At Wyatt's beach house, Sally and Wyatt were still in bed together. It felt good to Sally to be in Wyatt's arms, but she also felt guilty about it. It was hard for her to be happy while knowing what Liam and Hope were going through.
Later, Wyatt and Sally had gotten out of bed. Sally was in a short robe, and Wyatt had donned some shorts. He tossed a pad on the bed and suggested that she sketch to distract herself from her thoughts of Hope and Liam. Sally asked what she should sketch. Picking up a dumbbell and doing curls, he suggested athletic wear. "Yes, pump it!" Sally replied.
Wyatt kissed Sally and said every great designer needed a muse. Sally thanked him for the compliment and for keeping her focused on her dreams and passions. Wyatt responded that it was selfish of him because he benefited when she focused on her passion.
Later, Sally was sketching, and Wyatt, who wore a half-zipped hoodie, flexed, asking if he was inspiring. She said he would be -- if there was actually an athletic line. Wyatt believed that it would happen and said she could do anything. She asked if he believed in it that much. He replied that he believed in her that much, and the two kissed.
At the cliff house, Liam asked if Steffy wanted to turn the baby monitors back on. Steffy didn't, and he was glad because it had felt as if they'd been intruding on Hope's time with the baby. Steffy asked if Liam thought he should be in there with Hope. He didn't think so. He said spending time with a newborn could be the thing that soothed Hope's pain.
Steffy asked if Liam thought it was healthy. Liam replied that he hadn't meant anything weird by it, and Hope obviously knew that the baby belonged to Steffy. Steffy said Hope still had hormones raging through her, "and she's holding my daughter."
Hope entered the living room after putting the infant in a crib in the bedroom. She reported that the child had fallen asleep in her arms. Things had been peaceful, just as Hope had imagined they'd be -- with Beth.
Hope had been shocked at Steffy's choice to adopt so soon after having Kelly, but holding baby Phoebe had made Hope get it. Hope said she would have done the same thing. If she'd been in Steffy's position, Hope would have done anything to make that baby her own.
Steffy switched back on the baby monitors, and Liam explained to Hope that they'd turned them off to give her privacy. Hope hoped that they'd done it before she'd started singing. Steffy replied that Hope had a beautiful voice. Hope stated that the baby hadn't seemed to mind.
For Hope, rocking the baby to sleep had been magical. Liam admitted that he'd thought it might be too much for her. Hope revealed that she'd felt the same way. She'd been worried that her grief might get in the way of comforting the child; however, she'd been wrong. Hope's instincts had kicked in, and she'd known exactly how to hold and soothe the baby.
The giddy Hope expressed that she hadn't known if she could connect with a baby, but something about baby Phoebe had made Hope want to open up and talk. Liam revealed that they'd heard Hope talking to the baby about Beth. Hope called the baby a good listener.
Liam questioned whether Hope was really okay and said she didn't have to pretend that it had been easy. "But it was," Hope uttered. All the pain Hope had feared would be there hadn't been, and she'd felt happiness instead. She said she'd needed that time. Becoming emotional, Hope thanked Steffy for letting her hold the baby and for letting her close her eyes and pretend for a moment that she'd been holding Beth and rocking her to sleep.
Hope wondered if Liam and Steffy had heard Hope call herself Aunty Hope on the monitor. Hope recalled Steffy calling Hope that, too, and asked if it was okay. Steffy wholeheartedly affirmed it. Hope was glad she still got to be an aunt after losing her chance to be a mother.
Steffy stated that they'd agreed to unite for the children, and it didn't have to change. Steffy wanted baby Phoebe to have strong women to look up to and call family, and Aunty Hope was definitely one of those women. Noting that Hope had said she'd lost her chance to be a mother, Steffy stated that it wasn't really true.
Hope began stammering about being unable to try it again. Liam told Hope that they didn't have to decide right then. Hope couldn't imagine putting herself through that kind of loss again, but smiling, she insisted that it didn't matter because they had the girls. That was enough for Hope; it had to be.
Though Hope didn't know if she could get over her loss, she took comfort in her ability to love and help raise the girls. The emotional Hope was glad to be in the girls' lives as a stepmother, Aunty Hope, or whatever the children wanted to call her. Hope said she might not be meant to have children, but she was meant to have them in her life. Hope thanked Steffy for making it possible.
Liam didn't want Hope to assume that she couldn't have her own children. He understood her need to protect herself, but he said she didn't know what the future held. Hope was certain that, in the future, she wouldn't miss Beth any less.
For Hope, the thought of having a child felt like a betrayal to Beth's memory. That feeling wasn't present when she held baby Phoebe. Hope figured that it didn't feel that way because the baby wasn't hers. She reasoned that she could spend time with the child and give her back to Steffy, knowing that it was Steffy's responsibility to protect the child's life. Hope didn't want that responsibility again because she'd already failed twice.
Liam asserted that Hope had not failed and needed to stop thinking that way. "I lost two babies! Two children that did not even take a breath! Yes, Liam, I failed," Hope replied. Hope believed that it would push her over the edge if she put herself in the position to experience that failure again. She felt that she was already consumed with darkness as it was.
Liam asked what Hope was talking about. Hope told him not to worry because baby Phoebe was pushing the darkness away. Holding the child had given Hope a glimpse into what having Beth could have been like. Hope believed the baby could help her get closure -- if closure was even possible.
