In Chancellor Park, Tessa bursts into applause after Daniel plays her a song he wrote and throws her arms around him, which takes him aback.
As they sit, Tessa shows him how to finger his guitar more effectively, and he asks about Mariah. She moves away and explains that her wife is still avoiding her family. Mariah’s in therapy, but she doesn’t see how that will help them all heal given that something very dark is clearly in play. Tessa wonders if she should be afraid for herself and Aria. She’d do anything to help Mariah, but she won’t let her in.
Daniel reminds Tessa how much she and Mariah love each other and suggests she avoid filling in the blanks with theories that might be wrong. Tessa worries Mariah could have done something awful that she can’t come back from; Ian’s return may have made her snap. There may be no path forward. “This might be the end for me and Mariah,” she admits.
Will Sharon Get Through to Mariah?
In Crimson Lights, Mariah is stunned by Sharon’s update on what happened in Nice. Sharon wishes she’d stayed home. Mariah tries to dodge quetions, but her mother needs to know why she left her wife and child. Mariah explains she’s in therapy and still talks to Tessa about Aria. She clearly doesn’t want to discuss this, but Sharon can’t stop talking. Eventually, Mariah states that this is how it has to be. If she’s going to be in her daughter’s life again, she has to reinvent herself.
Hearing this shocks Sharon, who can’t imagine why that would be necessary when they all know she’s a good person. “You don’t know that,” Mariah corrects her. Sharon argues that they have all done terrible things, but you have to forgive yourself. Sharon keeps urging her to open up. “Enough!” Mariah snaps. She threatens to distance herself from her mother and storms out.
Will Audra Come Clean?
Nate hurries into Society and Audra’s embrace. He gets the sense she needed it as much as he does. They sit and he tells her things in Chicago were rough as he and Amy sorted out the funeral arrangements. He’s afraid that she’s shutting down and will back out of her cancer treatment. After the funeral, they can try bolstering her spirit. Nate senses there is something going on with Audra. With some prodding, she claims she’s backing out of letting Victor back Vibrante. Nate has never trusted that man but assumes he did something to change her mind about trusting him. He continues questioning her, but she changes the subject.
Lily interrupts them and pays Nate her condolences. She explains she’s on her way to meet with Cane. Winters and every other company are still his potential targets. This sounds extreme to him, but Lily refuses to be caught off-guard again. When she explains Victor is sure Cane is a threat, Nate suggests he could be stirring the pot for his benefit. Lily remains determined to discover what she can. Playing with his fruit plate, Nate complains about how much he hates Cane being in their lives.
What Will Lily Say to Holden?
Using a key card, Lily enters Cane’s suite at the Athletic Club. She’s surprised when Holden shows up at the door. He says that Dumas asked him to meet about a business opportunity. She explains that Dumas is her ex-husband and his name is Cane Ashby and that she had no idea he was a power-player. Lily asks what kind of offer her ex made him.
Holden explains that Dumas was impressed with the work he did with Damian. Lily’s startled when he starts venting about his old pal firing him and moving on with his life. She realizes that Holden doesn’t know he was killed. Lily rather bluntly tells him something happened in Nice and Damian is dead. Holden reels as Lily explains that his old friend was actually murdered. Lily warns Cane was there when it happened and warns him to think twice about anything her ex-husband offers him.
What Will Kyle Tell Jack?
Jack sees Kyle pacing in the Abbott manse, so his son fills him in on Audra spinning things to Claire. Jack hopes she’s not falling for it. Pouring some coffee, Kyle explains that Audra is trying to create a rift. He assures his dad that he stopped Audra’s seduction bid before it went too far.
Kyle claims he’s been honest and upfront with Claire about everything, even though he hasn’t, and complains that Victor set a target on his back. Jack urges him to be careful because Audra does not seem to be giving up without a fight. His son fills him in on how furious Claire is with her grandfather and assures his dad that he won’t let any of this cause a rift with his girlfriend.
What’s Claire’s Latest Take on Victor?
At the tack house, Claire vents to Victoria that Victor has sunk to a new low by making a deal with Audra to destroy her trust in Kyle. Inexplicably, Victoria seems surprised that he’d do something like this. Claire explains that her grandpa and Audra have been in cahoots to sabotage her relationship. It’s infuriating and she doesn’t even want to see him again. She’s sure that Audra wouldn’t risk ruining things with Nate unless Victor made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Victoria asks if she believes Kyle’s claims that nothing happened with Audra in Nice. Her daughter admits that Audra brings out Kyle’s dark side; she’s been lied to before. She worries she’s making a mistake believing him over Audra.
Victoria points out Audra has an agenda and promises she’ll help her through this. It feels like the ground is shifting beneath Claire’s feet; it’s too much and she doesn’t have her father to ask for advice. They assume Cole would have told her not to leap to the worst conclusion. Her mom suggests that she let it go until she has reason not to. Claire is confident that Kyle will go above and beyond to prove himself to her.
Jack and Victoria Compare Notes
Victoria bumps into Jack at Crimson Lights and he pays his respects for Cole. She appreciates it and brings up the issues Claire has been having with Audra. They share what they know of the conspiracy with Victor. They agree Audra seems emboldened, and Victoria is scared about how far she will go given that Claire is in no state to deal with it.
What Will Audra’s Next Move Be?
Kyle wanders into Society as Nate exits. He almost says something to him, but sees Audra’s glare and stops.
Once Hastings has exited, Kyle gets in Audra’s face and warns she’s lucky he didn’t rat her out after what she tried pulling on Claire. She insists something happened between them in France. Kyle tells her she lost and that it’s over. He accuses her of being desperate, so she accuses him of underestimating her. “Back off now,” he warns. She keeps pushing him to admit it took all his strength to stop from sleeping with her. Audra has no doubt she could seduce him. As she declares Kyle is weak and can’t resist her, she pulls him into a kiss right as Claire walks through the door. The Newman’s jaw drops at the sight of them.
