The revelation!

Taylor cleared her throat. It wasn't easy for her to find the right way to start.

"Do you remember the weekend, when we traveled together to LA and stayed at your parent's home?! They threw this big party for you to celebrate your graduation. You invited me to come along so we could announce our engagement and your family could finally get to know me better!"

"Yes, I remember! You left in a hurry without a reasonable explanation!"

"I had good reasons for leaving this suddenly, believe me and they had a lot to do with your parents. They reacted anything but enthusiastically to our engagement back then. They probably thought I wasn't the right match for you!" Ridge sighed.

"Well, they just had their concerns. I think they would have preferred it if I had chosen a girl from our circle. But I told you, they would have come around over time. My parents first rejected every spouse that I or my siblings presented to them. My parents are people who need their time to warm up to someone and take them into their hearts. It was the same with Thorne's wife Macy. In the beginning they only saw the problems and they tried everything to prevent a possible wedding. And today they love Macy like a daughter!"

"That may be true. In any case, your parents have made it very clear to me that they will never accept me at your side."

"So let me get this straight. You only broke up with me because my parents didn't embrace you immediately as their future daughter-in-law?!"

"If it had only been that... I didn't see any chance of ever having a place in your family. Do you remember the afternoon we spent together at the pool? At some point you went into the house to get some new drinks and your mother to me..." Ridge thought hard.

"I remember! I even suggested to her she should go to you so the two of you could get a little acquainted."

"Yes, only your mother had anything else in mind but getting to know me better. Your mother had only one goal: to get rid of me! That afternoon she practically made a declaration of war on me!"

"What?!" Ridge stared at her with wide, horrified eyes.

"She pointed out she will never accept me as her daughter-in-law and she will do everything to prevent our wedding!"

"She probably just said that on a whim! She didn't mean it!"

"No, Ridge! She definitely meant it! She literally told me that I could either leave voluntarily or she would make my life a living hell until I slink away like a 'repentant alley cat'."

Ridge was stunned. He didn't want to believe it. But deep down, he had to admit that those words did indeed sound like his mother.

"Why didn't you tell me right away?" Taylor laughed shrilly.

"And to fall straight into your mother's trap?! I'm hundred percent sure if I had told you everything, she immediately would have retaliated. You would have confronted her and she would have denied everything or would have tried to talk her way out of it. In any case, she would have done everything to make me look like the stupid one and then she would have won the first round. Also I still had the hope that she might be able to come to terms with the idea at some point and it just takes time. But unfortunately that wasn't the only thing that happened."

"What else?" Ridge couldn't imagine anything worse.

"The next day your father came to see me. He wanted to make me an offer, as he called it. He extended he would cover all my costs at medical school in exchange for me breaking off my engagement to you! He had a signed contract with him that I just had to sign. He even had the first installment with him, in cash!"

Ridge almost fell off the couch.

"What?? Please tell me that's not true?! My father wanted to pay you to leave me??"

"Exactly!"

Ridge jumped up furious. He ran back and forth, not knowing what to do with his anger. He sat back down and looked at Taylor intently.

"But you didn't take that into account, did you?!"

"Of course not, Ridge! Who do you think I am?! I tore that contract into 1000 pieces. But in this moment I realized I would never have a place in your family and if you would have married me, you would have always stood between me and your parents. Your father told me that very clearly. He said I surely didn't want to jeopardize your future. Your father treated me so condescendingly, as if I were nothing more than a cheap trashy tramp who was only after your money. I just couldn't take it anymore. As soon as he was gone, I grabbed my suitcase and packed my things. I didn't want to stay on this property for another second! I just had to get out of there!"

Taylor felt all the emotions from this moment back then. Ridge noticed how rattled she was. He put his arms around her shoulders.

"It's okay! Now I finally know why you left so suddenly and I can understand you very well! My parents had absolutely no right to treat you so badly. But I still don't understand why you finally separated from me?! We both would have found a solution together! But you simply didn't give our love a chance. I didn't know at all what was wrong with you. You didn't give me any reasonable explanation. I'm sure if you had told me something, we would have found a way to deal with all of this!"

"Maybe..." Taylor said sheepishly. "...actually I've asked myself the same question over and over again the last few years and especially recently. What would have happened if I had fought harder for you?! But back then I couldn't see any other way, other than ending our relationship. I didn't want to come between you and your family. I knew how much they mean to you! You always raved about them and you were always so proud of your family. I didn't want to put the burden on you to choose between me and them. Besides, I didn't want to ruin your dream! Ridge, you've always dreamed of becoming a great designer. You may not have noticed it, but you hardly talked about anything else. When I think back to the many hours where we sat together and I read aloud from the textbook so we could both learn the material while you sat over your designs. You even had your sketchbook with you during class and you secretly drew under the table. And you were definitely the only one who dragged his girlfriend to the stores every weekend because you wanted to check out the latest fashion and you put together all of my outfits over the years. I always knew that this was more than just a job for you. It was your passion, your destiny! I couldn't take that away from you, I loved you way too much! The truth is, I broke up with you so you could live the life you always dreamed of!"