Steffy chimed in, saying that it was possible; it just took time. Steffy said her miscarriage hadn't been like the stillbirth, but she still knew what it was like to lose a part of herself because she'd lost her twin. She and her twin had developed in the same womb and had lived parallel lives. Steffy felt that she knew why Hope thought closure was impossible, but according to Steffy, time could see one through it.
Hope asked if Steffy had still felt her sister after her sister's death. "Because I do. I feel her," Hope attested. Hope explained that a feeling kept pulling at her. It was an incompleteness. Hope was at a loss for words to describe it and apologized for laying it all on Liam and Steffy.
Liam replied that Hope could say anything she wanted to him. Steffy shared the sentiment and said they were both there for Hope. Steffy was just worried that spending time with the baby wasn't as helpful as Hope believed. She was concerned that it would make it harder for Hope to heal.
Hope asserted that the problem had been that she hadn't been healing at all until she'd gotten to hold the baby. Doing so had made her feel as if everything would be okay. Hope appreciated Steffy allowing Hope to be there, and Hope promised that being around the baby wouldn't hold her back. She said that, if anything, it might help her get through the impossible. Hope stated that Steffy was lucky to be the mother of the amazing little girl. Steffy stared skeptically at Hope.
At Reese's apartment, Zoe demanded answers from Florence about what was going on and how Steffy's baby was involved in it. Florence stuck to her story about putting her baby up for adoption, but Zoe didn't buy it from a woman who didn't know the child's birth date and who looked "like that." Zoe asked what it all had to do with her father.
Flo asked if she needed to twirl for Zoe or if she had Zoe's permission to put on decent clothes. Zoe admitted to being a little abrupt with Flo earlier. Zoe just wanted to figure out what was going on. Flo claimed that she exercised a lot, and that, coupled with her great genetics, had made her body bounce back quickly from the "pregnancy."
Zoe had a problem with the fact that Flo had made a beeline for Reese after giving birth. Zoe noted that Flo was even living in Reese's apartment after he'd gone back to London. Flo asked what Zoe was getting at. Zoe wasn't willing to say yet because she hadn't seen what the baby looked like. Catching on to what Zoe was insinuating, Flo dismissed any idea Zoe had about Reese being the baby's father. Zoe asked why her father had been involved at all.
Flo insisted that Reese was her good friend who'd let her have a place to stay when she'd needed it. Zoe persisted in believing there was more to it, and Flo admitted that Reese had helped her out a little. Zoe remarked that she didn't know what Flo had dragged Zoe's father into.
"It's just the opposite actually," Flo murmured. Zoe asked Flo to repeat herself. Flo told Zoe not to worry about Reese because it was all done. Zoe wondered if Flo meant the adoption and guessed that he'd had something to do with it. Flo revealed that Reese had arranged it. Zoe seemed to be confused, and Flo added that he'd introduced her to Steffy and Steffy's mother.
Zoe asked if Flo was serious about Reese's role in the adoption. Zoe couldn't fathom how her father, a doctor, had arranged an adoption. Flo asked why it bothered Zoe so much. Zoe replied that Reese didn't do things out of the goodness of his heart, and she wondered what had been in it for him. "Nothing," Flo claimed. Zoe wasn't buying it.
Frustrated, Flo stated that she didn't know Reese's motivations, but she was glad he'd done it. She felt that, thanks to him, the baby had an amazing home, better than Flo could have given the child. Zoe asked if one needed an adoption agency, and Flo answered that it wasn't the case with private adoptions. Zoe wondered if it was really "that" easy to sign over a baby.
Flo explained that there had been paperwork, lawyers, and "everything." She asked if they were done with the questions. Zoe had plenty more questions, but she intended to take them straight to Steffy. Flo said that Zoe couldn't do that. She asserted that she'd told Zoe all Zoe needed to know. Zoe gleaned that there had to be more to it and asked what Flo wasn't saying.
Flo admitted that Reese's role in the adoption had been on the downlow, and only Flo and Taylor knew of Reese's involvement. Zoe asked why, and Flo indicated that the main reason had been that Reese hadn't wanted to put Zoe in an uncomfortable position with her boss. Zoe assumed that had been the reason her father had been so secretive.
Flo told Zoe that her father had done something good; he'd helped Steffy and Flo, and the baby would never know the difference. Zoe asked if Flo had any regrets. Flo replied that everyone benefited. Flo asked what she could possibly regret.
At Reese's apartment, Zoe was trying to make sense of what Flo had just revealed about her supposed adoption. Zoe stated that it was a bit odd that her father didn't want anyone to know that he'd been involved in it. Claiming that she didn't know anything more, Flo asked what Zoe wanted her to say. Zoe answered that Flo could tell Zoe why it was such a big secret.
Flo said it had been Reese's decision to keep his name off the papers to protect Zoe's work relationships. Flo suggested that Zoe respect her father's wishes. Flo added that Zoe should give Flo her key. Noting that the flat and key belonged to her father, Zoe said she'd hang onto the key and possibly return to the flat to find more answers.
Flo asserted that Reese would have spoken to Zoe already if he'd wanted her to know anything. Flo was ready to change her clothes and get on with her day. Zoe started to ask another question, but Flo yelled that she had nothing else to tell Zoe.
Wordlessly, Zoe left. Flo grabbed her phone and texted Reese to call her about his daughter.
In the Forrester studio later, Zoe said she appreciated the kiss Xander greeted her with. He'd been worried about her and said he didn't want her going to her father's place alone. Zoe explained that Flo had been there. He asked if Zoe had found out anything else.
"Did I ever," Zoe responded. She told Xander that he wouldn't believe it. She didn't know if she really believed it herself. Zoe flashed back to Flo advising her to respect her father's wishes about his secret role in the adoption.
Seeming conflicted, Zoe explained to Xander that she'd thought she'd been alone when she'd been searching the flat, and she'd found adoption papers. Flo had emerged from the bathroom at that point and had claimed that she'd had a baby and given it up for adoption. Zoe stressed that she had no proof of it, only Flo's word for it.
Xander readily asked if it was Reese's baby. Zoe replied that she'd thought that, too, at first, but Flo had said it wasn't. Zoe told Xander that Flo's name hadn't been the only name on the adoption documents. "Phoebe. The baby is Phoebe," Zoe revealed.
Eyes widening, Xander asked if it was Steffy's new daughter. Affirming it, Zoe said that Steffy had signed the adoption papers, and somehow, the woman living in Reese's apartment was Phoebe's biological mother.
At the cliff house, Hope continued to discuss with Steffy and Liam how natural being around baby Phoebe was to her. Although Hope did think about Beth while holding the child, in Hope's mind, it wasn't a bad thing. Holding the infant gave Hope a sense of relief and peace.
A cry from one of the girls sounded through the baby monitor, and Steffy went to the bedroom. Hope instructed Liam to go with Steffy. He asked if Hope was sure. She replied that "this" family was his, too, and they needed him.
Later, Liam carried his daughter into the living room. Steffy entered with him, carrying the infant. Hope grinned as Liam played with Kelly and discussed her feeding times with Steffy. As Hope listened, her eyes fell on the portrait behind them, and her face darkened.
Hope's phone chimed. She snapped out of her musing and said her ride was there. Liam and Steffy were surprised to hear that Hope was leaving. Liam said that Hope hadn't needed to get a ride. He was willing to take her home and asked if he could just finish up with Kelly.
Hope insisted that Liam spend time with his daughter. She suggested that he pick up food on his way back home. Hope talked to Kelly a bit and thanked Steffy again for letting her spend time with the infant. Hope bade farewell to baby Phoebe, telling Phoebe that her aunt loved her very much.
Later, Steffy and Liam returned to the living room after leaving the babies in the bedroom. Liam wondered if it ever became too much for Steffy -- raising two kids. Steffy said she had a lot of family support and Amelia. Steffy was grateful to have Liam's support, too. She was up for the challenge of raising two children, but she reminded him that Hope needed him.
Steffy couldn't believe that Hope had returned so quickly, and she claimed that Hope had almost said Beth. Liam claimed that he knew, but he noted that Hope had caught herself before doing it. He'd thought that work would be the thing to help Hope, but helping out with baby Phoebe seemed to make Hope stronger.
Steffy wanted Hope to heal and be in the girls' lives; Steffy just thought it was too soon. Liam reasoned that Hope had been emotional, but things had been all right once she'd calmed down. Steffy asked if he really thought so. He didn't know what to think. He said he and Hope were grieving, and nothing was the same.
Liam reckoned that Hope could be transferring her feelings for Beth onto baby Phoebe. He didn't think it was anything weird and stated that it wasn't as if Hope thought she was actually Phoebe's mother. It was just that Hope was experiencing complex feelings. Hope's complex feelings were what concerned Steffy.
Steffy claimed that she really did want to help Hope. Liam believed that Steffy was helping, and he thanked her for it. She didn't think that the attachment to the baby would be good long term because Hope was stuck, and the only way Steffy believed Hope would move forward was if Hope dealt with her loss. She said Hope couldn't use baby Phoebe as a replacement for Beth.
Although Liam agreed, he reasoned that, in the short-term, it was helping. He thanked Steffy again for it. He told Steffy that the children were lucky to have Steffy in their lives. Liam marveled at how different baby Phoebe's life would be because she had Steffy as a mother.
In Brooke's cabin, Brooke arranged flowers in a vase and thanked Ridge for being there with her. She was touched that he'd been there to support Hope. He replied that one might never get over losing a child, but Hope might get beyond it eventually. Brooke wanted to do things for Hope, like leaving the flowers, in hopes of bringing joy and beauty back to Hope's life.
The topic turned to what a blessing the adoption had been for the family. Brooke thought it was amazing how connected one could feel to a new baby and noted that Hope had welcomed the child into the family. Brooke was proud of Hope for the strides she'd made to move forward but didn't want the baby's arrival to replace Beth's memory.
Brooke continued to fuss with the flowers, and then she began to doubt her idea to even set them out. She doubted that they'd make a difference. Ridge said the most important thing was that Liam and Hope knew that Ridge and Brooke were there to lend support.
Hope arrived and asked what was going on. Brooke said she'd had the idea to liven up the place. Hope thanked her mother for the beautiful flowers. Brooke said she just wanted to bring joy into Hope's life. Hope quipped that she could use it. Brooke rendered a look of concern.
Hope said she was really trying to stay out of her dark place, and though she appreciated Brooke's effort, only one thing had been helping Hope thus far. Brooke asked what that was. "Phoebe," Hope replied.
Brooke asked if seeing the baby was a smart thing for Hope, who'd just admitted that she was still struggling to stay out of her dark place. Hope explained that she didn't experience it when she was with the child, who brought light and wonder to Hope. Hope didn't know if her residual hormones from the pregnancy were causing it, but when holding the little girl, she could clearly see how her life would have been with Beth.
"Being a mom. Being at peace. Getting to take care of my little girl. I feel all of that when I look into Phoebe's eyes," Hope said.
