The second Jef Holm sat down with 7-year-old Ricki, it was all over for Emily Maynard.
Though both Holm and Arie Luyendyk hit it off with Maynard's parents on the Bachelorette finale in Curacao (Maynard even confessed she hoped one of them wouldn't to make her decision easier), the bottled water company CEO, 28, made an indelible impression when the Charlotte, NC beauty agreed to introduce him to her daughter.
PHOTOS: Bachelorette bikini bods
And so, even before she met up with race car driver Luyendyk, 30, for their final date, Maynard had made up her mind about what she had to do: break things off with Luyendyk before it became even more difficult to do so.
"As much as I love [Arie], I've fallen in love with someone a little more," Maynard confessed during a sit-down with Chris Harrison.
VIDEO: Emily and Brad's bitter breakup
During her tearful heart-to-heart with the Scottsdale native, Maynard did her best to soften the blow she was delivering.
"I don't want you to think it's because of anything you did or didn't do," she told a hurt and bewildered Luyendyk. "You are everything."
Her words weren't enough to soothe Luyendyk's broken heart, however -- the frustrated contestant stormed off, despite Maynard's protestations.
"I don't know what you want," he spat. "Thank you for sparing me the embarrassment tomorrow."
In the car on his way home, Luyendyk tried to make sense of it all. "I give way more than I get," and "I deserve that back," he reasoned, admitting he felt stupid, naive, and like he had "misjudged Emily."
PHOTOS: Which guy is Emily's best match?
Despite their emotionally-charged goodbye, Maynard felt a sense of peace upon waking the next day, stating confidently she knew she had found the "best husband and best dad" in Holm.
After telling him she had sent Luyendyk home, Maynard called Holm her "soulmate" -- and Holm prepared to get down on one knee.
"What I'm about to ask you aren't just empty words [for] a few months, a few years, a few decades," Holm told Maynard. "It's a forever thing."
Maynard's response after her he popped the question? "Yes!" she exclaimed.
Tell Us: Do you think Emily handed her final rose to the right contestant?
This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Emily Maynard Chooses Jef Holm on The Bachelorette!