In a cruel twist of irony, Southern Charm’s Austen Kroll has finally finished building the dream home he once envisioned sharing with the love of his life — only to find himself sleeping there alone.
After months of planning, renovating, and quietly preparing for what friends believed was a proposal, Austen was ready to take the next step with girlfriend Audrey Pratt. But while the paint dried and the furniture was delivered, the trust between them crumbled.
And now, the house meant to mark a new beginning is instead a painful reminder of what he lost.
“I Thought the House Would Prove I Was Serious — But I Couldn’t Even Prove I Could Be Faithful”
Multiple sources close to the couple confirm what many suspected: the relationship ended after Audrey discovered Austen had been texting other women behind her back — for the fifth time. And this time, she didn’t just walk away — she ran.
“She wanted to believe he’d changed,” one insider shared. “But when someone shows you who they are over and over again… eventually, you believe them.”
Though Austen has yet to speak publicly, insiders say he’s devastated — and painfully aware that this time, the damage is beyond repair.
“The house was my way of saying, ‘I’m ready,’” he reportedly told a close friend. “But I was still making the same old mistakes.”
A Future Designed for Two — But Lived Alone
From a custom wine room to a space already nicknamed “the nursery,” Austen designed the home with forever in mind. “He kept saying, ‘I want this to feel like our place,’” a friend revealed. “He even picked out kitchen tiles Audrey liked.”
But the foundation of their relationship had already been cracked — and no amount of renovations could cover up the pattern of betrayal that Audrey simply couldn’t unsee.
Now, instead of celebrating new beginnings, Austen is sitting in silence — surrounded by the very life he said he wanted, but didn’t value enough to protect.
“Everything was ready. The rooms, the future, the love,” a castmate said. “Except for the one thing that mattered: trust.”
“She Was the One — But I Was the Problem”
While sources say Austen has regrets, Audrey isn’t looking back. She’s moved out, gone no-contact, and told friends she refuses to be humiliated again.
“He built the house for her,” a friend of hers said. “But what she really needed was a man who wouldn’t lie to her face.”
As for Austen? He may finally be ready to grow up — but it’s too late for Audrey to stick around and watch.