Steffy tells Hope that her relationship with Thomas is over in The Bold and the Beautiful recap for March 20, 2024.
We pick up at Forrester Creations, where Hope (Annika Noelle) is aghast that Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) told her brother to break up with her. Hope doesn’t want to hurt Thomas, but Steffy thinks she’s toying with his emotions. She points out that accepting the proposal when she doesn’t feel the same for him would have hurt him more. Steffy doesn’t think Hope ever loved Thomas.
Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) asks Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) if he’s a fool for loving Hope. Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) walks in and asks what’s going on.
Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) tells Liam (Scott Clifton) how great it is that they can have lunch without worrying about Sheila. Liam is worried about Thomas more than anything. Carter asks if Liam thinks Thomas will "lose it" if he can’t have Hope. Liam admits he’s seen some changes with Thomas, but he thinks that’s what Thomas does. Carter works with Thomas every day and hasn’t seen any indication that he’s back to his old ways. Liam thinks they have reason to believe that things could go badly with Thomas.
Ridge wants to know what’s happening, and Brooke offers that Thomas wants to know Hope’s feelings for him. Thomas tells his father that he proposed again, and despite all evidence to the contrary about her loving him, she turned him down — again.
Steffy thinks Hope is toying with Thomas’ emotions. She points out that Thomas was obsessed with her a few years ago and now she doesn’t seem to care about it at all. Hope can’t believe that her solution is to tell Thomas to break up with her.
Brooke and Ridge can see how disappointed Thomas is. He just wants to know what Brooke thinks Hope feels about him. He’s second-guessing everything, and deluding himself to think that Hope doesn’t love him. He says Steffy told him to move on without Hope.
Liam tells Carter that old habits die hard, and if Hope rejects Thomas then it could trigger him to fall again. Carter admits that having his ring on Hope’s necklace must be hard for Thomas to see. Liam knows that Hope is in a weird position because she can’t agree to marry him and she can’t risk staying too long in the relationship. Plus, hurting Thomas would lead to a confrontation with Steffy.
Speaking of confrontations, Steffy and Hope are still arguing and Steffy says that a normal person would have put up boundaries when Thomas expressed interest but Hope didn’t do that, and now she’s leading him on. Steffy knows Hope will leave him and he’ll have to pick up the pieces. Hope calls Thomas one of her best friends, and she loves that she can count on him and that he cares for her. "Not anymore," Steffy tells her.
Carter tells Liam that worrying isn’t going to help anything. Liam says Hope can’t accept Thomas’ proposal, and it’s not just because of Steffy, though he admits that Steffy thinks that hurting Thomas will lead to him sliding backward.
Brooke asks Thomas if he would want Hope to accept his proposal if she’s not ready for it. Ridge asks for a moment alone and she expresses her regret that things are so difficult. Ridge says that he hates seeing Thomas so confused, but Thomas thinks he might be thinking clearly for the first time.
Hope tells Steffy that she’s not giving up on Thomas, but Steffy accuses her of not being able to meet her brother’s needs. "I love him," Hope says. She points out that they share a son, and that should be enough for Steffy to leave her alone. "How dare you interfere?" Hope demands.
Carter and Liam get ready to go back to the office. Liam praises how well Carter listens, but he worries about Carter telling Ridge everything that he said. Carter says his secret is safe, agreeing that no one wants to see "a jilted Thomas." Liam praises how formidable — and beautiful — Steffy is.
Thomas tells his father that he doesn’t think Hope needs more time. He says that Steffy has been telling him all along that Hope doesn’t love him and doesn’t care about his feelings. "Has Steffy been right all along?" he wonders. Ridge pulls him in for a hug.
Hope tells Steffy that she really cares about Thomas, and Steffy says that if she cares then she should stop stringing him along. Steffy says Hope is taking him for granted, but Hope says that saying no to marriage isn’t saying no to him. They’re a family, Hope points out. Steffy realizes that Hope has gone "full Logan" and turned into her mother. Steffy says that her days of using and abusing her brother are over.
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS and the following day on Paramount Plus. Check your local listings to see when it comes on where you are.
