Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder

If The Vampire Diaries' Elena wasn't sure of her feelings for Damon before, she certainly is now.

On the Season 5 finale, viewers sobbed along with Elena (Nina Dobrev) as she realized the love of her life Damon (Ian Somerhalder) wasn't coming back from the Other Side.

"In high-stakes situations where anything can happen... it really makes you think about your life and what's most important and who's most important," Dobrev tells TVGuide.com in the video from the CW Upfront below.

Although Damon won't be by Elena's side when the series returns in the fall, it's clear that she and Stefan (Paul Wesley) will finally be in a place where they can lean on each other as friends in his absence. 

"If you look back to Season 1, it's been very hectic for her and it's nice [for her and Stefan] to be in a settled place," she says. "But it's the CW; we're not going to stay there for very long. She's not going to be happy for more than 15 minutes in the first episode of Season 6."

And speaking of Stefan, how will Elena handle it if he and Caroline (Candice Accola) get together? Watch: