had.
Jenn left another conversation with Marcus "feeling confused" because he couldn't pinpoint how he was feeling for Jenn and what their future would look like for them.
The next day, Jenn embarked on her last date with Devin in Hawaii, and the pair participated in a spiritual ceremony in which they attempted to release their doubts and fears about heartbreak.
Devin asked Jenn to trust him that night, and he shared how he trusted her in return. The couple professed their love to one another again, and Jenn clearly felt safe with and protected by Devin.
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Jesse was then shown advising a "torn" Marcus to tell Jenn that he loved her -- if he really did -- or else he'd lose her.
Marcus explained how he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to love Jenn "fully" in the way that she craved, and he noted that he wouldn't propose unless he could truly see himself being the ultimate husband and eventual father.
Before Marcus' final date with Jenn in Hawaii, The Bachelorette star sought him out for a conversation because they were running out of time and she needed answers. Jenn said she couldn't fake another smile on a date, knowing that Marcus' was feeling conflicted about her.
Jenn asked Marcus where he was at in the process, and Marcus said he regretted not diving deeper with Jenn earlier. Marcus said he could picture a life with Jenn and it was, in fact, "exciting" to have "real" feelings for her -- but he was struggling to allow himself to be all in.
"I don't understand why it's so scary for me to move forward," Marcus explained.
Jenn started to cry and didn't understand what Marcus was trying to tell her. The Bachelorette star felt she had invested so much into Marcus and had given him everything, and so she was admittedly "tired" and deflated.
Marcus claimed he wasn't keeping anything from Jenn, but after talking in circles about "wanting to keep trying" despite the odds against him, he finally declared to The Bachelorette star, "I know that I love you, and I want to be the type of person who fights for it. I want to do this with you."
Marcus said he didn't want to give up on Jenn, but instead of reacting with joy and elation, Jenn asked for a moment alone to reflect on things. Marcus' love profession clearly came late in the game, and she said she didn't know what to do with it.
Once Jenn reunited with an emotional Marcus, Marcus cried and acknowledged how he wasn't giving Jenn what she needed.
"I'm at a place where I feel I've been at my entire life -- giving and giving and giving... and trying to prove that I'm someone who is worth it, and I know that I'm worth it," Jenn told Marcus.
"I'm done hinging my future on somebody being afraid to lose me. I am done waiting around for somebody to 'get there.' I'm just done. I genuinely had so much hope for us."
Marcus replied in tears, "I'm afraid that I'm not going to find someone like you again."
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Jenn ultimately said goodbye to Marcus and was ready to let go of the woman she used to be in relationships.
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During the live portion of The Bachelorette finale, Marcus sat in the hot seat and shared with Jesse how his breakup with Jenn was "a hard day" and he had stumbled upon "some painful truths" -- including that he wasn't living up to Jenn's expectations -- during his time in Hawaii.
Marcus said once he returned home, he had "no idea" if he had made the right decision or not. Marcus told Jesse that "it took some time to realize" if he and Jenn had made the right choice by parting ways.
When Jenn joined Marcus on the stage, she said their relationship meant so much to her and she wished him all the best going forward. Jenn called Marcus "a special person" and said she still cared deeply for him, and Marcus thanked Jenn for teaching him so much about himself.
"I think there was always something I knew deep down was not right," Jenn explained to Jesse, "but I think I was confused because I cared so much about you that I just needed to work through all the feelings as they were coming."
Jenn said she realized Marcus wasn't the man for her when Devin had knocked on her hotel room in Hawaii seeking a serious conversation. Jenn said, in that moment, she was scared to lose Devin and she came to the conclusion that the feelings Devin gave her were something she wanted to run towards instead of away from.
Jenn confirmed that her heart was "leaning" towards Devin when she and Marcus were scheduled to go on their last date together.
Marcus shared how he was "fighting to get there" for Jenn and he ultimately loved her enough "to get out of [her] way." Marcus said breaking up was probably the appropriate thing to do in Hawaii because he wasn't giving Jenn what she needed and he was "lying" to himself "a little bit there."
Jesse then asked Jenn if things would've ended differently had Marcus said, "I love you," earlier.