Ridge swallowed. He didn't know how to react or what to say. An absolute chaos of emotions broke out within him. All these years he had thought Taylor had left him because she never loved him as much as he loved her. Now he had to find out that she had separated from him precisely because she loved him so much. He stared at her as if he was truly understanding her for the first time.

"I don't know what to say. I want to agitate you, but at the same time I could just hold and kiss you!"

"Well, if you ask me, I prefer the latter." They both laughed and cried at the same time. Taylor was relieved that the truth was finally out.

"I just hope you're not too mad at me. I thought it was the right thing to do." Ridge wrapped her tightly in his arms.

"Silly you, how could I ever be mad at you? I think this is the most loving and selfless thing anyone has ever done for me. I guess no one has ever loved me as much as you. I just wish you would have had more trust in us, then everything would definitely have turned out differently."

"Yeah, maybe.." Taylor mused. "But many beautiful things in your life might not have happened at all. You might never have been married to Caroline and I know that you loved her too."

"If you look at it from that point of view, you were the one who suffered the most. You would never have fallen for Blake and caused yourself this pain all these years.

"You can't say it that way, Ridge! It was my free choice to marry Blake and to stay with him for so long."

Ridge jumped up, still shaking.

"If I'm really angry at anyone, it's my parents! What were they thinking, intervening in our life like that and making the decision for themselves about what was supposedly the best for me!"

"I'm sure in their own twisted way they did all this out of love for you!"

"What kind of love is that when you destroy your own son's happiness and the worst thing is... they saw exactly how much I suffered. They noticed my heartbreak every day and didn't say anything! They were just trying to solve the matter in their own way. Dad gave me a plane ticket to Canada to distract me and Mother came with her usual sayings. She hypocritically tried to comfort me. She said someday I'll find a woman who's truly right for me. She even tried to convince me that you weren't worth it to shed a single tear. At the time, she implied you had run off with one of my friends." Taylor's eyes got very wide

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Yes, with my friend John. I don't know if you remember him, he was at the party. My mother claimed she saw the two of you flirting pretty hard and when you left he picked you up in his car and you even greeted each other with a kiss. I didn't believe it at first. But then, as time went on, I didn't know what to think anymore." Taylor was horrified.

"Ridge, please trust me! Not a word of this is true! I remember him very vaguely. We talked at the party. I don't remember what it was about, but we certainly weren't flirting and that he took me with him in his car, that was pure coincidence. He came just by as I was standing in front of the house waiting for my cab. He then offered to take me to the bus station. Out of gratitude, I gave him a little kiss on the cheek. It was nothing more! I swear to you!"

"It's okay, I believe you! It just sounded a little different from my mother. I can't believe she lied boldly to my face! But they'll get to know me!"

Ridge wanted to storm out of the apartment when Taylor stood in his way.

"Ridge, what are you doing?"

"I'll confront them immediately! What do you think?! I hope they have a very good explanation!"

"Ridge, don't do that, please! You're still way too upset to have a decent conversation! Wait until tomorrow until you've calmed down a bit!"

Ridge reluctantly gave up on his plan.

The next morning his anger at his parents had only increased. He had a restless and sleepless night and couldn't eat a bite at breakfast. He sat tensely, playing nervously with his coffee mug and trembling towards the confrontation.

Taylor tried to calm him down, but it was in vain.

"The more I think about it, the more I start to despise my parents! I just can't believe they could do this to their own son. Honestly, I'd rather have nothing to do with them anymore!"

"Don't say that, Ridge! That's exactly what I didn't want to happen and I don't want it now! But I was afraid it would come to this. I should have just kept my mouth shut!"

"No, Taylor! I'm glad I finally know the truth. I just have to learn to deal with it somehow."

"Just promise me one thing, Ridge! Don't burn all your bridges. They're still your parents!"

Stephanie and Eric met in Ridge's office. They both wondered why Ridge wanted to see them together. They suspected it was something business related. The mood between them was quite tense. Then the door opened and Ridge entered the room. He had to pull himself together not to blow up straight away.

"There you are, my loving, devoted parents, who always do everything for me and only want the best for me!"

His sarcasm was evident in every word. His mother looked at him irritated.

"What kind of greeting is that, Ridge?! How are you talking to us?"

