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The Bachelorette Finale: Desiree Hartsock Gets Engaged to Chris Siegfried

Desiree Hartsock
In part two of the Bachelorette finale, Desiree Hartsock overcame heartbreak and accepted a proposal from Chris Siegfried

All’s well that ends well! After Brooks Forester‘s shocking exit in part one of the two-part Bachelorette finale on Monday, July 29, it looked like Desiree Hartsock‘s dream of falling in love had turned into a nightmare. But things took yet another surprising turn on Monday, Aug. 5. (Major spoilers ahead!)

Still in tears at the beginning of the episode over Brooks’ shocking exit, Des sat down with Chris Harrison to decide whether she wanted to continue her search for a husband. “I’m not broken,” she insisted. “My heart might be, but my spirit hasn’t been broken…I want to find someone to share my life with. I do, I really do.”

Related: PHOTOS: Desiree's cast-offs

With that in mind, she set out on final dates with her two remaining suitors, Chris Siegfried and Drew Kenney. Right away, though, she knew things weren’t right with Drew. “I would be so lucky to have you in my life, but I don’t know if I see our futures together, if I can be there 100 percent for you,” she told him. “I don’t know. I just feel like maybe there’s something missing.”

Drew was blindsided, but he handled the rejection well. And then there was one.

Related: PHOTOS: The Bachelor -- where are they now?

Des’ final date with Chris was exactly what she needed after getting her heart broken by Brooks. “I’ve never in my life met anyone like Chris,” she said. “I just feel so lucky to be that person that is receiving his love, because I’ve never felt anyone has loved me as much as I have loved them. It’s hard, because I feel guilty. Like, how could I not have loved him from the beginning?”

Chris even won the approval of Des’ notoriously critical brother, Nate. “If you choose him, I think you definitely are making the right choice,” Nate told his sister during a heart-to-heart. He wondered, though, whether she was truly over Brooks.

Related: PHOTOS: The Bachelor -- where are they now?

Des seemed a little unsure herself, but in the end, she realized that she had let her love for Brooks overshadow everything else — including the very real love she had for Chris. “I feel like I was blindsided by my feelings for Brooks, that I couldn’t see that the one thing I always needed was right in front of me,” she told Chris during the final rose ceremony. “You have been by my side from the very beginning…I thank you every day for never giving up. And you mean the absolute world to me. I love you. I love you so much.”

Chris and Des - Bachelorette Finale - Kiss

Related: PHOTOS: Bachelor proposals, promise rings, and breakups

Chris, of course, reciprocated her love. “You make me want to be a better person, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he said before getting down on one knee and popping the question. “I don’t want to make decisions for me anymore; I want to make decisions for you, and us, and our lives together.”

“Desiree Hartsock,” he began. “I want to be your first, and I want to be your last. Will you marry me?”

Tell Us: What did you think of the finale? Do you think Des made the right choice in accepting Chris’ proposal?

Plus, check back later for full recaps of Monday’s Bachelorette finale and “After the Final Rose” special.

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