After some time had passed, Li returned to Finn's office and was surprised to see that he still had not left for Eric's party. Li wondered if Eric knew how "blessed" Eric was to have such a loving family. "I'm envious. Eric has so much to live for," Li remarked.

At the Forrester mansion, the temperature of the room cooled down as Eric's loved ones became increasingly alarmed by his health. Ridge and Thorne tried to convince Eric to sit down for a while, but Eric rejected their efforts. "Why would I want to sit? Look at this beautiful family surrounding me," he remarked. Eric told everyone that they couldn't possibly understand what it meant to him to have them all there. "I think we do," Steffy replied.

Steffy stepped toward her grandfather and said that the evening would be one that they'd always look back on. Steffy's composure cracked as she was no longer able to hold back her tears. "You're always going to be our leader. Here at your home and at Forrester. So tonight, we celebrate you," she continued.

Later, in a corner of the room, Thomas admitted to Steffy that he'd thought she was going to tell Eric that they all knew that he was dying. Steffy shook her head feverishly from side to side and swore that she'd never do that. Still, Steffy wondered if Eric might have caught on that she knew the truth. Hope, Brooke, and Ridge took turns assuring her that Eric didn't suspect a thing.

On the other side of the room, Eric thanked Bridget and Thorne for showing up for the party. Thorne told his dad that he would not have missed it and encouraged Eric to throw family gatherings more often.

Once Thorne and Bridget stepped away, Carter walked over to Eric to thank Eric for having always made him feel welcome. "You're family," Eric replied. "You're more than a boss. You're more than a friend. You're like a surrogate father to me," Carter said softly. Eric stated that if it were up to him, they would not "be surrogates." Eric reached out and shook Carter's hand.

Later, Eric told Katie and Donna that the party was "a little more emotional" than he'd expected it to be. Eric joked that it was almost as if everyone knew that he was dying. Katie asked Eric how long he planned to keep things a secret from his family. "As long as I can," he responded.

Eric took time to praise R.J. and Zende's talent and touted them as the future of Forrester Creations. Eric lauded Zende for overcoming adversity to become one of the most talented designers he'd ever seen.

As Donna went to get Eric a drink, she overheard Ridge, Brooke, Thomas, and Hope discussing how Eric had not won the fashion challenge. Donna became frantic and made them promise that Eric would never find out that he had not won. Brooke tried to explain that what Ridge had done had been a gesture of love. Donna did not seem to agree.

A short time later, Eric told Thomas that he saw "a great many good things" in Thomas' future and urged Thomas not to take any of those things for granted. Eric told Hope that she was "so lovely and so smart" and a wonderful reminder that one "must never lose hope" in life. "If there is something I have learned from having this name, it is to never, ever give up -- even in the darkest of times," Hope said before giving Eric a big hug.

Steffy walked over to her grandfather to share a moment with him. Eric called her "the jewel of the Forrester family," something he knew that Stephanie had felt about Steffy, as well. "I may have inherited her name and some traits -- good and bad -- but the things I've learned from you, the inspiration you have given me... you're always gonna live through me," Steffy told her granddad.

As Steffy embraced Eric, Brooke walked over and asked if she could get in on the hug. Eric was happy to oblige. Brooke told Eric that he had always been her champion. Eric struggled to hold back tears as he told Brooke that she and Ridge were going to be the ones to lead the company and family into the future.

Eric took to the center of the room to acknowledge the angel that had been by his side and on his shoulder: Donna. Donna told him that she loved him. Eric then turned to focus attention on Ridge. He acknowledged that they had locked horns over the years but that their love for one another had always come out on top. Eric then quipped that Ridge wasn't a bad designer. In fact, he was a good designer -- "but not the best!" Eric confessed that winning the showdown might have been more important to him than it should have been.

Looking at the expression on Ridge's face, Eric questioned if he had, in fact, won the challenge. Ridge said nothing. Eric looked frantically around the room before asking if Ridge had lied to him. Eric asked why Ridge had lied to him. Eric's voice trailed off as he looked around the room and saw nearly everyone staring back at him with tears in their eyes.

Eric cleared his throat and refocused his attention on Ridge. "That's about the nicest thing anybody's ever done for me," Eric said as he smiled. Eric and Ridge shared a laugh. Eric started to cough. Within the blink of an eye, he collapsed to the floor. The partygoers gasped and raced to Eric's side. As Eric lay on the ground, he looked up and said, "It's okay. It's my time. I'm at peace with it. Be kind to each other."

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