"The slight creak of the front door sent Ryan and Gillian into hiding. Two voices spoke softly to one another. There was a slight chuckle as they entered the house. The two intruders turned out to be familiar faces at Linden: Erica and Dimitri. Dimitri asked Erica why she wanted to drop by a house where she no longer lived. Erica explained that she was feeling sentimental and wanted to take in a last eyeful of her former home. So many memories were contained within the house. Erica realized that they had entered the house without having to disarm the alarm. Dimitri figured that the movers had forgotten to set the alarm after they'd left. If that was the case, why were the movers eating crackers and sipping champagne on the living room floor? Dimitri noticed that Erica wasn't the least bit worried that someone might have broken into the house. Dimitri was about to search the house, but Erica told him that she was sure that the movers were responsible for everything. She mused that it was a good thing that she'd only left behind domestic champagne. Erica began to reminisce about the good times and the bad times she had at Linden House. She fondly recalled where she'd hung Bianca's stocking at Christmastime and when she'd returned home from a business trip and found that her mother has passed away in her sleep. Erica's recollection of her memories halted abruptly. She took a deep breath before continuing, saying that she'd outgrown Linden and that it was time for her to move on. Dimitri admitted that he'd had many good times at Linden as well. One of his more fonder memories was of a time when Erica had cooked for him. "You must be confusing me with one of your other wives," Erica laughed. Dimitri grinned and was certain that Erica had once cooked him a friend egg sandwich. Sure, it may have taken over a dozen eggs to finally get the sandwich cooked properly, but Erica had cooked for him. Erica started to laugh. She nudged Dimitri with her elbow and scolded him for having spied on her. Dimitri claimed that he was just trying to make sure that Erica didn't call out for delivery. Dimitri wondered if Erica was having second thoughts about moving. Erica shook her head and again stated that she wanted to move on with her life. That didn't stop Erica from wanting to reflect on the time she'd spent in the house. The couple was about to leave when Erica decided that she wanted a memento of the house. She walked towards the back of the house and looked for something that she could take as a souvenir. As she did this, she sensed that someone was in the house. Only a few years away, Ryan and Gillian sat motionless, their hearts pounding in their throats. Erica forgot all about her need for a souvenir and headed back to Dimitri's side. She wasn't frightened. In fact, she seemed almost pleased. Before leaving, Erica called out, "Goodbye, Linden!" Perhaps, this was her way of telling Ryan and Gillian that she knew they were there---and that she was going to keep their secret.
Mateo returned to Wildwind and was immediately confronted by Raquel. The other woman in Matt's life wanted to know if he'd been able to locate Hayley. Mateo promptly, albeit grumpily, told Raquel that Hayley was in jail. Raquel was outraged. She was stunned to learn that Hayley's loyalty to Ryan was what had landed her in the slammer. Raquel went on a tirade about the importance of family. She said that she would never think of putting a mere friend before family. "A woman's children and husband comes first," she protested. Mateo defended Hayley, reminding Raquel that Hayley had not been raised in a conventional family. Raquel ceded that Hayley's upbringing had not been perfect, but she argued that she should still know that family comes before friends. Raquel worried that Hayley's instability might resurface in her relationship with Max. Raquel stormed out of the room after announcing that she wants a "stable family for [her] son." In her mind, that was composed of Mateo, Max, and her---together.
In their shared prison cell, Eugenia> and Hayley discussed everything that had gone down in the previous few hours. Hayley wished that Mateo could have seen why she was taking a stand for her friend. "Sometimes the ones who love us best understand us least," said the duchess philosophically. Hayley studied Eugenia for a few minutes and began chuckling to herself. She never could have imagined the duchess "cooling [her] eyes" in jail let alone sharing a cell with her. Eugenia began to think about the Crystal Ball. "It was a swell party, friend," Eugenia smiled. Hayley's head snapped back. She told Eugenia they had not suddenly become friends just because they were suddenly bunkmates. Eugenia had, after all, given loaned one of her gowns to the enemy (Raquel). Eugenia claimed that she'd forgotten that Mateo and Hayley were having problems of their own. It was unclear if Eugenia was being honest or deceptive. Eugenia asked Hayley if she should have given Raquel a "dustpan and broom" instead of the dress. Hayley pursed her lips and sassed that it would have been better if Eugenia could have turned Raquel into a pumpkin and then rolled her all the way back to San Antonio. Eugenia squelched a smile that was trying to appear on her face. Eugenia told Hayley that she admired the way she was handling herself in light of her problems. Hayley told Eugenia that she had helped concoct Ryan's escape plan, but said that she would not tell her the details so as not to get her more deeply immersed in trouble. Derek walked into the cell block. From the look on his face, he was not happy. He told the two women that the lead he'd gotten had failed to pan out. He again asked Eugenia and Hayley to tell him where Ryan and Gillian had gone. Eugenia and Hayley looked at each other and smiled. They both claimed that since Ryan had not left them a note, they had no idea where he'd gone. Derek was furious and vowed to keep them in jail until they told him everything they knew. Later, as they laid on their cots, Hayley began to wonder what Mateo was doing and if he would ever understand why they had to spend the night apart.
