Meanwhile over at Donna's, Hope, still not one hundred percent sure about Cat has both her and Beth with Donna for her last "test" day . . .
Beth is up in her room taking a nap as Donna and Cat watch the show, at the end of Steffi's speech Donna stares in horror as Hope flees the runway. "Oh, dear god; Hope!" She whips her head around to Cat. "Did you know! Did you know they were going to do this to my niece!" she snaps angrily.
Cat shakes her head, she knows she has to cover for herself at the moment, far to much is relying on this and she hasn't made her move as yet, she needs to do this now. At Donna's disbelieving look cat says in as shocked a tome as she could manage.
"I've hardly even seen Marius, he's been working very late, and when I get up in the morning, he's usually already left . . . I guess I know why now."
Donna picks up her phone then throws it back down again, even if she did ring Marius, he probably wouldn't answer knowing who was on the other end. She gets quickly gets another idea.
"I thought I heard Beth, can you check on her while I try to process this." She asks.
Cat nods, this might be her chance, she has the test in her bag, and she's deliberately left it upstairs in Beths bedroom, just in case. She hurries upstairs then waits at the top behind a pillar watching for a moment as Donna quickly picks up her phone. She smiles realizing what she's doing, this is it, this is her chance. Every time she has unpacked her little test kit in the last week, something has happened to make her abandon her quest, she knows that this could be her last chance, because if Hope and Liam blame Marius, then she might be fired as payback, then things could get messy.
She quietly enters the room and hurries to her bag, grabbing the small testing bag she quickly opens it and creeps towards a sleeping Beth, slowly opening her mouth with her finger she gently inserts the swab and rubs around the inner side of her cheek before removing it and rushing back to her kit. She quickly takes out another swab and does herself, then seals both samples in a separate package, along with on of Hopes long hairs that she has gotten from her hairbrush, after she's finished she puts everything back in her bag ready to send.
She smiles over at a still sleeping Beth, "Soon Bella, soon my darling little girl."
Back downstairs Donna has snagged Cats phone, and just as she suspected, she's scrolled through until she's found Marius's number then rang it, waiting expectantly.
"Hello, Cat, what's wrong, why are you calling, has something happened?"
"Yes, somethings happened," snaps an enraged Donna. "Did you know, all this time were you just pretending with me?"
"Donna?" asks a clearly puzzled Marius, "What are you doing on Cats phone?"
"Never mind that! How could you? How could you hurt my niece like that? That was cruel! Inhumane! You've destroyed her and everything she's worked for in this industry! You're monsters!" she shouts.
She can hear the anger simmering in Marius's voice as he answers.
"Monsters? When I have done exactly what my employer has asked me to do, as did both Zende and Thomas. Did we know? Yes, Steffy told us all that Hope did to her, including sleeping with her first husband! What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry this spoilt narcissistic child got some comeuppance for what she did? No, I am not! Hope Logan is not the woman I thought she was, the one she pretends to the world she is! What type of woman would do that to another woman, not once, but twice! Ahhh, I forget, her mother! And tell me Donna, in all of your accusations and concern, you have never once asked how Steffy is, how she is holding up after discovering your niece, once again, slept with her husband, no, you are more concerned about the perpetrator of this heinous act being shown for what she truly is to the world!
"Of course, I'm concerned for Steffy" says a clearly rattled Donna, having expected Marius to at least apologise, not to go on the attack.
"Perhaps you should take this time to think, all of this time, why do you continue to defend the indefensible? Did you do this for Brooke when she slept with her own daughter's husband and conceived Hope? What about when she slept with your sisters' husband? Was that enough for you to expel her toxicity from your life?"
"I'm the peacekeeper in our family, I just try to get everyone to forgive each other's mistakes!" she stammers.
"Mistakes! No! That is an excuse! What you have been doing is enabling this behaviour! Why would your niece think she would ever face any consequences for her actions? She knows she will always be forgiven, there will always be an excuse made for her, just like you do for her mother! Damn it Donna, did you ever even question why your other sister Katie and her lover left? Perhaps neither of them could stomach the lies and hypocrisy anymore!"
"That's not how it is," cries Donna desperately.
"No, that's exactly how it is," says Marius on a sad sigh. "And although we've only ever had a couple of meals together, I do like you Donna, you're sweet, gentle, and very beautiful, but I can't take to your family and their values, I've had enough of that in my life without adding more, so I think it best if we stop this before it starts."
"Marius!" says Donna, her eyes going wide.
"Goodbye Donna, I wish you well." He replies before hanging up.
Cat walks down the stairs as Donna continues to stare at her phone.
"Donna? Is everything alright? Why have you got my phone? Did I get a call? She asks innocently.
Donna looks up at her, "Go, please just go."
"But . . . "
Donna shakes her head and points to the door. "I'll tell Hope I asked you to leave alright, but please, I need to be alone."
Cat grabs her phone and runs back to get her bag before leaving Donna sitting on the couch seemingly deep in thought.
As the door closes Donna looks up and nods, "He's right" she whispers, "If I want my own life, I need to get away from all of this, just like Katie did!"
Her mind made up she picks up her phone and starts to make some calls, by this time tomorrow she's determined to be gone.