It seems all is not well in paradise.
Just days after the finale of Bachelor in Paradise season 9 aired on ABC, Aven Jones and Kylee Russell have split over allegations of infidelity — which prompted Jones to issue a public apology to Russell.
In a dramatic Instagram Story posted Saturday — one day after she posted a photo of him following the airing of the finale — Russell, 26, announced their relationship had come to an end.
“Following our relationship announcement yesterday, I want to thank my God, he didn’t allow me to live another day in the dark,” she wrote, referencing a previously posted photo of the two of them.
Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images
“In the last 24 hours, I have been grasping with the fact that one of the most important relationships in my life dissolved due to multiple infidelities,” the Bachelor In Paradise star continued.
In response, Jones took to his own Instagram Story to publicly apologize to Kylee for hurting her with his actions.
“After careful thought and consideration into writing this I want to first and foremost apologize to Kylee, my family and my friends for my actions,” Jones posted Sunday morning. “I have made major mistakes in the relationship and hurt someone who was very close to me.”
He went on to ask for grace from his 119,000 Instagram followers and the Bachelor community as a whole as he begins to “work on” himself.
“At this time, I am in an extremely extremely low place trying to work on myself. I am doing my best to find healing, find myself and be a better person. Please have grace and respect for Kylee and her family through this difficult time.”
@avenljones
The pair were considered one of the few successes from season 9 of Bachelor In Paradise, although their journey did not end in an engagement as Russell had hoped.
“If he has any type of love for me and he knows he sees a future with me, then why not do this for me?” Russell questioned in a confessional in the BIP finale. “I know what I deserve and I know what I want. I don’t know if I, in this moment, see a future with him if he’s not on the road to desiring what I want.”
Jones, however, held firm in his position, telling the cameras, “I told her how I feel and she gets to decide if that’s worth it or not. I put myself out there. I have done what I came here to do, and that’s meet, who I think, is the love of my life, my person, and I want to start a life together… I think it’s enough where we’re at. If she’s willing to throw this all away over, I guess that sums it up.”
Russell continued to push her point of view, telling Jones, “I’m literally telling you, ‘It’s you.’ I’m literally telling that to you. You can’t even have an open mind about that. You were willing to take the next steps with Rachel [Recchia]. You were willing to do Fantasy Suites with her. You were willing to do those things. You were in that headspace then, but you’re not willing to get into that headspace with me, someone that you said you’re the most happiest with. You have to understand where I’m having doubt.”
He continued to ask her to “trust” in him that their relationship would survive outside of Paradise without an engagement, and Kylee eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly and tearfully.
RELATED CONTENT: