It’s been one long journey. As Pretty Little Liars wrapped last month, the core cast members — Troian Bellisario, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell and Ashley Benson — weren’t the only ones to get rather emotional about the series ending. Bellisario’s fiance, Patrick J. Adams, penned a beautiful post to mark the occasion, and his words were so moving that his future wife “cried hysterically” once she read the romantic letter on Instagram.
The actor uploaded a sweet, black-and-white candid of Bellisario, 31, getting her hair and makeup done. His well thought-out caption, though, was even sweeter.
“Dear Pretty Little Liars, Let’s be honest, we’ve had a complicated and pretty long relationship,” the Suits star, 35, noted. “In that time we’ve definitely had some laughs. you’ve afforded us opportunities I could never have imagined, introduced me to some of the finest cast and crew I’ve ever met and you let me play darts with @ianmharding for an episode while discussing the nuances of the word ‘statutory.’ All good memories.”
The journey wasn’t perfect, the actor confessed. “Sometimes we didn’t see eye to eye. Like the countless mornings that @sleepinthegardn had to slink away before sunrise or the painful Sunday nights when she’d have to board a plane and cross the 2516 miles back to your loving arms,” he continued. “We’ve had to share her for so long and the arrangement has been pretty painful because, let’s face it, who would ever want to let her go?”
Adams, however, will be forever grateful for Freeform’s smash series—and how it’s transformed Bellisario’s life. “But here we are. The last day,” he expressed. “She’s still yours for 13 more hours (maybe more…probably more) and she’s still 2516 miles away from me but today…today I’m not angry. Today I’m not jealous. Today I’m pretty grateful. Because in the last 8 years I’ve watched Troian live and learn and grow more than most people get the chance to in a lifetime. You’ve challenged her, pushed her, asked more of her than she even knew she had and then gave us the gift of being able to celebrate her.”
(Photo courtesy of Freeform / © 2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc.)
In his conclusion, Adams thanked series creator Marlene King. “So after a lot of years of swearing at you under my breath, I realize now I should be thanking you. Thanking and congratulating you,” Adams wrote. “Because after 7 seasons, 160 episodes and a number of tweets that mathematicians have yet to discover a number to express – you are breathing the rarest of air. You’ve been a best friend and shared experience for millions of young people (and more than a few older ones) and entertained and inspired and terrified a generation with every buried body and surprise text message. @imarleneking you built something that changed countless lives, employed hundreds and will live on long after we’re all gone. You win. Everything.”
Now that filming for Pretty Little Liars has ended, Adams will get to spend quality time with his fiancee. “So #PLL I wish you well and I’m sorry for any disagreements – we both meant well,” he shared. “But now I’m gonna take Troian’s hand back and follow wherever it leads. pjA.”
The post itself has since garnered more than 150,000 likes on Instagram—and of course, Bellisario read it herself. “I cried hysterically at his post,” the actress told People this weekend. “He nailed it. He got it totally. Everybody in our lives that cares about us that has had to share us with Pretty Little Liars has this mixed feeling about it being over. They’re so grateful that we get to be back and a part of their lives, but they also know that this has been our everything for seven years, so it’s like the death of a friend.”
