At Katie's house, Brooke started hyperventilating as she insisted, "I -- I have to..." Before she could say more, she collapsed. Bill coached Brooke to breathe, and Katie rushed to call a baby nurse to sit with Will while she and Bill took Brooke to the hospital.
At the hospital, Dr. Meade sent Bill and Katie out of the room before his evaluation of Brooke. Bill and Katie left, but Brooke insisted that they needed to know. "I'm pregnant," she uttered. Upon hearing that news, Dr. Meade left in search of Dr. Caspary.
Bill returned to peek in on Brooke. He and Brooke exchanged glances, and he returned to Katie in the corridor. Katie was frazzled because she'd never seen her sister that way, and she wondered what Brooke had wanted to say earlier.
Back in Brooke's room, Dr. Caspary conducted an ultrasound and said she knew why Brooke was stressed. Brooke stated that she'd had to tell Bill and Katie about the baby, but she hadn't thought it would be so difficult. With a grave look, Dr. Caspary replied that telling Katie and Bill about it wasn't necessary; the ultrasound had shown that Brooke was no longer pregnant.
Putting down her ultrasound wand, Dr. Caspary explained that Brooke had experienced a "missed miscarriage," in which the body exhibited pregnancy symptoms though the baby was no longer there. The doctor assumed it had happened sometime after Brooke's last checkup, and it could have happened due to Brooke's age and other factors.
Dr. Caspary offered some comforting words and said that Bill and Katie believed that Dr. Caspary had arrived for a platonic visit after hearing of Brooke's admission. Before leaving, the doctor said she'd update Dr. Meade on the development. Brooke touched her belly and sighed.
The concerned Bill and Katie entered, and Katie asked her sister to never scare them like that again. Brooke shrugged, calling it a panic attack, and Katie asked what Brooke had been trying to tell them earlier. Brooke claimed she'd just been overly stressed, and there wasn't anything to worry about anymore. Katie got a text message from her nanny and decided she had to go home. Bill offered to stay with Brooke, and Katie took off.
Once Bill and Brooke were alone, Bill figured that, earlier, Brooke had planned to tell Katie about the affair. He reminded Brooke that they'd agreed to never say anything for Katie's sake. He knew how much Brooke wanted to protect Katie, so he deduced that the burden of the secret had to have overcome Brooke. He blamed himself for that and said he hadn't done enough to help Brooke cope with it.
Brooke insisted that Bill's family was his priority. Bill claimed that, though he had feelings for Brooke, he was committed to his family. He said that they'd made love when Katie had pushed them together. In his view, nothing had resulted from it, and nothing ever would. He asked if Brooke could give him one good reason that Katie should know about what had happened between Brooke and Bill.
"No, not anymore..." Brooke replied. Shedding tears, she said the secret was safe.
At the cliff house, Taylor stopped in on her way home and saw that Liam was having dinner alone because Steffy was out. Taylor expressed that her motherly concern extended to him, and she noted that the father's loss in a miscarriage was sometimes overlooked. She wondered how it all had affected Liam, and he said that was a loaded question.
Taylor stated that Liam had turned his world upside down to prepare for the baby, and he needed to give himself permission to feel his grief. Liam was hesitant to open up, so Taylor decided to share her feelings. She said she'd seen her daughter grow while with Liam, and she felt that everything would be fine. Hugging Liam, she exclaimed that he and Steffy would have a house full of children.
Steffy called Liam to say that she'd gotten wrapped up in work projects while at the loft. Liam was disheartened when Steffy decided to spend the night there, but she lightheartedly said he could do without her for one evening. Liam and Steffy said they loved each other and ended the call.
Taylor grew concerned upon hearing that Steffy planned to stay in town that night. Taylor thought that it was important for Steffy to be with Liam during that trying time. Liam claimed he'd been doing everything he knew to do, and Taylor sympathized, guessing that it probably didn't feel like it was enough -- especially when Steffy was still blaming herself.
