Friday, October 10, 2008, Episode #5416

Ridge offers to talk to Eric.

Ridge drops by the Forrester mansion to see his mother and startles her. He assumes she's jumpy after what happened at work and came home to check the house, but she reminds him that she might not be living here long since Eric never officially asked her to move back in. Ridge feels her place is here and thinks Eric would have told her otherwise if that wasn't the case, but Stephanie thinks Eric is busy trying to decide which woman he wants to be with. Ridge doesn't think it's right that Eric is keeping her guessing and offers to go upstairs to talk to Eric, but Stephanie tells him that Eric isn't there and assumes he's with Donna.

Eric is confused by Donna's change of heart.

At Brooke's house, a confused Eric asks Donna why she's breaking his heart by rejecting him, especially since he thought she wanted him back. Donna asks why he brought this up tonight, but he doesn't see a reason to hold off putting him out of his misery. He wonders if she ever even cared about him and asks if all this is happening because she loves Owen. Donna acknowledges that she's hurting him and says she's sorry, but she thinks it would be worse if they waited. Eric concedes that she's right that they shouldn't wait and removes his wedding band, placing it on the table. "Obviously, our marriage is over," he states. Donna stays silent as Pam watches from behind the curtain and smiles.

Donna ends things with Eric.

Donna stares at Eric's wedding ring on the table. "Isn't that what you want?" Eric asks. Donna pauses for a moment. Pam watches as Donna stands there deep in thought and looks relieved when Donna takes her wedding ring off and places it next to Eric's. "Why didn't you leave when I asked you to?" she asks. Eric again asks her if this is what she really wanted. Donna says that she doesn't see any other way. Eric tells her that he feels like an old fool. He believed in her when she showed him that he was a prisoner in his own life having failed to have found passion in his failed marriages. But then he found that passion with her, and he felt like the luckiest man in the world to have found that love. He used to think that kind of love just didn't happen, and now he sees that it doesn't. "Stephanie was right about that," he muses. Donna tells him that he's wrong and begs him not to think that she didn't love him. Eric leaves, leaving Donna in tears.

Pam gives Donna a warning.

Pam comes out and tells Donna to enjoy a long cry, stating that Donna is better off now. She states that women like Donna and her aren't meant to be married. "You got what you wanted," Donna snipes. Pam agrees that she did, pleased that Donna didn't try something sneaky. Donna fumes that she didn't dare with Pam holding a gun and orders Pam to get out and stay away from her, her family and Eric. Pam doesn't see that as a problem since she doubts Eric will be back. Donna lashes out at Pam, seething that Pam can't possibly know what she just did to Eric having never had anyone love her that way. "Sticks and stones," an unfazed Pam retorts, confident that Eric will "recover" from his "addiction" to Donna now that he's away from her. Donna calls Pam sick and vows to see her locked up, but Pam thinks she has the money and time to stay at large. Donna assumes Pam wants to kill her and tells her to go ahead, but Pam fires back that they do manhunts for killers, and she doesn't want that. Donna tells her again to go. Pam wonders if she can make sure Eric goes back to Stephanie, but Donna tells her to stay away from Eric. "Now you know how Stephanie felt," Pam states. Donna asks Pam if she's going to stay away from Eric. Pam says she will as long as Donna stays away from him. She promises to disappear if Donna keeps her word. But Pam warns that she'll be watching Donna, since that's all she has now: a life sitting on the sidelines minding Donna.

Stephanie is there for Eric when he gets home.

Eric comes home and finds Stephanie waiting for him. Stephanie asks if he wants some dinner, but Eric says he's not in the mood. Stephanie assumes he's tired and suggests he go up to bed, but Eric insists that he's fine. Stephanie sees that he's not wearing his wedding ring and asks if he ended the marriage. Eric isn't sure who ended it but confirms it's over. Stephanie sees how hurt Eric looks and says she's sorry. She admits to him that she actually thought Donna cared for him, but she wonders if Donna found herself overwhelmed by the immense challenges of making a commitment to him. She doesn't want to judge, since she's made her share of mistakes. But for what it's worth, she wants Eric to know that she loves him and is here for him. They embrace.

Steffy has a question for her dad.

Ridge drops by Eric's office and finds Steffy sitting on the couch looking upset. She asks if he's really OK with Taylor marrying Rick, but he doesn't think he gets a vote. Steffy asks Ridge if he would want her mom back if Brooke wasn't in the picture. Ridge is surprised she would ask that. Steffy admits that she loves Brooke, who was great to her and her siblings while they were growing up. But she loves her mom more, and she thinks Ridge does, too. Ridge says he'll always love Taylor and the life they shared, but things change for many reasons. Steffy suggests that he's the one who changed things, since Taylor didn't want it this way, nor did she, Thomas or Phoebe. Ridge says he's sorry, but he and Taylor are both marrying other people. He give Steffy a reassuring hug.

Brooke asks Taylor to do right by Rick.

At the Bel Air mansion, Taylor accuses Brooke of judging her and Rick's relationship, but she insists that her feelings for Rick are not part of some vendetta or rebellion against Brooke. Brooke again commends Taylor for doing right by Jack and urges her to do the same thing for Rick, but Taylor thinks this is completely different since Rick is a grown man who can make his own decisions if his mother would let him. Brooke asks Taylor if Rick is OK being in a childless marriage. Taylor simply sighs and says nothing, leading Brooke to guess that Taylor hasn't even discussed it with Rick. Taylor says she and Rick could always adopt, but Brooke doesn't think Taylor wants to be raising another child, even an adopted one, at this stage in her life. Taylor doesn't even want to have this discussion with Brooke, but Brooke finds it even more astonishing that Taylor hasn't even talked about this knowing how important children are to Rick. Taylor says that she and Rick just want to get married and don't need to settle every little detail up front; she's confident that they can get through the good times and the bad that way. Brooke charges that Taylor has mostly bad times, many of which she has needed Rick to save her from, and she wonders if Taylor can keep up with Rick as the years pass. Taylor has had it with Brooke's accusations and can't believe that Brooke has the gall to come into her home and tell her how to live her life.