In Forrester's CEOs' office, Pam gave Hope some tickets to Medieval Knights. Pam had gotten them for Hope and Liam to have a night out at some point in the next several months. Hope thanked Pam and hugged her. Sally said she'd told Pam there had been nothing to worry about. Hope asked if Pam had been nervous about giving her the tickets.
Pam replied that some people said she could be pushy. Pam was proud of Hope for soldiering through her loss and reclaiming her life. She was sure it wasn't easy for Hope and Liam and thought the next step might be getting out. Hope said it felt like a nightmare, and she thought that, at any moment, she'd wake up from it and see Beth full of life. "If only," Hope stated.
Wyatt arrived, and Pam exited. Wyatt was pumped that HFTF's leader was back, and he was eager to get down to business. Hope wasn't aware that she'd been scheduled to meet with Wyatt and Sally. He replied that it would be brief if Hope was up for it.
Sally and Wyatt asked if they could run something by Hope. Pulling out sketches, Sally said that she worked for Intimates, but she'd tried out some designs for HFTF after hearing that Forrester was ramping it up. The designs were rough in Sally's opinion, but she thought they spoke to Hope's message.
Hope stated that the designs were really good. She expressed her appreciation for Sally and Wyatt's efforts to get her mind on something else. Sally asked if it was working. Hope responded that it sometimes worked, but at other times, her mind kept returning to the question of why she'd had to lose her baby girl.
Sally decided that they could do the meeting another time. Hope said she loved the concepts, "but..." Wyatt readily responded that it was too soon, and he and Sally understood. Hope wasn't resolved to leave the presentation at that because she had to work and find a way out of her grief. She began to second-guess herself, saying, "If I just had --"
Wyatt instructed Hope to stop beating herself up about what had happened. In his view, she'd done the best she could. "Except the one thing that could have made a difference," Hope responded. Hope couldn't let go of the feeling that, if she hadn't fallen asleep, Beth would be with her right then.
At Katie's house, Thorne walked into the living room and saw Katie working away on her tablet. He asked what she was doing, and she told him that he had to wait and see that night. He asked for a clue. Katie flipped the tablet around and showed him a heart that asked if he'd be her valentine. "Will you?" she asked.
Thorne and Katie discussed Will's schedule that day. It was a teachers' work day, and Thorne asked who'd watch Will. Katie thought Thorne might want to do it if he didn't have anything pressing at the office. Thorne sighed. She asked what was wrong. Thorne hoped she knew what she meant to him. Katie suspected that more was going on than he was saying.
Thorne said he'd always be grateful to Katie and Will for letting him into their family. Katie responded that she was grateful for Thorne. She said it wasn't easy to commit to a family the way Thorne had, and he'd done it without hesitation. She considered herself and Will to be lucky.
Thorne said he was the lucky one "to have had what we had." Katie flashed a quizzical look at him. "That's what makes it even harder to say what I have to say," Thorne continued.
Katie stated that she didn't know what "this" was about. Thorne explained that it was about their family, and as hard as it was for him to say it, he didn't think their marriage should have happened. "What?" Katie exclaimed. She asked if he wanted to end their marriage. Thorne replied that he thought it was the best thing for him, Katie, and Will.
Confused, Katie said she thought Thorne had just expressed his love for her. She'd thought they were happy, and she'd thought he was happy. Thorne stated that he did love her, and it wasn't anyone's fault. It was something that had been building within him for a while. He claimed that if they were both honest with each other, they knew it was true.
Katie was speechless. Thorne proffered that they'd gotten married quickly, and the custody hearing had been around the corner. He said they'd cared about each other, but there was no denying that they'd gotten married for Will's sake, too. According to Thorne, a lot had changed in the interim. Bill was back in Will's life, and Will was happy.
Thorne claimed to be thrilled about the improvements because the child's well-being had been what had united them. In Thorne's view, Bill was really stepping up as a father, and Thorne felt that he was in the way. Thorne was happy that a new Bill had emerged and that Will had a good relationship with his father. Thorne didn't want to get in the way of it.
Katie began to speak, but Thorne cut her off, adding that he had his own issues. He missed his daughter and suspected that Liam and Hope's loss had exacerbated the feeling. Thorne suspected that he was using Katie and Will to fill the hole left in his heart. Realizing that fact didn't mean he loved them any less. In fact, Thorne loved them too much to let it continue.
Thorne walked toward the door and pulled an envelope off the table. He stated that having the papers drawn up had been the hardest thing he'd had to do, but he didn't want to lie to her. He been feeling like he already was. Presenting the papers, he said he thought they should annul their marriage.
In the Forrester studio, Zoe was deep in thought. Xander approached, hoping to distract her with thoughts of celebrating the most romantic day of the year, Valentine's Day. He wanted to do something special for her. "Okay... I guess," she murmured. He claimed to understand why it was hard to concentrate on anything other than what she'd learned from Flo.
Zoe admitted that even though the adoption papers had appeared to be official, she remained skeptical. Everything pointed to Flo being the biological mother, but Zoe still had questions. Xander assumed the main one was how her father fit into it all. Zoe reasoned that her father had a big heart, and women had taken advantage of him before.
Xander asked if Zoe thought Flo had done that by showing up with a pregnancy sob story. Zoe didn't know and considered that it might be true that Flo had had to give up the baby because she'd fallen on hard times. Xander thought it was a heck of a coincidence that Steffy just so happened to adopt that same child.