Liam wanted to help Steffy without piling his feelings on top of it. Taylor said he should work on his own unresolved feelings. She suggested that Liam give Steffy the time to herself. Taylor was sure that Steffy would get through it and make him a father very soon. "Yeah..." Liam dubiously replied.
In her dimly lit loft, Steffy thought of the moment she'd learned she couldn't have children, and she flashed back to memories of Liam anticipating fatherhood. Tearfully, Steffy thumbed through wedding pictures on her phone.
Steffy sat on the spiral staircase and sobbed as she imagined children running to play with Liam on a pallet outside. A woman sat down and removed a hat, revealing herself to be Hope. Hope joined Liam and the children as they played. Steffy sobbed, twisting her wedding ring.
Steffy walked down the stairs at her loft, and her first thoughts were about the diagnosis that she would be unable to have a baby or ever conceive. Liam phoned her and expressed how worried he had been about her. He worried that she had been at her loft all night alone.
Steffy tried to dismiss Liam's concerns. She promised to return home later that day. Steffy insisted that she was fine. Taylor arrived.
Taylor advised Steffy to let go of all the guilt Steffy had for the loss of the baby. Taylor promised that Steffy and Liam would have more children. Steffy argued that everything had changed. Taylor claimed that Liam loved Steffy and couldn't wait to have a baby. Steffy said she knew that Liam couldn't wait to be a dad, and Steffy said that Liam would have been an amazing father.
Taylor continued to paint a bright picture. Taylor promised that Steffy and Liam would have as many babies as they wanted. Taylor continued to remind Steffy that Steffy and Liam were young and had their entire lives ahead of them. Each time Taylor brought up babies and the future, Steffy looked more despondent.
Taylor pressured Steffy to return home to her husband. Steffy thanked Taylor for being such a great mom. Steffy said she had to visit someone before she returned to Liam. Steffy again thanked her mother for everything. Taylor looked puzzled.
At Bill and Katie's home, Katie and Hope played with Will. Katie wondered how Brooke had been after her trip to the hospital. Hope said that Brooke had not discussed it. Katie said it was odd behavior for Brooke. Hope said that Brooke attributed it to stress.
Conversation turned to Liam. Hope admitted that she had visited Liam at his office and advised him not to jump into another pregnancy with Steffy if Liam wasn't sure that it was what he wanted. Katie recommended that Hope stay out of it and let Liam and Steffy work it out. Katie reminded Hope that Steffy and Liam were very fragile. She added that Steffy had been through some bad times and was in a dark place.
Hope admitted she felt for Steffy, but she also believed that Liam would never have married Steffy if it hadn't been for the baby. Hope added that if Liam wanted to have another baby with Steffy, Hope would accept it. Hope said she did not believe it was what Liam wanted. Hope recalled when she and Liam had been about to recommit to one another at his home, Steffy had interrupted with the news that she was pregnant.
Katie looked concerned. Katie said that she didn't think Liam and Steffy would have another baby. Hope said that she knew Steffy would find happiness because she was a strong woman. Hope said that Steffy had looked happy and confident while pregnant.
Hope surmised that Steffy would find someone else to marry and have a family. Hope confidently stated that she would end up with Liam. Katie agreed that Hope deserved a future with Liam.
Thomas arrived at Liam's house and quizzed Liam about Steffy. Thomas reminded Liam that Steffy wanted to get pregnant again immediately. Thomas worried that Liam hadn't checked on Steffy when she stayed at her condominium. Liam argued that Steffy had said she wanted to be alone. Thomas pressured Liam to commit to agreeing with Steffy's wishes to get pregnant again.
Liam warned that Thomas was interfering in private matters that were none of his business. Thomas worried that Liam had two women who loved him. Liam ordered Thomas to leave. "I love your sister," Liam said. "My sister has everything -- brains, beauty, wit, and I would like to believe that you deserve her," Thomas said, adding, "Don't prove me wrong."
Later, Katie arrived and shared with Liam that she was worried about Steffy. Liam confessed that something was very wrong, and he was convinced that Steffy was hiding something. Katie asked about having another child, and Liam said he was worried only about Steffy. Having another baby was the furthest thing from his mind.
