The ring had a classic double basket wire cluster and featured a six claw set round brilliant cut one karat center diamond, surrounded by twelve smaller round brilliant cut diamonds individually claw set, all on a white gold band.
Back at the hotel, he thought one last time about which woman to choose. In the end, he knew he would be happy with either. He decided to stick with his choice.
Chris met him at a mansion that overlooked the ocean in Sydney. The sun was setting. Brian told him this was a decision he wouldn’t wish on anyone else. He knew someone would get hurt, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt anyone.
Minutes later, the first limo pulled up. Caitlin stepped out, wearing the same emerald dress she wore that first night. He met her on the veranda with a hug and a kiss.
“Wow. You look amazing. Caitlin, you have everything any normal man could want. You’re beautiful, smart, funny, and talented. I just adore Quinn. Any man would be a fool not to choose you.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Tears started filling in his eyes.
“And I must be a fool to say this. You’re not the one. Please don’t take this the wrong way. I know you’re going to be a huge star, and the last thing I want to do is hold you back. I am so sorry.”
She lost it. She was crying Niagara Falls.
“You broke my heart. I will never love anyone else the way I loved you.”
Brian walked her to the limo and saw it drive off. Once inside, Caitlin said, “At least I have some new material. I bet this could be a number one hit.”
Brian took some time to compose himself. Fifteen minutes later, the other limo drove up. Julie stepped out wearing the same black dress she wore the first night. He met her on the veranda with a hug and a kiss.
“You look more beautiful than the first night I saw you. You have everything I could possibly ask for in a woman. You make me a better man both inside and out. Any man would be proud to call you his wife.
He dropped down to one knee. “And I want that man to be me.” He showed her the ring. “Julie Marie Hoffman, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She started crying as soon as she saw the ring. “Of course, I will marry you.” She sealed the deal with a kiss.
They enjoyed their last moment together for a while. They would have to leave on separate planes in the morning. Little did Brian know what would happen next.
For weeks after filming ended, Brian tried to contact Julie. Physical contact was forbidden by the contract. Every time he tried to call, it went straight to voice mail.
Brian considered traveling to Savannah to see if everything was okay, even if it meant breaking the contract. Instead, he waited patiently, hoping she would answer.
Eventually, he got a disconnect notice from her number. He tried contacting the producers of the show to get her new number, but they had no knowledge of the change.
Meanwhile, in San Antonio, Samantha was still living with Jeremy. However, they weren’t as happy as they were in Antigua.
While the Bachelor was filming, Samantha grew more distant from Jeremy. She missed her friends and family in Wisconsin. He began spending more time away from home. She grew lonely. She realized that she made a mistake choosing Jeremy. It was good for the short term, but not a good long-term decision
Then, the Bachelor started airing. Samantha was reintroduced to Brian. The few memories she had of him returned. She knew who she needed to be with, but knew it would not be possible.
Brian also watched as the show aired. He saw how much fun he had that first day. He saw Candace walk out. He was happy again,
That was, until he saw the second episode, where Julie revealed her plan. Happiness turned to deep depression. He was used. At that moment, he understood why she had never answered or returned his calls.
The next week, pictures of Julie appeared in the National Enquirer with another man in Los Angeles. As Brian looked closely, he noticed her engagement ring was missing. She took the money from the show and sold her ring. She got her wish. She was famous.
Brian tried contacting the producers to get Caitlin’s number. He didn’t know where she lived in Nashville.
He called her. It was refreshing to hear her voice again. He explained the situation to her and proposed to her.
“I’m sorry, Brian. I can’t. I loved you so much then, but now those feelings have changed. I would have trusted my life with you then. Now, I can’t trust you at all.”
The rejection drove Brian over the edge. He went to the medicine cabinet and took out a razor blade. He placed the blade to his wrist.
As he was about to cut himself, he dropped the razor. He dropped to his knees and cried all night long.
About two in the morning, he called Matt. He didn’t want to be left alone in his current state of mind. He asked Matt to take him to an asylum to be committed. He knew the longer he was there alone, the more likely he was to follow through with his suicide plan.
For several days, he underwent tests. The doctors wanted to make sure that when he got released that he would not try to kill himself again. The tests were not a hundred percent positive, so they kept him an additional few days.
A few weeks went by, and Brian made progress. He still had his moments, but overall, he was good.
Samantha, however, was regressing. She was on the brink of abandoning hope with Jeremy and moving back to Wisconsin. The only problem with that was it took all of her savings to move her stuff to Texas, and she could not afford to move back. Besides, she had to sell about half of her belongings to pay for the move.
The one thing that brought joy to her life was watching Brian. Sometimes when she was alone, she would pop in the DVD of Heartbreak Hotel and relive the fun she had with him. Other times, she would look at pictures she took of him during his going-away party. She knew she blew her chance with him but still wanted to see him happy.
As the finale neared, Brian saw Julie’s plan come to fruition. Julie continued to appear in tabloids. None of them portrayed her in a positive light.
The magazines tried to contact Brian for his comments. He gave them as little information as possible. He didn’t want to let them know she was his final choice.
