A heavy curtain of grief and longing draped over Victoria’s home as Chelsea arrived bearing updates and quiet support. Her voice was gentle when she asked how Cole was doing, her eyes hopeful for some sign of recovery. But Victoria’s expression shattered that hope. With tearful eyes, she choked out the truth—Cole was gone.

Chelsea froze, the words hitting her like a physical blow. She had known Cole was unwell, but she never imagined it would come to this. Victoria nodded through her tears, confessing that she and Cole had been on the verge of finally becoming a real family. But just as they were about to begin, it was all ripped away.

Chelsea moved closer, urging Victoria not to bottle the pain. “Use the quiet,” she said, gesturing to the empty house. “Let yourself feel it.” They sat together on the sofa, the weight of loss thick in the air. Victoria admitted she had broken down with Claire and cried herself to sleep, but now she felt the need to be strong—for Claire’s sake. She couldn’t crumble when her daughter needed a foundation.

But Chelsea reminded her that even foundations need support. She opened up about her own past losses, offering to be the ear Victoria could speak into when the silence became too loud. Victoria wept openly, her voice trembling as she mourned the loss of Cole—his voice, his touch, his steady presence. “He made everything make sense,” she cried. “And now nothing does.”

Chelsea embraced her tightly, a quiet pillar of strength as Victoria let the sorrow flow.

Later, Chelsea brought her a glass of water. Victoria, her eyes red but clearer, said it would take time to even begin to process it all. She asked about Adam—had he reached the chateau? Chelsea admitted she hadn’t heard from him and guessed he was out of cell range.

Victoria voiced what they were all thinking: who exactly was Dumas? Chelsea revealed that she and Adam suspected it was either Cane or his father, Colin. Victoria blinked, stunned. No one had seen Cane in years. Chelsea nodded grimly, sharing that she’d recently seen him in town—appearing with no clear reason or explanation.

The conversation shifted to Lily. Had she kept in touch with Cane over the years? They must’ve communicated for their kids’ sake, but if Dumas truly was Cane, Lily must be in complete shock.

Before leaving, Chelsea urged Victoria to send the kids over for a sleepover if she needed time. They hugged, a small island of comfort amid the storm. Alone again, Victoria pulled out one of Cole’s old books. Inside was a simple to-do list: dry cleaning, bills, horseback riding with Claire, flowers for Victoria. Each item broke her heart anew. She looked up at his photo and whispered goodbye, promising to take care of Claire. “I love you,” she murmured.

Elsewhere, in a room cloaked in shadows, Lily stirred from a restless sleep. In her dream, Damian had kissed her—but then he’d turned into Cane. Gasping awake, she shook off the confusion and left the cabin, needing air and clarity.

In a hidden clearing of the estate’s hedge maze, Damian found her. He smiled at her tired eyes and offered a kind presence. She confessed she was exhausted from it all—the mystery, the isolation, the suffocating weight of Cane’s looming presence. She missed normalcy. Damian nodded in understanding and gently shifted the conversation.

He asked about Cane, her former love. Lily admitted that once, she had loved him deeply, but too many lies had cracked the foundation. The man Cane had become was no longer someone she recognized. Damian listened intently, then confessed something of his own—how intoxicating he found her, how he couldn’t blame Cane for still being in love with her. But Lily stood her ground. Cane could try all he wanted, but she was done being held hostage to the past.

When Damian leaned in and kissed her, she didn’t pull away.

But Cane had followed her trail through the maze. Hidden in the shadows, he saw everything—the passion, the new connection, the betrayal. His eyes burned with rage as Lily kissed another man—his rival. He turned and slipped away unnoticed, shattered.

Back at Society, a romantic surprise unfolded under soft candlelight. Christine arrived to find the restaurant empty—except for Danny, wearing an apron and a nervous smile. He whisked her into a dreamlike evening filled with nostalgia and affection.

As they dined, he revealed symbolic items from their shared history under silver food covers—pasta sauce from their early dates, a blue guitar pick from their concert days, a hammer that recalled one of her old pranks, and a lei from their wedding in Hawaii. Each item sparked laughter, tears, and warm memories.

Finally, he gestured to the last covered dish. Christine hesitated, afraid of the emotion rising in her chest. But when she lifted the lid, it revealed a small ring box.

Danny took it and dropped to one knee. His voice trembled with sincerity as he spoke of lost years, old regrets, and his enduring love for her. He had dreamed of a second chance—and now that it was real, he wasn’t letting go.

“Cricket… will you marry me?”

Christine’s tears spilled as she whispered, “A thousand times, yes.”

Back at the estate, Cane sat in silence in the central courtyard, a bottle of liquor his only companion. He watched the footage of Lily and Damian replay again and again on the monitors. Each second twisted the knife deeper.

In a fit of despair, he poured another shot and slammed his fist on the table. His necklace—his wedding ring still strung on it—glinted in the light. He ripped it from his neck and stared at it with venom, the once-sacred token now a symbol of everything he had lost.

He had built an empire, manipulated his way into power, and tried to rewrite his legacy—but all of it crumbled in the face of Lily’s final rejection.

She had chosen another man.

And Cane Ashby, once untouchable, now sat in the ruins of his own making—alone, bitter, and burning with fury.