It’s time for Steffy to make some big decisions on The Bold and the Beautiful, but is she ready to put everything on the line?
Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) can’t believe what Liam (Scott Clifton) is telling her about Finn (Tanner Novlan) and Sheila (Kimberlin Brown). The more he insists that what he saw was real, the more Steffy starts to wonder about the whole situation.
Finn tells Li (Naomi Matsuda) that Sheila is out, and his adoptive mother is outraged. Join the club, right?
Deacon can’t believe Sheila is in her apartment. He thinks she escaped, but he’s stunned when she tells him that they let her out.
Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) arrives at Forrester Creations after getting a text from Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang). Hope (Annika Noelle) is sitting with her. At Brooke’s encouragement, she starts to tell Ridge that Liam moved out. He’s still hopeful they can reconcile, but Hope drops the bombshell that she had divorce papers drawn up.
Deacon is speechless, which is something that happens to him when she’s around. She pours him a glass of wine and tells him that the judge dropped the charges. She’s a free woman now.
Li reminds Finn of all the things Sheila did to him and Steffy. How can someone like that be allowed to go free? He’s defensive — he didn’t make the law, after all — and Li tells him that needs to make sure she doesn’t come into their lives.
Liam reveals the photo of Finn and Steffy’s wide eyes say it all. This is confirmation of her worst nightmare.
Back at FC, Ridge is trying to process Hope’s news. When he asks if this has to do with Hope sleeping with Thomas, Hope is shocked that her mom revealed her secret to him. But Ridge says it doesn’t matter, because he’s just worried about Thomas. He wants to know what she feels for his son.
Sheila tells Deacon that she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life in prison, away from the people she loves. They share another kiss, and Deacon smiles.
Li can’t imagine what it must have been like for Finn and Steffy having to sit there and listen to the judge at the hearing. She can’t believe Finn was able to restrain himself. He admits he had a “strong” reaction but it’s not the one Li’s thinking about.
Liam is apologetic. He doesn’t want to drop this on Steffy but he’s there to protect her. Steffy can’t believe Finn would do this, and Liam says that’s exactly why he took the video. He didn’t think she’d believe him, either, unless she could see it with her own eyes. Liam says the bottom line is that right now she has no idea if Finn will act to keep her and the kids safe from Sheila and that’s all that matters.
Hope tells Ridge that she has feelings for Thomas. They have a son, they have mutual projects. “I think we are on a path that is just getting started.” They have a connection, yes, and she understands Ridge’s concern for Thomas. “I’m concerned about all my kids,” he says, to which Hope asks Brooke whether Ridge knows about Steffy’s role with Liam. She comes right out and says that she doesn’t want to be with a man who has divided feelings, which is a direct shot at Ridge. All she wants to do is focus on work and raising her kids.
Deacon tells Sheila that Bill and Ridge have kept quiet about their relationship so no one knows about them. Yet. She wants him to be excited about her being free because he was the one who helped her get by while she was locked up. But now she’s out and she’s free, and this is their second chance.
Finn is anxious, especially as Li keeps pressuring him to agree that Sheila belongs behind bars. The more she pushes, the less it looks like he agrees with her.
Liam wants Steffy to consider that Finn can’t stand up to his biological mother enough to protect her. Steffy’s resolve and her confidence in her husband are slipping and Liam can see it.
Deacon praises Sheila’s positive thinking, but he really doesn’t see an avenue where she can be in Finn’s life. He thinks she’ll be setting herself up for disappointment. She’s not giving up until Finn forgives her.
Li starts to sense something is off with Finn. He reassures her that he will keep his family safe, no matter what.
Steffy says it’s just a hug, that’s all. Liam tells her that he cares too much about Steffy and Kelly to let things go while Finn figures this out. He wants her to force Finn to give her an explanation for the hug. Steffy insists that Finn hates Sheila, but Liam says the hug opened the door for Sheila to get back into their lives. He loves Kelly and Hayes too much for that to happen. “And I love you, too, you know,” he says.
Well, now that Liam has laid his cards on the table, it’s going to be time for Steffy to make a decision. She has been struggling since Sheila was released and now that Liam has cast doubt on Finn’s allegiance, it’s only going to get worse.
Steffy needs to hold Finn’s feet to the fire. She needs him to swear upon everything he holds dear that he’s not going to have a relationship with Sheila. And she needs to be ready to act if he can’t give her his word. With Liam waiting in the wings and Ridge ready to protect his kids, Steffy has support in her corner. But right now she needs to know where her husband stands.
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.
