Hope smiled as she put down the phone, "who was that?" asked Liam staring at her suspiciously.

Hope looked at him, she wasn't sure how he was going to react to her news, but after her having to spend last night in the spare bedroom, and then his coldness towards her all morning, she didn't care. She'd made a mistake, just like he had with Steffy, if he truly loved her, he would have forgiven her, not treated her so abominably.

"It was my lawyer, when I went home with Mum after I was attacked, she contacted R.E.B.'s lawyer for advice, and he put us on to L.A.'S top legal team in my type of case. Steffy has just been served." She smiled maliciously. "I'm suing her for what she did to me, and for me having to give up my job because of her vicious, uncalled for behavior."

Liam stared at her in shock, "and how do you think you are you going to pay for this? We've spent every cent we had, and then some, buying this house, and I know your mother is mortgaged to the eyeballs! What happens if you don't win Hope, you'd bankrupt us."

Hope smirked. "Oh Liam, of course I'll win, I've told my lawyers everything they need to know and they said I have a solid case, and as I'm asking for twenty million, plus punitive damages, which could be upwards of another fifty million, I think we'll have plenty of money left over to pay the legal fees, not to mention our house loan."

Liam gaped at her as she continued. "I'm going to be demanding either the money up front, or better yet, all of Steffi's shares in Forresters. I warned her Liam, I told her I'd destroy her after what she did to me, and I fully intend to follow through with my threat."

She searched his face for a moment. "You will support me, won't you? You will support our families quest for justice - surely?"

Liam ran his hand through his hair as he stared at the bitter woman in front of him. In a way he couldn't blame her anger, being publicly humiliated wasn't on everyone's to do list, and he knew that losing HFTF was devastating for her, but to keep pushing this, to keep this stupid feud going when all he'd hope for was to ride it out long enough that it eventually went away, replaced by the next juicy scandal that took the presses attention. What Hope was saying meant it would never be going away. It would never be over, the cycle of hate and retribution would continue, just as it did with Brooke and Taylor. He couldn't stand the thought of it, it was finally too much for him to take.

"No, Hope, I'm not okay with this." He walked over and took her hands.

"Hope, I just want you to let it go, for Beth, for me, for us. I've decided I want to try to work through this, for our family, but I can't if you keep this feud between you and Steffy going. It's just going to turn into a another feeding frenzy for the press, then we'll all suffer, especially Beth. I just want it to end. For the love of God Hope, please, just let it go – for us."

Hope snatched her hands away, a furious blush creeping up her face. "So, you won't support me? You're going to side with Steffy, after everything she's done to me! To us! How could you Liam, how could you?"

Liam shook his head sadly. "I can't talk you out of this can I? You're to far down the road of hatred and revenge."

"No," she snapped. "You can't talk me out of it! Why shouldn't I get what I deserve from Steffy? She's brought this on herself. I made a mistake, a stupid, horrible, mistake, and she destroyed both my life and my career for it. How dare you question the hurt and pain I feel! How dare you!"

Liam shook his head in bewilderment at his wife's reasoning. "Then obviously you've made your choice. I tired Hope, God knows I tried." He said enigmatically, before turning around and walking back to his bedroom away from her.

She went to the kitchen and started to get Beths breakfast ready, slamming a dish here and there to make sure he'd hear her and know how angry she was with him. A short time later Liam retuned with a suitcase and headed straight for the front door.

She stopped, staring in horror as she realized, he was actually going to leave her. "Liam?"

"I'll be at Dads if you need anything, we can work out a schedule for me to visit with Beth as soon as I'm settled. I told you Hope, I can't do this anymore, this hate, this animosity, and worse, the fact that you can't even accept that it's your fault! For god's sake, you slept with me when I was married to Steffy, and then you slept with Finn, you did that to Steffy and then to me, no-one forced you to, YOU did it, of your own free will, and yet you stand there and make out as if you're innocent of any wrong doing. I can't do this anymore Hope, I'm just done!" He said before turning and walking to the door.

"No, Liam, you can't leave me, we're a family, what about Beth." She cried as she dropped a plate and ran to throw herself against him.

He pushed her away and opened the door. "No Hope, you asked me yesterday if I asked Steffy would she take me back if I left you? Well, the answer is yes, I did ask her!"

At Hopes sharp intake of breath he continued, "and do you know what she said to me? She told me no way, this time she wasn't going to be involved, this time I should grow a God-damned spine and make up my own mind what I wanted to do, with-out any interference from anyone, and guess what? I've finally made up my mind. I've tried so hard with you Hope, I thought you needed me so badly, far more than Steffy ever did, or could. I thought we could be a proper family, but I soon came to realize we're only a family when you're not getting your own way and you want to use it against me, the rest of the time I'm simply treated as your lapdog, expected to jump to both yours, and your mothers, every command, and to my everlasting shame I've actually done it."

He snorted in disgust. "And do you know why? Because I wanted to be a good husband to you, and a good father to Beth, but Brooke is the only one you ever listen to, and deep down, your mother is the only family you want, because she always excuses every nasty, cruel, or manipulative thing you do, and I just can't take it anymore. I've closed my mind to who you really are for far to long. I'm sorry Hope, but it's over," he said, before he turned and left.

Hope stared at the door in horror, still in shock at the cruel and unjust things he'd said to her. "How could he?" she whispered, before her face hardened with hate.

"How could he? Steffy, that's how!" she said bitterly.

She stared at the door for a moment before reaching for the phone again. So, Liam wants to support Steffy over me. He wants Steffy over me. Well let's just see how he feels about an annulment. He can have this damn house, and I'll go back to Mums with Beth, where we can plan. Then every last cent I get off of Steffy will be mine, and mine alone. I'll be the one in charge! I'll be the winner, and Liam will rue the day he ever chose that bitch over me!

She smiled and quickly rang her lawyer, telling him what she wanted, and demanding it be done, and hand delivered, by the end of the day, then she rang her mother and told her what had happened and what she was going to do about it. After a short argument with Brooke, she hung up and went to start packing.

Her new life started now, and no-one was going to get in her way. By the time she was finished, she would damn well own Forresters, something even her mother had failed to do.