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Warning: This article contains MAJOR spoilers for

season 6. Don\'t proceed unless you have finished the final episode...

threw a couple of huge twists into the mix that may have audiences wondering where the show can go next.

And, while you may also be wondering where a bunch of familiar faces had disappeared to in this season, show bosses have already confirmed that one major character will be back next season – so don\'t read on if you don\'t want spoilers.

Played by Taylor Schilling, Piper unexpectedly found herself released from prison early at the end of season six. The final scene showed her reuniting with her brother Cal on the outside, a free woman again.

But those who are worried this will be the last time we\'ll see Piper can rest easy.

Executive producer Tara Herrmann has said that Piper being released was always on their minds, and that the show will continue to follow the character\'s story.

Related: How Orange Is the New Black season 6\'s big Piper reveal could be the best – or worst – thing to happen to the show

"Of course, the thought of releasing Piper has come up in previous seasons because the real Piper\'s sentence was 15 months," Herrmann told

, "and we want to make sure that we can fully tell the story of what it\'s like for Piper on the outside.

"We just want to make sure we didn\'t do it too soon in her complete arc as a series, but it seemed like the time was right. It felt like we had sort of seen her full time in accordance to what the real story was for the real Piper."

\'s seventh season will begin shooting later this year, and Herrmann added that Piper and Alex Vause\'s (Laura Prepon) prison wedding will create "possible conflict" for next year\'s episodes, particularly as Alex still has four more years behind bars.

"As we were thinking of Piper on the outside, having them be married creates a lot more stories for us and possible conflict," she explained.

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