Becca shares her thoughts about Bachelor Arie Luyendyk and Lauren Burnham: ‘I forgive him’

Hours before Becca Kufrin is set to appear on The Bachelor After the Final Rose special, she shared her thoughts about her devastating split from Arie Luyendyk.

Becca Kufrin will see Bachelor Arie Luyendyk for the first time since their breakup during Tuesday night’s live After the Final Rose special. Hopefully, she will get answers to some of her questions about their short-lived engagement and very public breakup.

Before she appears on stage with the guy she thought she was going to marry, Becca opened up about the breakup, her feelings about Arie, his relationship with Lauren, and reveals that she forgives Arie for breaking her heart.

Becca shared the details about her brief engagement to Arie with People magazine. Here are some highlights from that interview that will give fans a better understanding of how things went from “I love you” to “it’s over.”

Engagement in Peru

Becca tells People she was “overjoyed” when Arie proposed to her back in November. She couldn’t wait to “share the news about with her friends and family.”

Clearly, she had no idea Arie was conflicted about his decision, but it didn’t take long for his lingering feelings for Lauren to surface.

Once they returned to the United States, they spent time together as a couple, including New Year’s Eve in New York City.

However, once the Bachelor premiere aired on New Year’s Day, Becca says some red flags were raised about their relationship.

Arie started ‘liking’ Lauren’s Instagram pics

More from Accept This Rose

Becca knew Arie told Lauren he loved her when the show was taped and says appreciates that he was honest about that.

However, once the premiere aired on January 1, she noticed Arie was “liking” Lauren’s Instagram photos. That didn’t sit well with her, so she confronted Arie.

“At that point, I knew that he had liked some of her Instagram photos so we had a conversation about it,” Becca tells People. “And that was the first time that he really threw it out that he should have a conversation with her and just apologize for how things had ended with her, that he had felt guilty.”

Becca was very understanding about his feelings, but she fully expected they would work through their problems.

She also knew that Arie contacted Lauren around the time of the premiere, something she may have thought would bring closure. It didn’t.

Instead, Arie continued to “like” Lauren’s social media pics. Becca remained hopeful and wanted to “talk through it.” Still, she felt betrayed and jealous — who wouldn’t?

“I definitely went through all of the emotions. I was upset, I was angry at times, I felt betrayed,” Becca explains. “When I started noticing those little things like the Instagram likes, I was trying to come at it from a relationship standpoint to compromise and talk through it … I’m a girl, I’m a human being. There was still jealousy there. You’re engaged to me, why are you liking another person’s photos or still wanting to contact them?”

‘I wish he didn’t propose’

There are many things Arie could have done differently during his time as the Bachelor. One of them would have been to hold back on proposing until he was absolutely certain.

He didn’t even look excited when he proposed to Becca, who was smiling ear-to-ear. In fact, he showed very little emotion, as if he had no idea what he was doing.

Maybe he went with what he thought was the smart decision. Picking Becca, who was totally ready to get married, was a safe choice.

Perhaps he should have listened to his heart and took a risk Lauren, who seemed to be skeptical about the process.

Whatever it was that made him do what he did, Becca says that she wishes he didn’t propose. Instead, she would have been fine if he said, “I don’t want to get down on one knee unless I’m 1000 percent sure, but I still want to be with you.”

The televised breakup

We may never know if Arie was pressured into breaking up with Becca surrounded by cameras. No one forced him to let their split play out on TV, although producers may have told him it was a good idea.

It was a weak move on his part to let it happen — the 30+ minute segment was uncomfortable to watch. We can’t imagine how Becca felt watching it all play out on TV.

Becca explains that she knew something was wrong when Arie showed up with no suitcases for what she thought was a “nice, romantic weekend.”

Once she realized what was going on, it was too late — her breakup was headed for national TV.

Still, she wishes things played out differently, calling the whole ordeal “embarrassing,” and noting that there was a “better and more tactful way to do it.”

Becca doesn’t blame Lauren

Becca is ready to move on. We’ll see that tonight during the After the Final Rose when she is announced as the next Bachelorette.

Whether she addresses Lauren directly or not during the ATFR, Becca made it clear in her People interview that she doesn’t blame Lauren for her breakup. However, she does blame Arie for the way he handled the whole situation.

“At the end of the day, we both just fell in love with the same guy and she can’t help that. The only person that I can fault in this is Arie and the way he handled it. I do feel a little bad that it’s going to be really tough for them when all of this is said and done … if they want to make it work, then they will, and I hope they’re strong enough to get through it all.”

Forgiveness

Becca says she forgives Arie and now wants to focus on finding her person, someone she can “focus on and live my life with.”

"“I want him to be happy, I want to be done and not have to worry about them anymore. They’re going to be together and do their thing. I wanted to move on and have my person that I can focus on and live my life with. At the end of the day, I do forgive him.”"

Filming for the Bachelorette begins this month — our fingers are crossed that Becca can find the man of her dreams and get her happily ever after.

Watch the Bachelor After the Final Rose at 8 p.m. ET on ABC or live streaming online.