It disturbed Zoe that Flo couldn't answer simple questions like who her doctor had been and when her baby had been born. Zoe said she'd even pulled back Flo's robe. "What?" Xander asked. Zoe replied that she'd been wrong to do it, but she'd needed answers. He assumed that Zoe thought Flo was lying about being the mother -- even though her name was on the papers.
Zoe figured that it sounded crazy. She insisted that something didn't feel right. She was bothered by Reese and Flo's strange behavior, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. Grabbing her purse, she revealed her intention to head back to Reese's place. Xander wished her luck, and she exited.
At Reese's apartment, Flo sent a second text message to Reese, alerting him that his daughter was asking a lot of questions.
Later, Flo answered her phone and yelled at Reese for taking so long to call her. Reese claimed that he'd been busy, but she accused him of blowing her off. He told her to calm down.
Unbeknownst to Flo, the front door began to open. It was blocked from fully opening by a chain lock on the inside. Through the crack in the door, Zoe's face appeared.
The frantic Florence informed Reese that his daughter had his spare key to the apartment and had seen the adoption papers. Reese asked Flo to tell him that Zoe hadn't seen Steffy's name on the papers. Flo told him that Zoe had obviously seen that, and Flo had done everything she could to convince Zoe that Flo had birthed the baby. He asked if Flo had left out his role in it.
Flo replied that she hadn't revealed what Reese had done, but Zoe would persist in asking questions. She ordered Reese to get Zoe to back off or else people would figure out the truth about Steffy's baby. Flo asserted that "all hell" would break loose.
Upon ending the call, Flo noticed her front door moving. She rushed to it, unlatched the chain, and saw Zoe on the other side of the door. Zoe demanded to hear the truth about the baby at that instant. Flo didn't know what Zoe had heard but asked her not to jump to conclusions.
Zoe marched into the house, picked up the adoption papers, and asked why Flo and Reese had been worried about Zoe seeing Steffy's name on them. Flo pretended not to know what Zoe was talking about, but Zoe asserted that she'd heard it with her own ears.
Zoe had also heard that Flo had said that she hadn't told Zoe about what Reese had done. Zoe reasoned that Flo had told Zoe that he'd facilitated the adoption, which meant there had to be something else that Flo and Reese were hiding. Flo didn't know what Zoe expected Flo to say. Zoe asked Flo to just be straight with Zoe.
In Flo's silence, Zoe continued recounting what she'd heard about Flo wanting Reese to get Zoe to back off before people discovered what Reese and Flo had done. Zoe threatened to go to Steffy and the police if Flo didn't explain it. Flo begged Zoe not to do it. Flo said she hadn't known what Reese had done until it was too late.
Zoe asked what Reese had done. Shrugging, Flo replied that he'd helped with the adoption. Zoe conveyed that she already knew that much and asked who the baby had belonged to if it hadn't belonged to Flo. Zoe demanded to know how her father had gotten his hands on an infant.
Flo told Zoe that she'd have to ask Reese. "I'm asking you!" Zoe exclaimed. It was obvious to Zoe that the child wasn't Flo's. Zoe ordered Flo to tell Zoe or else Zoe would go to the cops. "He switched the babies! Your dad -- he switched the babies," Flo revealed.
At Wyatt's beach house, Sally and Wyatt kissed in the bedroom and expressed that they liked having valentines. Sally said that she was much happier than she'd been the previous year.
Sally and Wyatt kissed, and she became distracted. He asked what was wrong, and she wondered if she'd overstepped. Wyatt didn't know what Sally meant. Sally was referring to the designs she'd given Hope. It didn't matter to Sally whether Hope used them or not. Sally had just wanted to help Hope focus on work and heal. He stated that it had been very sweet of Sally.
Wyatt and Sally stretched out on the bed. Wyatt asked if Sally was sure there was nowhere else she'd rather be. He offered to take her out for paintball or miniature golf. Sally quipped that he was such a romantic. He suggested horseback riding, but she assured him that there was nowhere else she'd rather be but with him in that bed.
Later, the bedroom was in disarray with sheets, shopping bags, and clothes all over the place. Wrapped in blankets, Wyatt and Sally sat together in an armchair. The day hadn't disappointed her, and she said she wouldn't even be mad if Wyatt went surfing. He declined, but she decided that her present to him was not complaining about him surfing. He replied that his present to her was not taking her up on her present. Sally thought it was a smooth move on Wyatt's part.
At Katie's house, Katie cried and mirthlessly chuckled at the irony of getting annulment papers from her husband on Valentine's Day. She asked why he was doing it, and he claimed that it was out of love for her and Will. She felt that they needed to talk about it, but Thorne claimed that he'd already made the decision. He just wanted a peaceful resolution.
Katie exclaimed that Thorne was handing her annulment papers, and she hadn't even known they'd been having problems. He replied that they hadn't been. He'd wanted to be married, but he just wasn't ready. He felt that he had a lot of things that he hadn't dealt with. Katie offered to deal with the things together and said that wives helped. He said she'd already helped him.
Thorne explained that it hadn't been anything that Katie had done. It was about his unresolved issues about losing Aly and Darla. He added that, if he was honest with himself, it was also that he didn't want to get hurt. Katie asked why he'd say that. Thorne had seen the way she was with Bill and the way Bill was with Will, and Thorne believed she'd rather be with Bill.
Scoffing, Katie clarified that she'd gotten over her feelings for Bill a while back, and they'd been divorced for years. "I married you!" she asserted. Thorne said that he and Katie had had something amazing. Katie didn't like him talking as if it was already over. She wasn't ready to give up on their marriage.