"What way I'm talking to you, mother? The way a son talks to his parents when he just found out that those parents first ruined everything for him and then lied to him for years!"

"Calm down Ridge!" Eric chimed in. "Now tell us what's wrong with you!"

"Where should I start? You know that Taylor is currently living with me. You know how it is, you chat together about old times for example, and then sometimes you receive very exciting news! You know that I asked myself for a long time why Taylor broke up with me. Because we were very happy together and the sudden separation never made any sense to me."

"It's obvious, Ridge. She never really loved you. She probably found someone who suited her better or who could offer her more."

"Interesting thesis Mother, you tried to convince me on this and I was almost ready to believe you. I was very grateful to you for your support and encouragement. But I didn't know then that it was all just a stunt!"

"How can you accuse me of something like that, Ridge?!"

"Because I know the truth, Mother! I know that you and dad are entirely responsible for Taylor leaving me back then and I can even understand her motives! You two have done everything to destroy our relationship and you managed to succeed! I know that you told her straight to her face you would do everything to stop our wedding. You absolutely didn't want to accept her as your daughter-in-law! You even threatened her that you would make her life hell! And why? What did she do to you? Nothing at all! And you Dad, you're almost worse! An education at medical school, that much my freedom and happiness was worth to you. I can't believe you practically tried to buy me out! How could you do that to me? Taylor and I really loved each other and we could have had a very happy marriage. But you managed to drive her out of the house! Do you know why she broke off the engagement back then? She didn't want me to have to choose between you and her! She didn't want to ruin our family! She has shown more loyalty and decency than the two of you have ever possessed combined! I can't tell you how much I detest you! I just want to know why?"

At first, Eric and Stephanie were shocked and completely overwhelmed by the situation. They never thought they would be confronted with this story again. Stephanie tried to justify herself.

"Try to understand us, Ridge! We really only wanted the best for you. We were just worried that she wasn't the right one for you. I mean, you told me yourself what a humble and quite broken background she comes from. That.wasn't the right wife for you. How could you know that she really loved you and not just the financial privileges you presented to her. After all, she seemed to have lived very well at your expense during your relationship. You mentioned she practically lived in your apartment and then the expensive European trip you invited her on!"

"Taylor never lived at my expense. She worked for her living and received scholarships. Of course she was often at my place, that was the only place where we were undisturbed. But she still had her own dorm on campus, which she financed herself. She would never have asked me to help finance her, on the contrary! She always contributed to some of the costs and as far as this trip to Europe is concerned. It's true, I invited her to join me. But she did pay most of her costs herself. She saved every penny for two semesters, sometimes working several jobs, so that we could go on this trip together. Even if I had offered to cover all the costs for her, she would never have accepted it!"

Eric and Stephanie were speechless. They didn't know any of that. However, Stephanie didn't want to give in.

"Still, Ridge, you needed a woman who would support you in your career and stand by your side! Taylor had her own ambitions and ideas for self-realization! You would never have been happy with a woman like that."

"That's what you decided and that's why you took matters into your own hands like always and what I truly wanted didn't matter to you at all! I hate you for what you did to me and Taylor and you can never make up for it ! I don't want to hear any more explanations! To be honest, I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore! I just want to tell you one more thing, I won't let you treat Taylor so sleazy again! She's one of the most important people in my life and no matter how our relationship develops, she will always remain a part of my life from now on and I expect you to treat her with respect!"

Ridge stormed out of his office and slammed the door behind him.

For the next few days, Ridge avoided all contact with his parents. The pain over their behavior was deep. The more he thought about the whole story, the angrier he became. Taylor watched him with big concerns. She could see he wasn't happy and he was suffering a lot from the situation. One night she spoke to him carefully about it.

"Ridge, don't you think it's time you try to get along with your parents again. I can understand that you needed a few days to process the whole thing and become sensitive about your feelings . But they're still your parents and even though they made a terrible mistake back then, I'm sure they love you very much and I know you love them too. You're still family!"

"Great family where everyone thinks they can decide what's best for me without taking into account what I want. I can survive without a family like that!"

"Ridge, you don't really mean that! You can't live without them in the long run and I believe everyone deserves a second chance. Even your parents!"

"I'm surprised that you, of all people, are defending them. You have every reason to send them into the desert. Why do you want to persuade me to make peace with them?"

"Because I don't want to be the reason you break up with them for good!"

"You're not the reason, Taylor! It's entirely my parents' fault that I don't want anything to do with them anymore."

"But you're not happy about it yourself. I can see that. You're probably the one who suffers the most. I'm not saying you have to fall in their arms straight away. But you could at least take a small step towards them, for my sake!" He looked at her deeply touched.