At Forrester, Hope was working and admired some photos she'd found that had been taken of Liam and Hope. Steffy interrupted. Hope asked about Steffy's health. Steffy said she was fine and had some traveling to do.
Hope assumed that Steffy wanted to tell Hope to stay away from Liam. Steffy disagreed. "There's been a change in plans," Steffy said. Steffy added that she was leaving the country and would not return. She said she was doing it for Liam.
Hope was shocked. Steffy said that she and Liam hadn't ended their marriage -- it was a decision that Steffy had made. "I know what I am doing," Steffy said.
Hope argued that Steffy was making a drastic decision that didn't make sense. Steffy told Hope that Hope could give Liam things that Steffy couldn't. "He's yours," Steffy said.
At Forrester, Steffy had told Hope that her plans had changed, and she was leaving Los Angeles -- leaving the door open for Hope to be with Liam. Steffy flashed back to hearing that she could no longer conceive. Then she flashed back to the motorcycle accident, and she looked sick.
"What does that mean?" Hope asked. Steffy said it was what she wanted to do. Hope asked about Liam's feelings. Steffy said that she knew that Liam loved her, and she was on her way to tell Liam her decision.
Steffy told Hope that Steffy could not make Liam happy. Hope tried to persuade Steffy to slow down. Hope said that Steffy was upset, and Hope wondered if Steffy was in any condition to leave the country and end her marriage. Steffy cried and hugged Hope. Steffy said that she knew Hope could make Liam happy.
"I'm actually worried about you, Steffy," Hope said.
"Just love him," Steffy tearfully said.
At Liam's house, Liam and Katie discussed that something was wrong with Steffy. Katie said that Steffy had clearly been happy about having a baby. Liam said that he had also been happy. Liam noted that Steffy had snapped out of her depression temporarily and wanted to try to have another baby.
Liam observed that Steffy had drifted away in recent days, and she had been carrying a lot of guilt. He said that guilt was killing them both. Liam worried that Steffy was hiding something. Katie looked worried, and she left.
Steffy returned home, and Liam hugged her. Liam shared that he had been worried sick about Steffy. Steffy said she needed to think about their relationship, and she had made a decision. Liam listened intently.
Steffy said she had been happier than she had ever been in her life when she had been planning a family with Liam. "We were so in love with our baby. I was reckless, and I ruined that," Steffy cried. Steffy lamented that she had ruined their chance to become parents. Liam disagreed. He promised that they had plenty of time to have a family.
Steffy said things were different. She announced she'd be moving to Paris, and she added that Hope would be there soon to see Liam. Steffy said that Hope could give Liam a family and everything that Steffy couldn't give Liam.
Liam was incredulous. "What's this decision?" Liam asked. He worried that Steffy had been depressed. He promised to help her get through it. "It's not depression," Steffy insisted.
"No, no," Liam argued. He couldn't believe Steffy had made such a decision, but Steffy was adamant that she had made up her mind.
Steffy said that Hope had been right for Liam all along. Liam argued, and Steffy insisted she was leaving for Europe.
At Spencer, Justin was in Bill's office with Bill. Justin wondered why Bill had a photo of Maya and Jesse on his tablet. Bill explained that he was protecting Caroline.
Justin mocked that Bill was protecting Caroline. Justin wondered if Bill was trying to keep Caroline happy in order to keep Caroline's mother, Karen, away from the business. Bill insisted that his sister, Karen, wanted little to do with the business even though she was part owner.
Justin noted that Caroline was waiting outside the office to see Bill. Justin left, and Caroline entered and told Bill that Maya had broken things off with Rick. Caroline was surprised because Maya had been so intent on becoming Rick's girlfriend.
Bill noted that Caroline was happy, and he asked what Caroline saw in Rick. Caroline said Rick was sexy, and he was everything she wanted in a man. She hoped that she and Rick could rebuild their relationship.
At Forrester, Maya prepared for a photo shoot, and Rick waited in the doorway. Maya checked out jail cell props in a scene that Caroline had set up for the photo shoot. Rick flashed back to happier times with Maya. Rick recalled telling Maya that he loved her.