Thorne replied that they'd been a family, and she'd had sole custody; however, it was no longer the case, and Bill was stepping it up. Thorne believed that Bill was the man she'd always wanted him to be. Waving her hands, Katie clarified that Bill was finally reaching out to and bonding with their son. She was happy about it, but that was as far as it went.
Thorne didn't think Katie was aware of it, but he'd seen it. He said there were moments between her and Bill. Katie insisted that Thorne was wrong. She didn't even know from where he was getting it all. She was angry that, without talking to her, he'd handed her papers and said goodbye.
Katie heard Will outside, saying goodbye to Donna. Katie sucked in her tears as Will entered the house. She asked how his sleepover had been. He said it had been good, and he handed Katie and Thorne homemade Valentine's cards. "I made one for Dad, too," he added. Will sensed that something was going on and asked if Thorne and Katie were okay.
Katie said everything was okay, and she and Thorne had just been talking about a few things. Will asked why they seemed so sad. Thorne stated that he'd just been telling Katie that he had to go away for a while. Will asked if Thorne was going on a trip and how long he'd be gone.
Thorne wasn't sure and said it might be a while. Will didn't understand and said Thorne's home was there with them. Thorne hated to spring it on Will and knew it was confusing. He wanted Will to know that he loved and was proud of Will. Will asked why Thorne was leaving then.
Thorne asked if Will remembered when they'd talked about Aly and Darla. Will nodded, stating that the women had died. Thorne explained that he hadn't fully dealt with it, but he was stronger. He was ready to go back to Paris and deal with it. Will asked if Thorne could get texts in Paris. Chuckling, Thorne affirmed it and promised to text right back.
Thorne said Will would be okay because he had his mother and father. Will stated that he'd miss Thorne. The two hugged, and Thorne said he'd miss Will, too. Will asked Katie if she'd be okay. Katie replied that she was really sad, but she'd be okay. "We're all going to be okay," she added.
In Brooke's cabin, Liam spotted a baby outfit with a heart on the belly that Hope had set out on the dining table. She said it had been a gift they'd received at her baby shower. Earlier, she'd imagined dressing Beth up in it, and she claimed it would have been their first holiday as a family.
Liam gave Hope a hug, and she guessed she needed to move on. He suggested that she give herself time. Time was the one thing Hope had looked forward to. "All the years we could have spent with our daughter," Hope added.
Liam thought that he and Hope should get out and do something for Valentine's Day. He suggested that they go to dinner or catch a movie. Hope appreciated his efforts, and she knew he wanted to take away the pain. She just couldn't fight the feelings she had.
Hope only wanted to be at home alone with Liam. It sounded good to Liam. She didn't think she'd be that much fun, anyway. Hope had been trying to believe she hadn't done anything wrong, but she kept returning to the fact that she'd failed and hadn't been awake when they'd lost the baby. Hope stated that she hadn't been awake when the baby had been born.
Liam told Hope that she'd experienced a traumatic medical emergency, and she was lucky to be alive. Hope stated that it should have been her, not Beth. He told her that she had to stop saying things like that because it wasn't healthy for her. Hope said she hadn't been there for Beth, and when Beth had needed her mother, Hope had just given up.
Liam stated that Hope's blood pressure had dropped, and she'd lost consciousness. Hope insisted that it had been more than that. Something had happened when she'd been passed out. She was sure of it and sure that if she'd remained awake, Beth would be with them.
At Reese's apartment, Zoe accused Flo of lying. Flo wished she was, but she insisted that Reese had switched the babies. Zoe couldn't believe that her father would do such a thing. Flo repeated that Reese had done it, and she said it had been to protect Zoe.
Zoe asked what Reese had needed to protect her from, and Flo hinted that Zoe knew her father's history. Flo stated that he wasn't just a gambler; he liked to take risks, and more often than not, he usually lost. Zoe asked if Reese had needed money to pay off some bookie. Flo nodded. Zoe concluded that he'd gotten ahold of a baby and sold it to Steffy and Taylor. Flo nodded again.
Zoe reasoned that it meant Steffy's adoption hadn't been legal, and the adoption papers were fake. Flo told Zoe to talk to her father because Flo couldn't tell Zoe anything else. Zoe didn't believe it and said Flo knew more. Zoe wanted details and demanded to hear it all.
Flo yelled that she couldn't tell Zoe anything else. She asked Zoe to call her father but not the cops. Flo just wanted to be left out of it. Noting that Flo was already deeply involved because her name was on the papers, Zoe asked who the baby's mother really was. Flo replied that she didn't know. Zoe threatened to go to the cops, and Flo insisted that all she knew was that the mother's name was Hope.
"Hope," Zoe uttered in disbelief. She asked for the last name, but Flo didn't know it. Flo only knew that Reese had said Hope. Zoe denied it could be true and said Hope had lost her child. Flo insisted that she'd had nothing to do with it, and it had been all Reese. Zoe whipped out her phone, and Flo frantically begged Zoe not to call the cops.
In London, Reese tossed aside a magazine with Hope on the cover. He flashed back to what had happened on Catalina Island, and he grimaced. His phone rang with a call from Zoe. He tried to pleasantly greet his daughter, but she told him that she was with Flo, who'd told her everything. Reese grimaced again.
Zoe stated that Steffy's adoption had been illegal, and Flo was not baby Phoebe's mother. She yelled that he'd gotten the baby for Steffy to pay off gambling debts. Reese told Zoe to calm down. Sobbing, Zoe raged that the birth mother was Hope, whom Reese had been with when she'd lost her child. Agreeing, he said it had been tragic. Zoe asked what he was doing.
