Holly notices that Robert is unusually quiet and seems distracted on the shuttle from New York, and again on the way home. She wonders if it has anything to do with the Aztec treasure. He'd been pretty tense since Tony Jones was shot and confided in her that he felt the two might be related. Robert, for his part, realized that the time had come for him to face his past. He was tied up in knots wondering how he was going to tell Holly. He wasn't in the habit of keeping secrets from her. Well, at least not ones that weren't work related. He knew from past events in their life together that secrets usually blew up in their faces. He silently vowed he would lay his past bare and let the chips fall where they may. He knew Holly would be justified in however she responded.
As they entered the townhouse, Robert asked Holly if she would like a drink as he headed for the bar. "A white wine would be nice, thanks," Holly responded. She noticed he was uneasy, but she figured he would tell her what was on his mind in his own time. Meanwhile, looking through the mail, she notices a letter from Nanny. She read the letter as Robert was pouring drinks. Robert poured her drink, than poured himself a scotch, neat, and took a long drink before refilling his glass and bringing both to the sofa. "Here goes," he thinks to himself as he handed her the wineglass. Holly waited patiently, knowing he was about to tell her what was eating him up inside.
"Holly, I need to talk to you about something that occurred last night. You know how hard I've tried to keep my past from interfering in our lives. I'm so sorry I haven't been very successful at it lately, but there is a part of my past that I never wanted to ever think about again; one that, once revealed, may alter the course of our marriage." "Robert, what is it? I noticed you seemed a little distant today at breakfast. What could be so devastating that could change how we feel about each other?" "I'm not the knight in shining armor you or others think I am. There is a dark part of my past that I thought I'd buried. Last night, before the tribute, I came face to face with part of it I never wished to ever think about again; the part that will forever change our marriage." "Robert, you're frightening me. What is it that has you this upset?
Robert sighs and begins to share the deepest, darkest part of his soul as he tells of his and Anna's past. After he finished he looked at Holly, who had risen partway through his confession, and was standing in front of the fireplace with her back to him, tears running down her face. Robert wanted to comfort her and tell her everything would be alright, but he knew that would be a lie. He wanted to reach out and hug her to him, but knew that he'd be rebuffed, so his arms hung limply at his sides. He offered her the only thing he knew she'd accept. "Look, I'll understand if you need time to digest all of this, but I want you to know I meant every word I said the night we first made love. I have never felt what I feel for you with any other woman. Not Lily and not Anna. You'll never know how sorry I am that I never told you about her, but my shame was so deep that I willed myself to forget it."
"Robert, how could you keep this from me all this time? We've always trusted each other, or so I thought," Holly said through her tears. "I do trust you. I just didn't know how or when to tell you. When we were first married, we were practically strangers. We were trying to get to know each other, as well as getting used to a life neither of us planned. And you know what happened once we realized we loved each other, and Luke returned. It wasn't until after the Prometheus Disk case that we finally had a little normalcy in our life. How could I risk losing you because of my past after just nearly losing you to yours?" "That was a year and a half ago. What prevented you from telling me this since then?" "I wish I could say it was my work. There were many times I wanted to, but the time never seemed right. How do you tell someone you love more than life itself, "Oh, by the way, I was married before?" Then I'd get involved in a case and the moment passed. I'd give anything to turn back the clock and find a way to tell you before now."
"Well, it's a little late for that now," Holly stated, her pain evident. Holly showed him the letter she received from Nanny telling her that Anna was arriving in Port Charles and she suggested she look her up. "Damn her! Holly, I think this was all a set up. I did not know she planned on following us here from New York, I swear!"