Maya looked up and saw Rick. She tearfully recalled telling Rick that she would hurt him, and she had to leave him. Oliver entered with Thomas. Rick asked about the props, and Oliver said that Caroline had come up with the jail concept. Maya wasn't surprised.
Rick told Maya that she didn't have to do the photo shoot. Maya refused to allow Caroline to make Maya uncomfortable. Maya and Theresa were the models who would wear striped outfits and stand behind bars. Oliver and Thomas felt it was a clever idea.
Rick watched the photo shoot, and Oliver and Thomas encouraged the girls to show some attitude. Maya looked depressed. Oliver asked for a break. Oliver warned Rick that Maya had been depressed since Maya and Rick had broken up. Rick apologized, and he decided to leave.
Rick returned home and found Caroline in the guesthouse where he was living. He noted that she still had her key. Caroline said that Rick looked unhappy. She guessed that it was due to the photo shoot. Rick agreed. Caroline kissed Rick, but he said he wasn't in the mood. Caroline tried to change Rick's mood, but he clearly wanted nothing to do with her.
At Spencer, Maya entered Bill's office and asked why he wanted to waste time hurting her because she thought it was beneath him. Bill said it was all for his niece because he was all about family. Bill warned Maya to stay away from Rick. Maya countered that Bill had chosen to mess with the wrong person.
At Rick's place, Caroline remarked that Rick was pouting, but Maya had made it clear that she didn't want to be with him. Caroline thought it was good for Maya to decide not to pursue a taken man, and Rick probably should take advantage of the fact that his girlfriend did want him.
Caroline dropped her dress and gave Rick a sultry look. "You are taken, aren't you?" she asked. She snuggled up to him, but he moved away and said it just wasn't working between them. He ended it with her and said that he wanted to do everything he could to change Maya's mind about him. Caroline asked why, and Rick replied that he loved Maya.
In Bill's office, Maya commented that Bill loved having minions to do his bidding and fetch his wheatgrass juice, but she didn't work for him. Bill asked God to bless America for freedom of choice, but then he asked Maya if they served wheatgrass in prison. Bill said he almost liked Maya, and it would be a shame for her tenacity to wind up wasted behind bars.
Maya claimed that the pictures Bill had of her were innocent photos from a chance encounter, but Bill felt that they were enough to send her back to the joint. She said it was laughable that a man of his power was going after her, but he replied that if his niece was happy, then he was happy. Maya asserted that she deserved happiness, too, and for her, that meant being with Rick.
Bill wondered what good being with Rick would be if Maya were in jail. Maya figured a judge would see the pictures for what they really were, and Bill wasn't doing Caroline any favors by keeping her with a man who didn't feel for her what Rick felt for Maya. Bill asked why Rick hadn't broken it off with Caroline, and Maya said Rick had tried. "That's what he's telling you," Bill replied.
Bill claimed that he didn't need a photo to put Maya back in jail. He had powerful connections, and he wasn't afraid to use them. Maya ordered Bill to get on the phone with his connections. She let him know that if the police wanted to arrest her, she'd be at Rick's, telling him how she really felt. Maya left, and Bill wondered why the spunky ones had to learn the hard way.
Bill called Caroline to instruct her to head to Rick's house because Maya was on the way there. Caroline said she was already there. She heard Maya pull up outside and thanked him for the warning.
After the call, Caroline, still only in her underwear, greeted Maya at the door. Maya rolled her eyes, and Caroline said Rick was in the shower. Caroline announced that she and Rick were in the middle of celebrating his and Maya's breakup. Caroline claimed that Rick had been glad that Maya had ended things because he'd feared what a woman with Maya's criminal record might do if he dumped her.
Caroline said she and Rick had been in bed all day, but the disbelieving Maya strode right into the house, asking if Caroline would mind if Maya got the information directly from Rick. Caroline told Maya to save herself the embarrassment; however, Maya said she'd be out of Rick's hair in a few moments, and he could go back to being with Caroline -- if that was what he wanted.