"Unfortunately, I know it wouldn't have ended differently because it just wasn't the right relationship," Jenn explained, adding, "I felt so comfortable and so safe and so happy, but at the end of the day, I think my heart was just in a different place and wanted something different."
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When Devin was the only man who remained, Jenn told The Bachelorette cameras that she really loved Devin and she was sure that he was The One for her.
"I really need to follow my heart today... I closed the door on my past by not letting somebody else's emotions dictate me and my life," Jenn told Jesse.
"Going into today, I thought I knew which way I wanted it to go, and I woke up this morning with a totally different point of view on it."
Jenn explained to Jesse that in order to fulfill herself, she needed to choose herself.
"I'm not going to let Devin propose to me today; I am going to propose to Devin!" Jenn revealed. "I want to make a big gesture so that he knows where my love is. I want him to know that I'm going to fight for him and that I'm going to choose him every day."
Instead of airing Jenn's marriage proposal to Devin, Jesse explained to viewers and the live studio audience that "it wouldn't be appropriate for anyone to see" the engagement until Jenn got to speak her mind and explain what happened.
Jesse then welcomed Jenn onto the stage, and Jenn was visibly sobbing and trying to compose herself.
"Jenn, I'm so sorry. I don't even really know how to get into this," Jesse began.
"It's been a really hard several months. We had left Hawaii engaged... It was the happiest day of my life and I thought he was the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with," Jenn said of Devin.
Jenn continued, "Essentially, as soon as we left Hawaii, things were just different. It kind of felt like he was pulling away. All of the promises he had made me of wanting to move somewhere together... and see each other all the time, he was slowly pulling away and the efforts weren't consistent."
Jenn claimed that Devin wasn't calling her or texting her much, which confused her because they had left Hawaii so in love.
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Jenn, fighting back her tears, said she didn't understand what had caused Devin to change.
"He basically said that he didn't love me anymore and he didn't feel the same way. He said something felt off from the second he proposed and that he regretted getting engaged," Jenn revealed.
"For the past month, I've been trying to empathize with the way he had been feeling and trying to wrap my head around how he could switch up like that. He was making bold proclamations of love... and then suddenly the next day, there was nothing and he denied ever being in love."
Jenn wondered if Devin had felt pressure to get engaged when he wasn't ready, and so she said she had offered to remove her engagement ring and just date.
"I [said], 'I want a life with you and I don't need a ring on my finger,' but he was checked out," Jenn alleged.
"[He said] it wasn't what he wanted anymore, and I've been fighting for the relationship and doing everything I can... to try to make things work. He didn't want to go to couple's counseling or fight for the relationship anymore. He was just done."
Jesse admitted he was "totally shocked" by this news because Devin had claimed Jenn was the most important person in his life and that he'd never abandon her. Jenn agreed, recalling how Devin had said similar sentiments to her parents and to his own parents.
Jenn said she didn't know what had changed and that she last saw Devin during a "Happy Couple" getaway in July. Jenn claimed Devin had been avoiding her and repeatedly postponing a serious face-to-face conversation about their breakup.
Jenn said Devin was once madly in love with her, only to suddenly ignore her text messages like she meant "nothing" to him.
Jesse then welcomed Devin to the stage, and Devin was booed by the studio audience.
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Jenn explained to Devin how she was totally heartbroken. She said while she can come to terms with a man falling out of love with her, she couldn't understand how he behaved after breaking their engagement over the phone in August.
"The next day I wake up to you following girls on Instagram, and not just any girl, but [Maria Georgas]!" Jenn revealed of fellow The Bachelor 28 alum who had been in contention to star on The Bachelorette's 21st season.
"Not only is that so disrespectful to everything we had shared with each other, but I just don't understand why you would do something like that. It completely invalidated our entire relationship."
Devin replied, "I can't excuse the Instagram follow. I know how much that hurt you."
"So you did it to be cruel?" Jenn asked.
"No, I did not," Devin responded. "I'm not here to tell you that you can't feel the way that you feel. Obviously I failed you, and there is nothing I can say other than that. But everything I felt for you was real."