"You know I would do a lot for you, but not this! Why should I even be the one to approach them? If my parents really love me as much as they always say and if they really care about me then they can take the first step! That's not too much to expect!"

Taylor had to admit, Ridge was basically right. But she feared that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

In fact, neither Stephanie nor Eric made any move to contact their son. A few days later, Taylor could no longer bear to watch the whole misery. One afternoon, Taylor told Ridge she had some errands to run. In reality, she went to Forrester Creation. She fought her way to Eric's office. His secretary initially wanted to brush her off, but Taylor didn't let herself be stopped and barged in on Eric. He finally agreed to talk to her.

"You've changed quite a bit since we last spoke to each other. So what gives me the honor of your visit?"

"I'm here because of Ridge, your son!" Eric winced.

"If Ridge has something to say to me, he should do it himself!"

"I'm sure he will. But right now he's waiting for you to take the first step towards him."

"Why should I? After all, Ridge is the one who seems to have a problem at the moment. Then he should come and sort it out with me. I don't understand why this whole thing is still making him so upset today. It may be that my wife and I made a mistake back then but that's all way back in the past!"

"That's true! But Ridge has only just found out about it, so his anger and disappointment about it is very fresh. Give yourself a push! Deep in your heart you want to get along with him again, don't you?"

"Of course I want that! It absolutely cannot be a permanent situation that Ridge no longer talks to me and no longer comes to the office at all. I suffer from our falling out."

"And Ridge feels the same way! He also wants to reconcile with you, but he's also very proud and stubborn. He thinks you should make the first move."

"I won't get involved in any power games!" Taylor shook her head in disbelief.

"Can I ask you something? Do you love your son?"

"Of course I love him! What kind of question is that?!"

"Then I don't understand why you're not willing to do something to stop this whole craziness?! If you really love him, it can't be that hard to take the first step!"

Taylor saw Eric struggling. Apparently she had gotten through to him. The proud look in his eyes had disappeared and he now looked rather sad and desperate. She prepared to leave.

"Think about it again. It is not a sign of weakness to extend your hand of reconciliation to your own son!"

Taylor was almost out the door when Eric stopped her once more.

"Why are you doing all this? I mean, why are you coming to me trying to convince me to reconcile with Ridge?"

"Because Ridge means a lot to me and I can no longer stand by and watch him suffer more and more every day. I don't want his family to fall apart because of me. I didn't want that back then any more than I want it now!"

After Taylor finished her mission with Eric, she wanted to try her luck with Stephanie. However, this visit was far less successful. Stephanie wouldn't let her into the house and refused to talk to her. Dejected, Taylor made her way home, hoping that she had at least achieved something with his father.

In fact, her visit to Eric caused a change in his thinking. He slowly began to understand the impact his and Stephanie's actions had had on Ridge and Taylor and that they had no right to destroy their happiness. One day he showed up at Ridge and Taylor's apartment and asked his son for forgiveness and a second chance. He made it clear to Ridge that he now deeply regretted his behavior and that he didn't want to lose him. Deeply moved, the two finally fell into each other's arms. Taylor stood nearby with tears in her eyes. Ridge was deeply impressed when his father also asked Taylor for forgiveness.

After this initial rapprochement, the relationship between father and son noticeably improved. They had some very serious and deep conversations during work. Ridge confessed to Taylor one evening that he hadn't felt this close to his father in years. Eric was also happy to be at peace with Ridge again. He invited him and Taylor to his new condo for dinner. It was a very enjoyable evening that they all enjoyed very much. When Taylor left the table for a moment, Eric asked his son what deep his relationship with Taylor truly was. Ridge finally confessed that he was in love with her, but neither of them were ready for a new relationship at the moment. Eric nodded understandingly.

"In any case, I want you to know if you ever want to try it again, you have my blessing!"

"Thanks Dad! That means a lot to me, even if I'm a little surprised! Is there a reason for your change of mind?!"

Eric finally revealed to his son that it had been Taylor who had given him the push he needed. Ridge was speechless. Shortly afterwards they made their way home. Eric offered to them a driver from Forrester Creation could take them home. On the drive, Ridge told her about Eric's confession.

"You always manage to amaze me!"

"I just didn't want to leave any stone unturned. You and your father are incredibly similar. You're both pretty stubborn people who need a pep talk from time to time! And actually I do have a diploma as a 'human conjurer' hanging on my wall."

They both laughed. They arrived home in a jovial mood. The driver stopped in front of the apartment building and like a gentleman, Ridge opened the door for Taylor and gave her his hand to get out. They were just about to go into the house when a figure appeared in front of them, blocking their way.

"Stop, not so fast!"

They backed away in fright. The strange figure held out his hand to them.

"Taylor, you come home with me right now!"

Now they recognized who it was. It was Blake!