Ridge leaves Felicia's, he's disappointed she wasn't home but understands her need to hurry to the Auditorium to put out any potential fires that may erupt. After a quick word, and welcome home to his nephew Dom, he leaves. Now, back in his car, he wonders what to do next, he's already spent a good fifteen minutes on the phone with Taylor where she asked him not to contact his daughter yet, so now he doesn't know what to do, or where to go.
He decides to go for a quick drink so he can think for a bit, he needs to organise his thoughts before he goes back home to Brooke. He can only hope that Eric is still at work, he's been staying late quite a bit recently, so hopefully he will realise that his son needed to talk to his wife alone. He now regrets that Eric is staying with them, because he knows he'll interfere in what he has to say if he's also home, and it won't be either him or Steffy he defends, it will be Brooke and Hope.
He heads to Bikini Bar where he orders a small wine which he barely sips as he thinks, there will be no getting drunk like he did last time he was here, because now he needs his wits about him, now things are going to change. Once he's finally made up his mind what he want's to say he settles his tab and goes home, wondering if he and Brooke would survive the coming night.
By the time he arrives home his determination to put things right in his life has actually coalesced into a slid plan, one he knows he won't deviate from, not this time. He's not surprised to see Deacon Sharpes car in the driveway, all that means is that Hope is probably here too. He knows their presence won't interfere with what he plans, things have gone to far for that, he enters the door.
Deacon and Brooke are standing in the living room, Deacon is holding a sobbing Hope while Brokke holds her shoulder in comfort, everyone turns and stares as he enters.
"Ridge, I'm only here to see my daughter, I don't want any trouble, I just want to make sure she's alright, then I'll go."
Ridge shrugs, "It's alright, I understand your reasoning, actually I think it's good that you are here."
Deacons eyebrows raise in surprise as Brooke says "Ridge?"
Ridge walks further into the room, ignoring Hope, I've been thinking about everything that's happened."
"You mean about Steffy trying to destroy me and everything I've built?" yells Hope.
Ridge takes a deep breath, trying to control his seething anger. He looks at Brooke. "The only way forward for us that I can see is if we come to an agreement about all of this,"
"What do you mean?" asks Brooke in surprise.
"I know you love Hope and want to support her, just as I love Steffy and want to do what I can to help her, these are two diametrically opposing views, and they could cause us nothing but pain, that's why I want us to come to an agreement to not speak of each other's daughters in a disparaging way in either our home, or at work. I want us to keep it all out of our relationship."
"You can't be serious?" says Brooke incredulously, "Steffy publicly attacked my daughter, she humiliated her, shamed her to the world, that's simply unforgivable, and I won't have my daughter unable to come to my home to vent her pain to me at what's happened. I won't allow it!"
"And what about what your daughter has done to Steffy?" snaps Ridge, his barely controlled rage now clear for everyone to see.
"Steffy gave her Liam, her husband, after she cheated with him behind her back! Steffy forgave her the pain and humiliation all that entailed! She gave her a job, a career, then Hope took her daughter from her, she just snatched her away and wouldn't even allow her to say goodbye, such was her hatred and selfishness! Still Steffy forgave her, she never came to me begging me to fire Hope, she never disparaged her to me, not in the way I would have expected if it would have been me. Would Hope have done the same? I think we both know the answer to that! Yet still, not content with having my daughter's husband, she then sleeps with her next husband! What the hell did you expect Steffy to do? How can you stand there and even try to defend what your daughter has done?" He shouts.
Brooke backs away, shocked at the venom in Ridges voice. "As to your home, it's supposed to be our home, but once again, every time something comes up, it always reverts to your home, and your rules! Well, I've given you a choice, we either compromise and abide the rules . . . or it's over!" says Ridge more quietly.
"Ridge, you can't be serious!" cries Brooke in shock.
"Mum I'll just leave, I don't want to cause any trouble, and I can see Ridge will never see things our way." Says Hope staring at her mother, seemingly on the verge of yet more tears.
"No honey, this is your home, you can stay here as long as you need, and you're free to talk to me about anything, you're my daughter!."
Ridge turns and walks up the stairs without saying another word.
"Brooke, Ridge was serious, I don't think he's playing with you about this, and it was just a compromise, one that anyone could live with." Says a clearly shocked Deacon.
"Ridge will come around, he just needs some time, I'll talk to him later, explain everything to him, he'll understand" says a crying Brooke,
She turns and hugs Hope as Deacon frowns at the two of them, he suddenly realises how lucky he is to have found someone like Taylor. Right from the start she hadn't questioned his need to check on his daughter, no matter what she'd done to Taylors own daughter. Did he think things would be easy between them after this, no, in fact, probably a resounding, big fat NO, but at least they seemed to respect each other's views and needs, unlike Brooke and Ridge. Brookeseemed to have no real empathy towards Ridge or anything that Steffy had gone through, he was actually a little aghast that she seemed to be absolving Hope of any wrongdoing and placing all the blame on Steffy, as if she forced Hope to sleep with Finn somehow! He turned as Ridge came back downstairs with an overnight bag.
"Ridge no, not again, please, we can work this out!" cried Brooke taking a step towards him.
Ridge walks to her and takes her face in his hands. "I've loved you for most of my life, Logan. I've done and said things in your defence over, and over again, but this time I've finally had enough. This is our end!"
