Outside the cliff house, Bill insinuated that Katie's doctor had been mistaken about Steffy's MRI. Katie rejected the idea and scoffed when Bill tried to bolster it with the second opinion he'd gotten from Ramon. Bill coaxed Katie back inside to talk it out, but she remained adamant that the blood clot had never existed. She doubted Bill cared about trapping Liam in his marriage because, as she'd suspected all along, Bill couldn't let Steffy go.

Bill said Katie was blinded by her fixation with Steffy. Katie wished she could ignore the truth and wondered if he really wanted her to be one of his lackeys, who was blinded by his money. Thinking of Ramon and Justin, Katie quipped that Justin had probably been unable to stay married to Donna because Justin didn't know who he was unless Bill was calling the shots.

Katie suspected that Bill would make Liam develop the same willful blindness, but Bill asserted that there was nothing wrong with his relationship with Liam. She stated that even though Liam adored his father and believed every word from his father's mouth, Liam didn't know Bill. "But that's gonna change," Katie ominously predicted.

Bill confessed to switching the MRI's. He claimed he was saving Liam's marriage, but Katie ordered Bill to be truthful. Bill scowled, and she insisted that Bill had planted Steffy in Liam's bed because Bill couldn't have her in his. Bill called that ridiculous, because he was honestly trying to save the marriage. Katie warned that Bill's own marriage was the one at stake.

Katie wondered how many times she was supposed to accept Bill's lies, so that he could covet Liam's wife. Katie said it was easy to be blinded by Bill, because when she closed her eyes, he was all she saw. Bitterly, she added that the truth had a way of ripping off the blinders.

Bill claimed that Steffy was merely a daughter-in-law to him, and he just wanted a suitable wife for his son. Katie reasoned that any woman Liam chose, including Hope, would be suitable. Katie figured Bill was in denial about Steffy. "Maybe what makes Steffy so suitable in your mind is that you know she's not the type of girl to agonize over cheating on her husband — especially if it's with you!" Katie seethed.

Bill said such talk was beneath Katie, but Katie asserted that Bill relied upon her, because he needed her to prevent that type of thing. "And because I'm the only person who really knows you and is still fool enough to love you," she said with tears in her eyes. She claimed to be the only one that his money and power hadn't sucked the life from, but Bill doubted that – despite suffering his few character flaws – she found being Dollar Bill's wife over burdensome.

Katie believed that outsiders would agree with Bill. She believed other people would think Bill had rescued her from insignificance, but she claimed that she and Bill knew the truth. She contended that he'd chosen her because he'd known she wouldn't let him drown. She swore to keep that promise to him, because all the lies would stop that day.

Bill obstinately told his wife that he didn't need to be saved, and her loyalty was to him. Katie found it convenient that he could have his wedding cake and eat it, too, because he'd married Steffy off to Liam. Katie asserted that Bill never would have done so, if he'd valued his marriage. Bill insisted that it wasn't about him and Katie. Despising with the argument, Katie asked where Liam was. Bill declared that he wouldn't lose his son over the incident.

Katie headed for the door, determined to reveal the truth to anyone who'd listen. Bill blocked her path and stated that she wasn't thinking clearly. She attempted to brush him aside, but he tossed her over his shoulder. He said he was saving her from doing something they'd all regret. Katie shrieked as he carried her upstairs.

Later, an aggravated Katie stared out of the windows of the white tower that topped the house. Bill, who'd presumably locked her up, watched her from an adjacent window.

In Ridge's office, Thomas entered and saw a grave Hope behind Ridge's desk. She said she was contemplating retiring. Thomas thought it was a joke until she handed him a letter she'd drafted to the "Friends of Hope for the Future." He said she couldn't cancel the line. Hope questioned her authority to do it, but then concluded that the line was already dead anyway.

Thomas contended that her line was their best selling one. Hope didn't think that was saying much since their major collection had been pirated. She felt that it was time for her to take stock in herself, because wearing pretty dresses and getting her picture taken wasn't cutting it. Thomas tried to dissuade her, but she said to forget she'd even broached it with him. He stated that she could trust him, but Hope questioned whether that was really true.

Assuming Hope was referring to his actions in Cabo San Lucas, Thomas tried to defend himself. Hope, however, concluded that he'd done as Steffy had instructed, because he couldn't think for himself. Thomas declared that he wasn't his little sister's puppet, but Hope laughed.

Thomas said that, at times, Hope made herself miserable with her unrequited love, and he'd wanted to spare her more pain. Hope claimed that lying hadn't spared her, or Steffy. Thomas felt that Steffy, who was having a new MRI that day, would be fine.

Hope suspected that Thomas had collaborated with Steffy in Cabo because he'd had an ulterior motive. He couldn't figure out what she meant, so she blatantly asked if he'd been trying to get her into bed. Thomas defended his right to deeply hope for something that might not ever become true, and he said she knew what that was like because she had her own seemingly impossible aspirations. As he left, he concluded that they each knew what those aspirations were.

In Ramon's office, Ramon prepped Steffy for her MRI, and Steffy volunteered to walk herself to the testing area while Liam waited for her in Ramon's office. Ramon murmured that he needed to accompany her because he had special instructions for the technician. Steffy refused to be treated differently because she was a Spencer, but Ramon assured her that he was only thinking of his profession.

Steffy and Ramon left, and Liam decided to email some business pictures from his phone to Alison. When he pulled up his digital gallery, he paused upon seeing pictures of Hope. He flashed back to special times with her and to the kiss on the beach in Mexico. As he reflected about Hope, she called him, and he eagerly answered his phone.

Hope inquired about Steffy's condition, but then guessed it was a bad time to talk. Liam said it was okay, and he reported that it was hard to keep Steffy down. It reminded him of the time he'd had his tonsils removed as a child. He'd been impossible to keep in bed, because he'd wanted to feed his goldfish everyday. He then added that they'd died anyway after he'd eventually forgotten about them. He asked Hope to put in a good word for him in heaven, but Hope doubted they wanted her up there.

As Liam said he didn't see why not, Steffy and Ramon returned to the room. Hope heard their voices and clicked off the line. Steffy apologized for interrupting Liam's call, but as he observed the disconnected line, he guessed that he and the caller were done.

Ramon stated that he'd call the couple with Steffy's MRI results, and he hastily left. Steffy signed some paperwork and wondered who'd called Liam. He revealed that it had been Hope checking up on Steffy. Hugging Liam, Steffy said she felt amazing, thanks to him.