Reese decided that he was on his way back to Los Angeles, but he needed her not to say anything to anyone. Zoe refused, saying she wanted to know what was going on. He promised to explain everything the next day when he arrived. Zoe asked if he planned to explain switching babies and Flo posing as the birth mother. Zoe said the worst part of it was that she felt she already knew what he'd done.
Sobbing, Zoe asked Reese to tell her that she was wrong. Reese asked her to promise not to say anything to anyone, especially Steffy or Hope. Zoe clicked off the phone line and cried.
First thing in the morning at the cliff house, Steffy opened her front door for Hope, who said she hoped it wasn't too early. The surprised Steffy replied that the girls were early risers. Hope was glad and announced that she was there to help. Hope strode into the house, and with a troubled expression, Steffy closed the front door.
Laundry baskets and clothes were stacked in the living room. Hope sat down, ready to fold. Steffy indicated that it wasn't usually that bad. She asked if Liam had said she needed help. "Nope. I just figured that with two babies..." Hope replied. She asked if the girls were awake. Steffy said the girls had gone back to sleep after their breakfast, but the nap wouldn't last.
Hope wanted to make sure that it was still okay for her to visit at any time. Nodding, Steffy affirmed that she'd meant it when she'd said it. She just didn't know how Hope was feeling. She added that her mother lived there, and she knew that Hope and Taylor had issues. Hope replied that it had been before, and "I'm the reason I lost my baby."
Working on the laundry, Hope reasoned that Steffy might not need the help; however, Hope did. Being around Steffy's daughters helped Hope. Steffy looked sad. Hope asked Steffy not to feel sad for Hope. Hope believed she took sadness wherever she went, and she couldn't stand it. Steffy replied that she knew it had to be hard on Hope.
In Hope's view, it was hard being at home, alone in the dark, wondering why. Citing the fact that the infant was the same age as Beth, Steffy believed that Hope couldn't help but think of her own child when around baby Phoebe. Hope reasoned that it wasn't bad and that it gave all of her stored-up love a place to go.
Hope offered to monitor things while Steffy took a nap. Steffy thanked Hope but said she liked the adult company. Hope noted that Steffy also had her mother. Steffy asked if Hope would like to have her mother's company 24/7, and Hope said it was a good point.
A baby cried. Hopping up, Hope announced that it was baby Phoebe. Heading toward the bedroom, Steffy said Taylor couldn't even tell the girls apart yet. Steffy instructed Hope to warm a bottle. Hope complied and had the bottle ready by the time Steffy returned with the baby.
Steffy wanted to test the bottle temperature. Hope offered to hold baby Phoebe. Steffy gave the child to Hope. Testing the formula, Steffy gazed skeptically at Hope and the fussy baby. Steffy offered to let Hope feed the baby, and the baby's cries ceased as Hope fed her.
In the design office, Katie was working when Wyatt arrived to talk about Forrester's support for childbirth-related foundations. He wondered if Thorne knew of any institutes in Europe. Katie figured Wyatt should call there and ask. Wyatt asked where Thorne was, and she said he'd left.
Wyatt asked where Thorne had gone, and Katie answered that Thorne had gone back to Paris. "For Forrester?" Wyatt questioned. She had no idea what Thorne would be doing, but she assumed that International could reach him. Wyatt asked if she was saying she didn't know how to, and she revealed that she and Thorne had ended their marriage.
Surprised to hear it, Wyatt asked why. Shrugging, Katie stated that Thorne had thought he'd signed up for the role of father and husband, but it had already been cast. She didn't get it because she'd been divorced from Bill for years and had even divorced Bill twice.
Wyatt asked if Katie hadn't seen that she and Thorne had had different objectives in the custody hearing. Wyatt cited that Thorne had wanted Bill out of Will's life completely, but Katie had been trying to rescue Bill's relationship with Will. She expressed her appreciation for her friendship with Wyatt and said it was nice to talk to someone who understood. "Dad understands, though, right?" Wyatt bashfully asked. Wyatt added that Bill had had a change of heart.
Katie's phone chimed. She ignored it, and Wyatt asked why. She said it was the alert sound indicating Thorne had messaged her. Wyatt reasoned that Thorne might have had a change of heart, too. In response, Katie handed Wyatt the annulment papers and said they'd filed them.
Katie admitted that having a father figure in her home had been appealing during the custody case. Wyatt noted that she still had the figure, but it had become Bill again. Agreeing, she said Bill had reclaimed his place in Will's life. "What about his place in yours?" Wyatt asked.
Katie quipped that Bill had been holding his place as her ex-husband for a while. Wyatt noted that, at one point, Bill had been Katie's ex-husband, but she'd married him again. Katie quipped that she didn't get married for a living like her sister. "And if you ever tell her I said that, I'll cut off your texting hand," Katie threatened.
Katie believed that Will had known that Thorne had been the odd man out before she had, and it had made Will uncomfortable. She hadn't seen the crisis she'd created. Wyatt asked how she'd created it. She said she'd insisted that Bill grow up and be responsible to his son. She asked who would have known that Bill would actually do it.
At Spencer, Bill regaled Justin with a magic trick, making an oversized coin disappear. Bill asked where the coin had gone, and Justin quipped that it was in Bill's pocket, along with all the other money Bill had stolen from old ladies and orphans.