Rick entered the room and was surprised to see Maya. Maya stated that she'd arrived to tell him the truth. She said she'd been scared away from Rick by threats from Caroline's uncle. Caroline and Rick were each shocked to hear that. Maya said she'd gone along with Bill at first; however, Bill couldn't stop what was between her and Rick. "Nobody can," Maya said.
In the CEO's office, Katie arrived as the perplexed Hope sat at a drawing table. Hope shared that Steffy had just announced that she was leaving Liam, Forrester, and the country. Katie was shocked, and Hope added that Steffy was ending the marriage, setting Liam free to be with Hope.
Katie asked if Steffy had given any reasons for her decision. Hope said Steffy hadn't, and Hope wasn't about to try to change Steffy's mind. The worried Katie suspected that Liam might. Hope insisted that Steffy was done, and it could mean a real chance for Liam and Hope.
At the cliff house, Liam reasoned that Steffy couldn't go to Paris because they were married. Steffy said that it had been for a short time, but he'd go on to have a beautiful life and family with Hope. Liam asked if Steffy were ending things because she thought he'd only married her for the child. She said she wouldn't have allowed that, and he screamed, "Then what the hell, Steffy?"
Liam decided that Steffy was delirious, but Steffy insisted that she knew what she was saying. She wanted to join Ridge in Paris and never return. She added that if she did ever return, she'd be happy to see Liam having a family with Hope. Steffy thought Liam deserved everything, including a white picket fence, but he wouldn't have it with her.
Liam asserted that something was wrong because Steffy never gave up. Steffy claimed that she'd given it a lot of thought, and they weren't meant to be. She said he'd be happy with Hope, who'd had him first. Steffy added that, deep down, it was what Liam wanted. Steffy was happy that she and Liam had spent their time together, but she insisted that she had to go.
Liam didn't understand how Steffy could go from wanting to have another baby to giving up on the marriage. He asked what he had done to her to make her decide that. She insisted that she couldn't give him what he wanted. Liam asked if she thought he wanted a wife and a mother. He explained that there was no hurry to have children, and they had all the time in the world.
Steffy said waiting wouldn't change things. Liam asked what would, and she yelled that she wanted him to be happy with Hope. Steffy insisted she'd be happy knowing he was fulfilled in a way that she couldn't make him. She asked him to let her go. "No," Liam bit out and hugged her tightly.
Liam said he'd never stopped Steffy from being free to do what she wanted, but he couldn't consent to her plan. He didn't buy that she thought he'd be better off with Hope. Instead, he felt that Steffy was keeping something from him, and he wished he knew what it was.
Steffy relayed that a part of him had always loved Hope, and even though what he had with Hope didn't compare to his marriage to Steffy, Hope was a good girl. Steffy insisted that Liam and Hope "just worked," and it was better if Steffy wasn't there in his ear, distracting him with "cha-cha-cha."
Liam said that it wasn't fair. A song played as Steffy slipped off her ring and placed it in his hand. She hugged him, and they cried. Steffy kissed Liam and said "goodbye." At the door, she uttered that she loved him. Steffy left, and Liam gasped. On the porch, Steffy cried.
At the cliff house, Hope arrived to visit a sullen Liam, who was sitting on the couch and holding Steffy's ring. Hope said she should have called, and she wondered if Steffy were really leaving. Liam stated that Steffy was moving to Paris, but he didn't know why. He said that, one minute he was married and about to be a father, "and now it's gone."
Liam tried to figure out why Steffy had left. Hope said Steffy had been eager to get pregnant. He theorized that he'd been afraid of another disappointing pregnancy, and Steffy could have been, too. Liam was confused and in a fog. He said that when Steffy had walked out, she'd convinced herself that she knew what he needed and who'd make him happier. "What do you think, Liam?" Hope asked.
Liam wondered how Steffy could do it. Hope said that part of her had always felt that she could give Liam what Steffy never could. Hope wasn't referring to marriage and a family but to the way she loved him. Hope figured he was still in shock about Steffy's departure, but Hope reminded him that before his marriage, he and Hope had been outside the cliff house, preparing to exchange vows.
