Brooke frowned with concern as Hope moved both hers and Beths suitcases into her living room. She'd known Liam and Hope were having difficulties, but she'd been positive they'd work it out, but when Hope had rung just three hours previously and told her she was leaving him, well, to say she was shocked would be the understatement of the year. Still, she was sure that now that Hope had returned home, Liam would soon return to the family he loved, she was going to make sure of it.

As far as Brooke was concerned her daughter had lost far too much already, she wasn't going to lose her husband on top of everything else.

"Mummy, when is Cat coming back, I miss her," said Beth as she helped drag a small box of her favourite toys in with her.

"Now sweetheart, we've talked about this, Cat did something very mean to your Mummy, and now she can't look after you anymore." Hope told her daughter patiently.

"Besides," said Brooke brightly, "You and I are going to have lots of fun, and we'll find someone even better than Cat to mind you when your mummy or I can't, okay."

Beth pouted, "Cat was nice, I liked her lots, and she was teaching me Italyn." She said importantly.

Brooke smiled, "You mean Italian, well I know a little Italian, so perhaps I can teach you some too, it'll be fun."

"But I want Cat to teach me, she was my friend, and where are Daddies things?" whined Beth, still put out over everything, and knowing instinctively that something was very wrong in her world.

"That's enough Beth," snapped Hope. "I've told you several times that Cat isn't coming back, so stop mentioning her! And your father is going to stay at his daddies for a while. Now, take that box of toys to your nap room, that's where you'll be sleeping for a while. I'll bring your clothes up later.

She turned back to her mother as the little girl half carried, half dragged, her small box up the stairs, "Thank goodness I hadn't unpacked everything since we shifted out. All I had to do was order a small van and pack what was in both our wardrobes and a few of her puzzles, most of her toys weren't even taken out of there boxes yet."

She looked back as the van driver dropped the last of the suitcases in the entry way. After thanking him and giving him a tip, she turned and walked back to the settee where her mother was obviously waiting to talk to her.

"Hope honey, why have you done this, you love Liam, and he loves you. Please honey, don't give up on your marriage, don't let Steffy win."

Hope sat, taking in her mother obvious disappointment in her and the state of her marriage. "It's over Mum, I just can't do it anymore. We had a short talk last night, and even though he still made me sleep in the spare bedroom, I really thought we were going to get through it."

"What happened? What changed?" Asked Brooke.

"This morning he caught me on the phone to the lawyers and asked who I was talking to, so I told him, do you know what he said to me? What he dared to ask of me?" She gave a snort of derision, "he wanted me to drop my case! Just like that, he expected me to "just let it go", I think his words were."

An ugly sneer twisted her mouth. "After all I've been through with him, after all the years I waited, after all I suffered with his interminable indecision and the way it made me feel. The way he made me feel! After all the pain and hurt he and Steffy have caused me over the years, he just wanted me to forget it. He expected me to forget all of my pain and humiliation, he wanted me to forget about my career, and my reputation in the Fashion industry, not to mention my reputation to my fans. He wanted me to just put aside everything that matters to me, everything that was destroyed by Steffy! Well guess what? I won't, and I told him that. I told him I was going to break Steffy for what she did to me, and do you know what he did? Well, do you? He walked into our bedroom, packed a suitcase, and left."

"Oh Honey, no!" said Brooke reaching for her daughter automatically.

Hope held up her hand, a bitter, hurt huff escaping her lips as she said, "Oh, that's not the worst of it, not by a long shot. I ran to him, begged him to stay, told him we'd work it out, and that's when he said it."

"What?" Brooke asked quietly.

Hope shook her head in seeming disbelief at what she was about to say.

"He told me he'd sacrificed everything for me, because I needed him more than Steffy. Not that he loved me more than Steffy, but that I needed him more. Then he told me how cruel and manipulative I am, and that's why I like to stay with you, because you always make excuses for "my behaviour"", she said adding air quotes.

"Oh my god, Hope, he didn't, surely?" Brooke grabbed her daughters' hands in her own, trying to comfort her as she told her what happened.

"Mum, he said he asked her if there was a chance that they could get back together if he left me, he said she turned him down – for now anyway – apparently she didn't want to be involved in any decision he made, this time it was going to be on his shoulders with no interference from her."

She took a shuddering gasp before adding, "and then he said he'd made up his mind, it was over, we were over, and he left, just like that, he said those things to me and just left me there." she cried. "How could he Mum, how could he be so cruel!"

Brooke enfolded her daughter in her arms and rocked her as she sobbed brokenly, a short time later she managed to gather herself and pushed away from her.

"I've rang my lawyer Mum, for once I'm taking a leaf out of Steffi's book and I'm going to be proactive. If Liam thinks he's going to just walk away with no repercussions, then he's in for a big shock. I'm having annulment papers drawn up and sent to him this morning, I am also giving him the house, and all the equity I've invested in it. I've left instructions with the lawyer that they're to be hand delivered to him, and that the person is to wait for them to be signed, then they're to take them down for immediate filing. I want this over with as quickly as possible."

At Brookes shocked gasp Hope narrowed her eyes, "I'm only giving him all our equity on two conditions."

At Brookes questioning look she said, "Number one, he signs the annulment papers immediately, and number two, he gets the house and its contents, including my share of the equity in it, if he signs over any rights, he may have to what I get when I sue Steffy. If we don't have the annulment done, he might decide to divorce me, and then if the court case comes up first, he'd be able to take a handy chunk of my money as it was earned during our marriage. I won't have that, not after what he said to me today! This way, he can have the small change, but I'm going to get the big money, hopefully it will be her shares in Forresters, but if not, millions upon millions of dollars are sure to sooth me while I look around for another avenue of work."

"Hope, you're sure? What if something happens and you don't win?"

Hope smiled, "I've got this in the bag mom, trust me! Steffy and Liam are going to pay for what they've done to me!"

Later that morning Liam is at his fathers, he's just come down from unpacking and decides to grab an early lunch as his father and brother have left for work earlier, and then will be going onto a business luncheon at Deacons. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs a sharp knock at the front door grabs his attention, when he opens it to see a strange man in an expensive business suit looking at him.

"Liam Spencer?" he asks.

"Yes,"

"I'm Eric Saunders of Jackson, Saunders, and McNeith Law firm. I am here representing your wife, Miss Hope Logan. She has had us draw up these papers for your immediate perusal, and she has also asked us to both deliver them and wait for you to sign them so we can contact her for her signature and lodge them immediately, today if at all possible."

At Liams stunned mullet look he continued, "They are annulment papers, you'll find they're all in order. There is also a document pertaining to the property you have recently purchased together; you will find that Miss Logan has deigned to give you the entire property free and clear on two conditions."

Liam shook his head in shock, Hope was wanting an annulment? Right now? Why? "The conditions?" he asked curiously.

The lawyer stepped inside and opened the document he was holding; he then gave it to Liam to read.

"Oh Hope," Liam said sadly when he realised what she was doing.

Soon, the more he started to think about the document and what it represented, the angrier he became. "Fine, she wants it this way, then it's all good with me!"

He snatched up the papers and took them to the hall table where he grabbed a pen, after double checking to make sure there were no hidden clauses, he then signed them.

"When you see her, tell her I didn't think she could sink any lower; apparently I was wrong."

The lawyer blinked several times before taking the proffered papers and putting them back into his briefcase, he then thanked Liam for his time and left.

Liam shook his head, all these years, and here he was, alone again, and probably having no hope of reconciliation with a woman he truly loved, Steffy.

He walked over to the settee and sank down his head in his hands, "I'm such a damn fool! He said to himself. Then he began to weep.