Bill didn't appreciate Justin insulting the great Spencerini and was sure his son would love the trick. He pretended to pull the coin from behind Justin's ear, and Justin decided that Bill needed to work on his magic. Agreeing, Bill said he needed magic to get his sons back in his life, because he was the one who'd made them disappear.
Justin pointed out that Wyatt and Liam were still in their father's life. Bill said it was true if he counted them regularly stopping by to give him a hard time. He wondered how long it would be until his sons started resenting him only intermittently like normal kids. He didn't know why he'd even built an empire if his sons would spend their lives working at the dress farm.
Justin believed that Bill was on the right track, but in Justin's opinion, Bill shouldn't offer his sons their jobs back out of the blue. Bill pulled a fake flower bouquet out of his sleeve. Justin grimaced. Bill said there had to be a way to put his family back together.
Justin said that it was fine to reestablish connections with Wyatt and Liam, but Bill would never share the biggest part of Liam and Wyatt's histories because they'd grown up without their father. Justin advised Bill that, with his youngest son, he had an opportunity to create a lifetime bond that could never be broken.
Bill thanked Justin for the reminder that Bill wasn't a completely incompetent father and that Bill had rescued his relationship with Will. Justin additionally reminded Bill that he'd had a powerful ally in Katie. Bill agreed with that, saying she'd supported it even after all the yelling and threatening he'd done. Justin joked that it rolled off her back, the same as it did with Justin.
Later, Bill was alone, working on his magic tricks. In a frame, he had currency with his face on it. He placed a cloth over the frame. When he pulled the cloth back off, a picture of Katie and Will was in the frame instead of the currency. "Not bad, Spencerini. Not bad," Bill said.
At Reese's apartment, Zoe and Flo awaited Reese's arrival. Zoe asked what Flo had meant when she'd said that Reese had switched babies. Flo lied, saying she'd told Zoe everything that Reese had said. Persisting, Zoe figured that the living baby had been switched with another, and she asked whose baby that had been.
Flo stated that they wouldn't be waiting for Reese if she had all the answers. Zoe wondered why Flo had even gone along with it. Flo asked what Zoe would do if someone she cared about needed help. Flo asked if Zoe would question the person or drop everything and agree to help.
Zoe and Flo heard keys in the door lock. The door opened, and Reese stated that everyone was at home. "Except for a certain child that was stolen from her mother," Zoe quipped. Zoe accused him of stealing a baby to pay off a gambling debt.
Looking at Flo, Reese yelled that he hadn't sold anyone. Zoe stated that those were her own words, not Flo's, and Flo had been more loyal to Reese than he deserved. Zoe asked what he'd call a child involved in a cash transaction. He said it had been a terrible price to keep her safe.
Zoe ordered Reese not to pretend that he'd done it for her. He insisted that "they" had been about to hurt Zoe -- or worse. Zoe believed that if she'd been in any danger, it had been due to him. He figured that he could say all day long that he was ashamed, if she wanted him to, but in his view, he'd had no other choice. Zoe suggested the police as an option.
Reese asked how the police would stop someone whose last name and location he didn't even know. Zoe asked Flo if it was true. Flo didn't know Reese's loan sharks, but in her opinion, loan sharks were usually like cockroaches that just kept returning. "At least my way, nobody died," Reese reasoned. Zoe called that a pretty low bar for medical ethics.
Flo tried to leave to let Reese and Zoe talk it out themselves. As Flo grabbed her purse, Zoe said she didn't understand Flo or why Flo would go along with Reese. Flo claimed that Zoe needed to listen to her father and understand that he'd do anything for her. Reese told Flo that he was sorry. As she left, she said he wasn't as sorry as she was for being a part of it.
Alone with Reese, Zoe asked to know what the amount of the debt had been. Reese revealed it, and she asked, "Why does it never occur to you to stop when the money runs out?" Claiming that something "overcomes" him, he said she didn't know how it was to always feel desperate. Zoe bet Hope Logan did.
Zoe ordered her father to say what he'd done. In Reese's silence, she directed him to admit that the baby was Hope's. Reese insisted that he hadn't even known who Hope was until Hope had revealed her name at the clinic.
In Reese's mind, it had been like a war zone. Reese described how it had been that night, but Zoe said she remembered the time. He told her that it had been worse on the island than in Los Angeles and that she'd been at work that night. She asked who'd told him that. "They did," he replied. He revealed that the loan sharks had photographed her arriving there.
Reese described his need to do something when he'd seen the photo, and he'd recalled that Taylor had wanted to adopt a baby and that she'd said money would be no object. Zoe asked if Hope had just believed him when he'd said her baby had died. Reese explained that the delivery hadn't been easy, and Hope had passed out just as the baby had emerged.
Hope's baby had been a little early but fine, according to Reese. He revealed that another patient had somehow gotten to the clinic alone but too late to prevent a stillbirth. He'd cleaned the baby up for her, but she hadn't wanted to see her little girl. Zoe gasped, knowing where the story was headed. Reese said he'd put the dead child in Hope's arms.
Crying, Zoe asserted that Reese had put a dead baby into Hope's arms and had sold Hope's baby to Steffy and Taylor. Zoe asked if he had any idea of what Hope had been going through as a result of it. Reese admitted that he knew Hope was struggling. Zoe yelled that Hope looked in the mirror daily and could only see a mother who had let her child die.
In Zoe's opinion, it was what "we do next" that mattered. Reese stated that it was done. Crying, Zoe refused to let it go. She said they were talking about people in her life, people who trusted her and had given her opportunities. Zoe insisted that Hope be told that the baby was really hers, and if Reese wouldn't do it, Zoe would.