Samantha felt she had to attend the reunion show. She wanted to tell Brian how she really felt about him, and didn’t care if he was engaged or not.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Samantha felt sorry for Brian as she saw the final episode. That sorrow turned to joy as she realized that he was still single.
Chris came out as the show started. Some of the ladies were already seated on stage.
“Welcome to ‘After the Rose’.”
He started interviewing the ladies, particularly the ones Julie had influence over. Naveena told him she was so upset when she left, not knowing how bad a condition she was in. She was relieved when she got home and everything was okay. That relief, however, soon turned to rage. Now, she had a direction to point it at.
Denise also shared that rage against Julie. After all, she was the one eliminated because Julie told him she had a boyfriend. She told everyone she didn’t and still doesn’t.
He also asked Sage, McKenna, and Alison how they were doing.
Caitlin was next to come on stage. Chris asked her how she was doing after the rejection. “It was hard at first, but everything is back to normal now. If fact, it inspired me to write music. I’ve been approached by a record producer and he wants to record an album.”
“Can you put that off for a few months? Ladies and gentlemen, Caitlin is the new Bachelorette.” The audience erupted with applause.
Security was brought onstage before Julie came out. The audience booed her as she walked onstage. Naveena charged after her but was intercepted by security.
Chris asked why she tricked him into loving her.
“It was nothing personal. Just a game. I did what I needed to do. In fact, as a result o
f this show, I have been offered a part in a brand new show.”
She was the most hated woman in the history of the Bachelor. The audience asked her a few questions.
Brian was the last to come out. This was the first time he had seen or heard from Julie since Australia. He had some tough questions that needed answers.
He told them how he tried to contact Caitlin after the show. He didn’t blame her for turning him down.
He also told them of his contemplating suicide.
The audience asked him some questions. Samantha tried to ask him a question, but he could not see her in the audience.
The show ended, and Samantha never got to ask him out. She refused to give up.
She waited for him outside of the studio. An hour later, the two were reunited.
“I have never gotten you out of my mind. Even when I was with Jeremy, I always thought of you. Would you like to get together and pick up where we left off in Antigua?”
“After this experience, you can understand if I have a little trouble trusting in women. But I have nothing but fond memories of you. If there is one woman I can trust, it’s you Samantha. I would love to get to know you.”
Samantha kissed him. Brian had been kissed quite a few times on the Bachelor, but nothing felt more right than this.
They walked away from the studio hand in hand.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
One year has passed since the reunion show.
Based on the success of Heartbreak Hotel, XYZ Studios tried ripping off every other reality concept. Unfortunately, they couldn’t match the success. They are in the process of filing for bankruptcy.
Julie was correct. She did have a project in the works. Unfortunately, the pilot never saw the light of day. She was a pariah. She couldn’t find work in acting or as a personal trainer. She tried to move back with her parents, but they refused. Wouldn’t you given the way she portrayed them on the Bachelor? Desperation caused her to become a prostitute to pay her bills. She was recently in the news again. She was busted with Charlie Sheen in a hotel room.
Jeremy still works as a firefighter. He has gone through several other girlfriends but was unable to find a connection like he had with Samantha.
Naveena fulfilled her dream when she was asked to pose for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. While it wasn’t the cover, it was a foot in the door.
McKenna finished her graduate work and is now working with special needs children.
Alison is still bartending at the Swing Club. She is still looking for a man she loved as much as Brian.
Caitlin is engaged to the man she chose on the Bachelorette. He plays guitar in her band. She rode the song she wrote about Brian to number one. She was nominated for a CMA award for Best New Artist.
Brian was able to find work as a customer service representative. He couldn’t walk down the streets of Bismarck without getting looks from the neighbors. Even though all of his friends were there, he felt he needed to move away and start a new life.
Samantha also moved away from San Antonio. She felt a need to be close to her family. She decided on St. Paul, Minnesota. She was able to find work quickly as a paralegal.
The producers from the Bachelor called Brian and asked him to come back and be the Bachelor again. He turned them down. He was engaged to Samantha and living with her in St. Paul.
The producers gave him a counteroffer. They offered to pay for the wedding in exchange for the rights to broadcast it. Being short on cash, they took them up on that offer.
The network spared no expense. They went with an island theme, a reminder of their first date. They hired a calypso band to play. The bridesmaids wore flowered dresses with flowers in their hair. Samantha wore a Vera Wang wedding dress with a bouquet of exotic flowers. They flew Brian’s friends in from Bismarck to be in his wedding party and the two families as well.
Many of the cast from Heartbreak Hotel attended this wedding, as well as most of the ladies from the Bachelor. Austin co-hosted the telecast with Chris. Julie and Jeremy wanted to attend, but neither received an invitation. Brian wanted nothing more to do with her, and neither did the network.
It was an outdoor wedding. The ceremony overlooked a pond. The weather couldn’t have been any more perfect. Doves were released as they kissed at the end of the ceremony.
This was the happiest moment on both Samantha’s and Brian’s lives. Two tortured souls united into one complete entity.
While it was reality TV that brought them together, they both swore off reality TV. They preferred reality itself. To them, it was a lot less drama.
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