"No, Ridge." Cries Brooke desperately.
"I'm sorry Brooke, I just can't do this anymore. I won't allow you to disparage my daughter and my son, especially after what Hope has done to both of them. I won't let you turn me against my children to support you and yours. I've given you everything I can, and it's still not enough for you, and I now realise it never will be, not until you own my soul and you have me cast Steffy and Thomas from my life. I won't do that Brooke, never again, you're just not worth it. My soul, and what remains of my battered dignity, belongs to my kids, were it should have been in the first place. We're done Logan, and this time, it's forever."
Brooke stares at him tears of shock and horror now falling freely down her face, she vaguely feels him place something into her hands as he kisses her forehead gently.
"Goodbye Logan, I wish you nothing but the best!"
And with that he walks out the door. Brooke opens her hand and stares in horror at the wedding band she's now holding.
"Ridge!" she screams as she runs to the door and reefs it open. But it's to late, she see's Ridge fling his overnight bag into his car before swiftly climbing in after it. She, desperately screams his name yet again, but his car pulls away and recedes down the driveway leaving her standing there, finally knowing that his limit had been reached. The man she's loved all her life has left her, and this time she has a hollow, empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. This is different, because this time she knows he meant every word he said.
"Oh my god, Mum!" cries Hope as she rushes to her mother. "Don't worry, he'll be back, he loves you, we all know that. He just needs time to calm down and think about things properly" She leads her mother back to the couch and sits her down.
"It's not about how much Ridge loves her Hope!" says Deacon as he looks at Brooke sadly. "He offered her a compromise to try and save their relationship, but Brooke threw it back in his face."
Brooke's head snaps up as Hope snaps, "What? By not allowing my own mother to talk to me about Steffy and the vile things she did to me? And in her own home!"
"For goodness sake, Hope, Ridge was right! This is supposed to be THEIR home, your home is with Liam and Beth, but you and Brooke refused to even give him that much! Even Taylor didn't react like this and we've only been dating a few weeks!"
"So, you're siding with Taylor and Steffy too!" says a clearly irate Hope.
"Don't try to gaslight me Hope, I've mixed it with the best and believe it or not I know exactly what you're doing! You started this, why couldn't you have just been satisfied with what you had? Why did you have to sleep with Steffi's husband, again! Seriously Hope, what the hell is wrong with you!" yells Deaon, as he too nears the end of his tether.
"Mummy, why is everyone yelling" says a tremulous voice from the stairway. Everyone turns to see a clearly upset Beth standing there watching them shouting at each other.
"It's alright Beth, mummy and grandpa are just having an argument, and grandpa is now leaving." Says Hope in a calmer tone as she rushes to the stairs and scoops up her daughter.
Deacon shakes his head and looks at his daughter with sad disillusionment, he thought she was perfect for so long, and now, now he realised just how much damage growing up with Brooke has done to her.
"Goodbye honey, always remember, grandpa loves you," he says to Beth before he picks up his coat and walks sadly out the door.
"Honey, I need to go to my room for a bit, please, you and Beth make yourself at home, you know where everything is," she smiles a Beth and leaves Hope and Beth alone in the lounge.
"Why's everyone sad mummy," asks Beth on the verge of tears herself as, in her child's mind, she feels everyone being sad must mean there was something to be sad about.
"It's okay Beth, it's nothing for you to have to worry about, now, lets go get some juice."
The little girl sparks up immediately, "Okay mummy," and they head off to the kitchen, an angry Hope wondering why no-one is supporting her after what Steffy has done to her.
Ridge heads straight back to R.E.B. Designs and walks into Erics office. Eric is busy sketching an evening dress for their next showing, he turns as Ridge enters.
"Ridge, I wanted to give you and Brooke some time to sort things out, how are things?" he asks.
"Where done," says Ridge. "That's why I'm here," I need you to buy me out of the company, I want out."
"What? Ridge, this company can't survive with just me, you know that, we're just making a profit as it is!" shouts Eric.
"I'll give you an option Dad, you have just enough money left to cover what I've invested, and that's all I'll charge you. I'll even stay on until you find another designer, as long as I can work from home."
As Eric goes to interrupt Ridge simply talks over him. "We either do it this way or I simply leave, right now, and I take all my designs with me, that will destroy the company, and send Brooke bankrupt."
Eric is aghast, "It would destroy you too Ridge, are you really willing to do that, and for what?"
"Yes, I'm really willing to do that!" says Ridge sharply. "Don't think of this as losing my designs dad, I said you can have them all until you find someone else, I'll just go on a retainer until you do. Think of it this way, Brooke is now free, and you're living in the same house together. With me totally out of the picture she will turn to you again, you know you've never stopped loving her. Now's your chance, you just have to take it!"
Ridge turns away again before adding, "I'm having the papers drawn up as we speak, they'll be on your desk tomorrow morning. Sign them and you and Brooke have a chance to be together again, don't and I'll bankrupt the company and Brooke by leaving anyway. As Thomas would say – the pickleballs in your court!"
Eric watches his son walk out the door, he's in shock, totally bewildered by all that he's just said, yet one thing keeps replaying over and over in his mind. He'd have a chance with Brooke again – if he dared to take it.
He turns to his phone and picks it up to ring the bank.