Rachel & Peter's Breakup On 'The Bachelorette' Is Seriously Heartbreaking

Warning: This post contains the spoiler for The Bachelorette. Like, the big one.

Here we are, Bachelor Nation. The Bachelorette finale. Rachel Lindsay's last stand as a single woman. *Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made It" begins playing softly in the background.* And, when the moment of truth came in the finale, we faced one last painful moment: Rachel and Peter's breakup on The Bachelorette.

Yep, Rachel broke up with fan-favorite, commitment-phobe Peter Kraus. To say Rachel's breakup with Peter was emotional and difficult is an understatement.

Earlier in the episode, Peter gave it to Rachel straight: "What if I say I'm not ready to get married?" Then he asked Rachel what she was thinking, and she was honest with him: "I'm trying not to cry." And then she did cry — who can blame her? The guy she might want to marry doesn't want to marry her!

Peter assured Rachel he cared about her: "There is something here that I've never experienced, that is undeniable ... That is why I'm still here and still fighting for us. I have maybe one thing that I'm still holding onto."

Then they went to the fantasy suite, presumably to bang. Rachel and Peter had a second date that seemed to go well, but once again, they came back to this marriage thing. Peter still wouldn't give a 100 percent commitment.

"I don't feel that I am ready to ask you to marry me tomorrow," he told her eventually. Which... ouch. Rachel called him out on not wanting to face reality, and once again said that she was looking for a proposal. Peter insisted he still wanted to try, despite not being ready to propose. Peter then turned the question around on Rachel: Did she know that Peter was the one she wanted to spend her life with? But Rachel couldn't answer that question, either. Oof. They were both in tears by the end of the conversation.

Peter said he would propose to Rachel, but only as a sacrificial gesture, and not because he wanted to. Rachel said, through tears, that she would rather Peter not propose if that's how he really felt.  Peter insisted though — losing her would hurt more. But Rachel was worried she would just end up resenting him.

"I want someone who knows what they want to do," pleaded Rachel.

"Great. Go find someone to have a mediocre life with," said Peter spat back.

He concluded, "If you change your mind, you know where you can find me." And that was it — he and Rachel decided they just didn't want the same things. They shared a passionate, tearful kiss. Rachel walked away, and Peter was left crying by himself, whispering, "What is wrong with me?"

Soooo yeah. It's hard to blame Rachel for her decision, when you take in the considerable amount of time Peter's spent saying he wasn't ready for marriage. Marriage is kind of the whole point of this show, Pete.

Later, on the live show, Peter confronted Rachel for the first time since their painful breakup. Peter blamed the stress of the fast-paced tempo of the show, and how little time the contestants have to get to know each other. But Rachel pushed back, noting that maybe it wasn't a good idea to come on The Bachelorette if he wasn't prepared to take the fast pace. "I don't think this world, this process, this show, is for you. I think you're sincere, and that's beautiful, but you need more time. ... And I really hope you find that."

If you're a die-hard Peter fan, I do have some maybe good news for you: There is ample evidence to suggest Peter is trying to land the title of America's next Bachelor. Exhibit A: Peter and everyone around him (including his own mother) insisting he might not be ready for marriage. Who goes on The Bachelorette and works the "afraid of commitment" angle? People trying to become the next Bachelor, that's who.

Exhibit B: It's a childhood dream of Peter's to become The Bachelor, as evidence by his high school yearbook that someone dug up, where Peter is quoted as saying his future plans include "go to art school, become famous in one way or another, be on The Bachelor, live happily."

So it's very possible that Peter's been negotiating his Bachelor contract since filming this Final Rose ceremony.

Of course, there's no guarantee we'll be seeing Peter again as Bachelor in January, so we should probably just say our goodbyes now. Goodbye, Peter. I will miss your calm, stoic demeanor, and mostly your face. Your beautiful, beautiful face. Call me.