Liam flashed back to the moment Hope had spoken of. Hope stated that Steffy had arrived with the baby news, and Liam and Steffy had done what they'd needed to do. "But here we are again, and I can't help but feel that things turned out as they were intended. Our time is now," Hope uttered.
At the loft, Katie banged on the door and refused to go away. When Steffy opened the door, Katie entered, asserting that Steffy didn't really want to leave town. Steffy told Katie that Liam and Hope could never know Steffy couldn't have children. Katie called that unfair, and Steffy added that none of it was fair. Steffy found it unfair that a procedure had made her, a woman in her twenties, barren.
Katie suggested adoption, but Steffy wouldn't hear of it. Empathizing with Steffy, Katie recalled her darker days when she'd also wanted to run away. Steffy said that she wasn't running away; she'd robbed Liam and could never return what she'd taken from him. Steffy sobbed that she could never have Liam's child, but someone else could.
Katie thought Steffy should let Liam decide, but Steffy was sure that Liam would stick by her and pretend to be happy; however, his heart would break every time he saw a father with a stroller. Steffy refused to tie herself to Liam and become an obligation to him. Katie said Liam wouldn't think that. Steffy, however, knew that he'd think it, but he just wouldn't say it.
Steffy felt that she'd never be the same woman she'd been before the accident. She wanted to scream because it seemed as if something had been ripped out of her. She exclaimed that something really had been ripped from her, but she wouldn't take Liam down with her.
Katie figured that Steffy wasn't thinking clearly in her depression, and Steffy needed to call her mother. Steffy didn't want to, and she murmured that it was her punishment. Katie asked Steffy not to blame herself because it had been an accident, and Steffy couldn't change it.
Steffy said that was why she was leaving. She quipped that there was no more white picket fence for her, but Hope could have it. Katie ordered Steffy to stop thinking about Hope. Steffy said Hope was the point, and Steffy was passing off the torch to the woman who'd give Liam what he needed.
Later, Steffy buckled herself into an airplane seat and sobbed as she prepared for takeoff.
At Rick's house, the underwear-clad Caroline swore she hadn't known anything about what Bill had done. She offered to call Bill over there to straighten things out, but Rick said no one was stopping by his house. He wanted to be alone with Maya, and he told Caroline that she had to leave.
"You're kicking me out like this?" Caroline asked, referring to her attire. Handing her a dress, Rick said he didn't want to hurt her. To him, it didn't matter if she hadn't known what Bill had done because she and Rick had been pulling apart for a while, and Caroline knew how he felt about Maya.
Rick stated that Caroline was beautiful and fun, and she'd make someone happy one day. It just wouldn't be him. Caroline asked if that was it, and if Rick was with "her now." Rick said that he was, and Caroline figured life at the office would be awkward. "It'll never last," Caroline bit out and left.
Once alone with Rick, Maya said he'd finally ended it with Caroline, and he'd been nice about it. Rick asked how Bill had been able to blackmail the exonerated Maya. Maya explained that her prison release had stipulated that she wasn't allowed to be near her former lover, Jesse; however, Jesse had shown up at the club the other night, and Bill had gotten Alison to photograph Maya and Jesse.
Maya claimed she'd only spoken to Jesse because he'd deserved to know what had become of their daughter. She said Bill would try to make a scandal of it, and she could be returning to prison. Rick thought Bill and Alison should be the ones going to jail for stalking. Maya doubted that would happen.
Rick hugged Maya. He was proud of her for not being intimidated. Maya asked how they could make Hope for the Future clients proud if Bill's plan worked. Rick thought it could make the customers admire Maya even more. He laughed, saying that they'd sell out of "Free Maya" tee shirts.
The two kissed, and Maya thanked Rick for not being upset with her. Rick claimed to admire her for giving their relationship a chance instead of giving in to Bill's threats. Rick was in awe because she'd stood up to Bill. Maya said she couldn't give up on Rick, no matter the consequences. Rick assured her that they'd deal with Bill together. With a kiss, Rick asked Maya to trust him.