"Was it?" Jenn snapped in reply. "Because you said, 'Oh, I was having such a hard time with this breakup.' Next thing I know, you were in New York clubbing with [Jeremy Simon]! You said, 'Oh, I need time and space because this makes me sad.'"
Devin noted how this conversation was going very differently than he had anticipated, and he claimed New York was a work trip and he's allowed to live his life.
Jesse asked Devin flat out what happened, and Devin explained that he left Hawaii "with a lot of doubts."
"Regretfully and sadly, I suppressed those feelings," Devin told Jenn. "I did come clean to you about that. I was very honest."
"Two months after we left the show! [But] I was in a relationship with you for two months after the show when you had one foot out the door, instead of communicating with me how you actually felt about me," Jenn said.
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Devin confirmed that he had hidden his feelings of doubt from his fiancee, forcing Jenn to fight for a relationship that he essentially wasn't even in.
Devin claimed he had been honest with Jenn through every step of his doubts, but she disagreed.
"I was late on letting you know. You are 100 percent right," Devin noted with a laugh. "I can only sit here and take accountability for my shortcomings. I know how bad this hurts."
"No you don't!" Jenn argued.
Jenn continued, "Because you were never fully in the engagement! Whereas I was! I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and have a family with you, and you didn't see those things! So don't sit here and try to tell me that you know how I feel -- because you don't!"
Jenn said her heart broke every Monday night while The Bachelorette aired while Devin allegedly had fun and posted funny memes on social media.
Jenn recalled how Devin had broken up with her "in a 15-minute phone call" in which he pointed out how he couldn't keep saying sorry.
Devin claimed he had fought for their relationship and Jenn was unfairly condensing time, but Jenn disagreed.
Devin said he "fell short" of delivering for Jenn and making her a priority in everyday life, but he asked her to just focus on the breakup and not on what happened afterward. Devin claimed he was hurt too and he had nothing to gain by appearing on this reunion.
"I found myself falling short of [your] expectations in the real world, and I found myself not being able to live up to the things that you need and deserve," Devin conceded. "I'm not trying to get back at you or make you feel bad. I really, really do care for you."
Devin said he watched Jenn grow, only to contribute to her "recession," which hurt him. Devin suggested that Jenn was willing to compromise her standards to make him happy and he didn't want her to make those sacrifices for him.
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Jesse told Jenn that while she was clearly devastated, she should feel empowered for having done things her way and making history as the franchise's first-ever Asian American Bachelorette.
Jenn then allowed Jesse to play her marriage proposal, although she pointed out that she didn't really have a choice.
While the engagement aired, Jenn could be seen sobbing in a tiny box in the corner of the screen. At one point, ABC stopped showing Jenn's reaction because she was clearly so distraught.
After Devin told Jenn that he fell more in love with her every time he saw her and that she inspired him, Jenn repeated how she loved Devin immensely and wanted to be his future wife.
"I love you so deeply, Devin, but I can't let you propose to me. I've decided to choose myself in this journey, and the best version of myself is when I'm with you. I'm strong on my own, but I know we're stronger together," Jenn told her final pick.
"And Devin, I want to fight for you every day and help carry your burdens and put a smile on your face. And honestly, I just don't want to live without you. You are everything I've ever dreamed of but didn't know I could have... Baby, I want to grow old with you!"
Jenn then presented Devin with a ring and proposed marriage, and he laughed.
"You turned the tables on me! Absolutely, 100 times over!" Devin replied, kissing his fiancee.
Devin, however, proposed marriage to Jenn as well. He traditionally got down on one knee and asked, "Jennifer Tran, will you make me the happiest man and marry me?"
"Absolutely!" The Bachelorette star replied.
It was extremely hard for Jenn to watch back her engagement because she said it was the happiest day of her life.
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Jenn added, "I fought for this to the point where I started doing things that disrespected myself. At this point, I know what I deserve. Somebody else will be that man for me and fulfill all the promises he made me, instead of leaving me with nothing."
Devin said he fully believed everything he had said at the time and that man truly loved Jenn. He apologized for failing Jenn.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