Adrian headed to Belinda's apartment. He buried his head in her chest and tried his best not to cry openly. Belinda invited him into the apartment, but Adrian was beginning to wonder if he should have went somewhere else to clear his head. The secret agent told Belinda that his world had just been flipped upside-down. Belinda hugged him closely, a look of concern planted firmly on her face. "My mother's not my mother," Adrian said pulling away. "Opal is." Adrian found himself questioning himself, his family, and his life. Adrian said that he'd been raised to believe that, after God, family was the most important thing in a person's life. He wondered how his father and Opal had found their way into each other's lives and was furious with Opal for having abandoned him so many years ago. Belinda wanted to help Adrian, but she wasn't sure if there was anything she could say or do to lessen his pain. Adrian's first memory was of his mother, who he clarified as the "woman who raised [him]," pushing him on a swing. Again, Adrian questioned why Opal had walked out on him. He was certain that she must have been ashamed of him because he was Black. Belinda shook her head and said that the Opal she knew would never have been embarrassed or ashamed of him. She reminded Adrian of the kindness Opal had showered upon him since he showed up in Pine Valley. "I lost my mother tonight," Adrian said softly, his voice cracking. Adrian said that the woman who'd raised him was his hero---and that he believed that she was the best part of him. Belinda tried to explain that the woman who'd raised him was still very much his mother. "Opal is proud of you," Belinda interjected. "It killed her to walk away from you." In her effort to comfort Adrian, she'd inadvertently rubbed salt in his wounds. Adrian realized that Belinda had known that Opal was his mother. He confronted her, asking her why she hadn't told him. Belinda explained that it wasn't her place to break the news to Adrian. "To hell with your good intentions," Adrian growled as he walked out of the apartment.
Tad wandered around Cortlandt Manor. He eventually found himself in the parlor sitting on the sofa with Dixie. There, he began to tell Dixie what had happened after she left Opal's bedroom. He told Dixie that he'd thought he knew every branch on his family tree. He was furious with Opal for having lied to him all his life. He didn't understand how someone that loved him could have kept him in the dark for so long. Dixie got up from the sofa and sat on a chair directly in front of Tad. She told Tad that secrets have a tendency to grow heavier the longer someone carries them. Tad didn't doubt that Opal meant well or that she loved him and Adrian. "She should've told me," he sighed. Dixie told Tad that she knew what it was like to have to be dishonest with someone. Just as it appeared that Dixie was finally going to tell Tad about her illness, she suddenly got cold feet. She devised a lame tale about keeping secrets from Junior. The biggest secret? That his father, Adam, was "a donkey's butt." Dixie became serious again, explaining to Tad that keeping the truth from someone isn't always a bad thing. In fact, it could be thought of as an "act of mercy" designed to keep something painful from a loved one. Tad wondered who should decide what is too painful for him to handle. "Love makes us do things we wouldn't ordinarily do," replied Dixie. Tad decided that it was getting late and headed to his bedroom. Shortly after he left, Braden appeared. He half-jested that it seemed like no one in Cortlandt Manor ever slept! Dixie told Braden that she'd finally decided what she had to do. In the morning, Dixie was scheduled to have another blood test. If the test showed even the slightest improvement in her condition, Dixie said that she would tell Tad everything---including why she hadn't met up with him on the Statler Building and why she'd been avoiding him.
Upstairs, Opal stared longingly at a picture of Frank. She slowly headed to the phone and called the operator. She broke down in tears before she was able to ask for Frank's phone number. She later managed to compose herself long enough to place the call. When she connected with Frank, the two began talking like a pair of nervous high school lovers. The exchanged pleasantries, but Opal's eyes began to well with tears. She told Frank that Adrian knew the truth. "Adrian needs his daddy," she sobbed. After the phone call, Opal crawled into bed and tried to go to sleep. A soft knock sounded on her door. Opal sat up in bed and watched as Tad slowly entered the room. Tad came in peace. He told his mother that they had a lot to talk about in the morning. To get her through the night, he told her that he knew that she loved him---and that he loved her too.
Mateo sat alone in his bedroom presumably thinking about Hayley. Max scurried into the room and asked his daddy if he could sleep with him. Mateo smiled and he and his son crawled into bed. They were both fast asleep when Raquel slinked into the room wearing a red satin nightie. She walked over to the wide of the bed and crawled under the covers with her son and husband."
- Soap Central