"Skye told her Uncle Stuart that she had written and inadvertently mailed her confessional to Edmund and Maria. She was relieved that she'd finally parted with her deep, dark secret, but somehow she still felt ill at ease. Stuart asked that Skye remain positive. If Edmund and Maria were not meant to read the letter, he explained, something will happen to prevent them from reading it. Perhaps the letter will blow away in the wind, Or perhaps something far more tragic and unforeseen. After Skye left, Esther dropped by Stuart's home. She needed a pep talk. It seems that Esther has been unable to return to court since her stint on the witness stand. She isn't being barred from the courthouse, she simply cannot must the internal fortitude to face the stares and whispers. Stuart assured his friend that she is not weak or less of a friend for not returning to the courthouse.
Gloria reflected on her "big announcement" at the courthouse. Actually, it was Dimitri who had made the announcement, but it still involved Gloria. In between shifts at the hospital, Jake made a brief return to the boarding house. He found Gloria in the living room with several suit cases. Jake hoped that Gloria's baggage meant that she and Tad had patched things up. He couldn't have been further from the truth.
Allie made a return appearance to Holidays. This time she wasn't required to save anyone's life. Jake entered the restaurant and saw Allie. He figured that he should tell her about the pending vacancy at Myrtle's. Allie was mildly interested in the vacancy and claimed that she might be able to "break" her lease to move to Myrt's. Mateo and Hayley overheard the comment and Mateo chimed in that it should not be hard for Allie to break a lease at the Pine Cone Motel. Jake was surprised that Allie had opted for such dumpy digs and urged her to move to Myrtle's. After Allie left for her shift at the hospital, Hayley told Jake that he picked the wrong time to return to his medical career. Why's that? Because Allie doesn't date co-workers, Hayley smiled. Jake guzzled some coffee and said that he doesn't fellow doctors either.
Erica testified that she "felt adrift" after her miscarriage. Trevor asked Erica how her life had been altered by her no-show father. Erica said that she felt very pained by not having her father around. This led Erica to believe that the only way Sonya/Madeline could avoid a life of hate an loneliness was to have a mother who understood her situation. Suddenly, Dimitri burst into the courtroom and broke into thunderous applause. He praised Erica for a "beautiful performance." The judge again showed that he had little control over the trial. He told Dimitri to quiet down and even after Dimitri refused to be silenced he still didn't charge Mr. Marick with contempt. He didn't even ask him to leave the room. Erica concluded her testimony with a statement that summed up her defense strategy. She said that she thought she was doing what was right for the baby. Now she knows otherwise. She is aware that she hurt a lot of people, but that was never her intention. "I'm sorry," she said with her head lowered.
Erica was not done. The cross-examination was still ahead. Jack's entire cross-examination dealt in questioning whether Erica was truly "insane." Was she insane when she lured Maria to Willow Lake? The district attorney went on a tirade, declaring Erica a vindictive woman who wanted to punish Maria for sleeping with Dimitri. But simply punishment wasn't enough. Jack implied that Erica wanted the baby dead and that she wanted Maria to suffer physical harm.
All that was left not, beyond the jury's verdict, was the closing statements. Trevor said that the experts he called to the stand (who were not shown) claimed that anyone could suffer temporary insanity if there were a great many odds against them. He explained that after not seeing her father, losing custody of Bianca, having her mother pass away, and suffering a miscarriage, Erica was no longer able to get "beyond the pain." There was no premeditation, Trevor added. There is only one possible verdict: Not guilty.
Jack saw it another way. He said that Erica planned to kidnap the baby. She knew the difference between right and wrong---and chose to do wrong. He asked that the jury find her guilty and punish her for her crimes.
The jury was sent to deliberate. Trevor sensed a quick verdict and suggested that he and Erica return to his office to await the verdict. Erica said that she would join Trevor, but added that she had to do something first.
Erica tracked down Jack at his office. She yelled at him for the way he grilled her on the stand. She accused him of plotting with Travis to keep her away from Bianca. How could Jack actually want to send her away? Jack told Erica that he could have done a lot more damage to Erica's case, but he let his heart get in the way of his job. Jack told Erica that thanks to her he might never be able to practice law again. Belinda knocked at the door. She said that the jury had reached the fastest verdict in history.
Myrtle returned home and gave Gloria a send off. Myrtle didn't judge Gloria on her quickie marriage, but did point out that Gloria was unable to refer to Dimitri as her husband. Before Gloria could defend her decision, Myrtle was summoned back to court to hear the jury's verdict. On her way out of the boarding house, Gloria came face to face with Tad.
On the commuter flight home to Pine Valley, Maria was allowed to switch seats after a vacancy became available. The empty seat would allow Maria to seat Madeline in a seat of her own. Maria suddenly remembered the letter that she had forgotten to read. As she played with Madeline, Maria opened the letter. Finally, the truth was revealed. Maria was overcome with emotion as she read Skye's confession that Edmund was really Madeline's father. Maria rose to her feet and prepared to walk down the aisle to tell Edmund the good news. Suddenly, the plane dropped and the power flickered. A flight attendant advised all passengers to return to their seats and strap in. Maria clasped her hands and prayed for God to help guide the plane back to the ground safely. Again, the plane dropped..."
- Soap Central