Peter Kraus made his way to the final two on ABC’s The Bachelorette only to part ways with Rachel Lindsay in the explosive finale. While many fans hoped he would be crowned the next Bachelor, Arie Luyendyk, Jr. received the coveted spot. Kraus made a cryptic post on Instagram just hours after the announcement and included a message for Lindsay.

“#tbt to the most incredible journey of this life time that has no officially come to an end today,” Kraus wrote Thursday. “As I sit here writing this, I struggle to hold abck tears as I am overcome with emotion one last time.”

He went on to share his thoughts about Lindsay after the two seemed to end things badly when he couldn’t promise he would propose if he was given the final rose.

“Rachel, there are so very many things that I’ve wished I could say to you since the day we parted in Spain, but for everyone’s sake, I’ll keep it short… You gave me a chance and all that I can say is thank you. I have a heart filled with love for you now and always and wish you nothing but the best in your life and love ahead.”

Kraus also had a message for the network, ABC.

“ABC, you saw something in me, but something held me back. You treated me with such love and kindness and showed me glimpses of life I never once dreamed that I could have. I will be forever be humbled and grateful and will always look back at these last 6 months with an ear to ear smile, knowing this has truly been a very special life indeed.”

He ended his lengthy message with a lesson he learned during his experience on the dating reality show.

“…When you let uncertainty or fear guide your decisions, you risk missing out on what could potentially be the greatest opportunity of a life time. So live dangerously without the fear of the unknown, and continue to live and love with a heart that is truly open to anything. #thankyou #lovealways”

 #tbt to the most incredible journey of this life time that has now officially come to an end today. As I sit here writing this, I struggle to hold back the tears as I am overcome with emotion one last time. First and foremost.. Rachel, there are so very many things that I've wished I could say to you since the day we parted ways in Spain, but for everyone's sake, I'll keep it short... You gave me a chance and all that I can say is thank you. I have a heart filled with love for you now and always and wish you nothing but the best in your life and love ahead. ABC, you saw something in me, but something held me back. You treated me with such love and kindness and showed me glimpses of a life I never once dreamed that I could have. I will be forever humbled and grateful and will always look back at these last 6 months with an ear to ear smile, knowing that this has truly been a very special life indeed. Upon leaving the @bacheloretteabc I was asked, "what did you learn about yourself during this process?" And at the time I naively said "nothing that I can think of." Now... looking back... I realize I learned one of the single greatest teachings of my life; When you let uncertainty or fear guide your decisions, you risk missing out on what could potentially be the greatest opportunity of a life time. So live dangerously, live without the fear of the unknown, and continue to live and love with a heart that is truly open to anything. #thankyou #lovealways

A post shared by Peter J Kraus (@peterkrauswi) on Sep 7, 2017 at 2:08pm PDT

 

Kraus and Lindsay seemed to end their situation on an awkward note during the special season finale. Fans even thought the two were kidding around and thought they actually ended up together. Instead, it was revealed that Lindsay chose Bryan Abasolo. She sent home a third contestant, Eric Bigger, in the same episode.

The Bachelor premieres in January of 2018 on ABC.

Tags: The Bachelor ABC Reality TV