Daniel gets an ally, and Phyllis makes a foe

Traci was surprised when Diane came downstairs with luggage. She asked if Diane and Jack had a business trip, but Diane explained that Jack told her to move out. Traci was shocked and asked them what had happened as a month ago they couldn’t have been more in love. Jack said they had another fight at the club, and Diane mentioned how humiliating it was. “Ever the victim,” Jack sneered.

Diane told Traci that Jack thought she was selfish and cared more about greed than her own son. Jack reiterated how he felt about her, and she wondered if he was hinting he wanted a divorce. Jack said an annulment was more appropriate and accused her of fraudulently entering their union. Upset, Diane tearfully told him she loved him, but Jack said it was theatrics. Traci said she was there, and as a witness at their wedding, it was her job to remind them of their vows.

Diane appreciated Traci’s support but told Jack she would return when he wasn’t there to get the rest of her stuff. Jack told Diane not to bother coming to Jabot because the corner office he helped her get was no longer hers. “And you claim that I’m the one that hurt you,” Diane cried as she left.

Traci couldn’t believe Jack had let Diane leave, but he said he was well rid of Diane. Traci told Jack that on his wedding day, she told people she had never seen him so happy. Jack was sure there was no way to fix his marriage. “She has shown her true colors, and she is everything that everyone warned me about,” Jack said as Kyle came downstairs.

Kyle confirmed he heard his parents’ marriage was falling apart. Jack told Kyle that Diane was no longer Jabot’s CEO or his wife. “Aren’t you going to gloat?” Jack asked. Kyle said he didn’t know how to feel after what he had seen at the club. Jack thought Kyle would be thrilled and noted he had been throwing hate their way for months. Traci told Jack there was no way Kyle would be happy that his parents were breaking up, but Kyle told her they had it coming.

Traci was stunned as Kyle asked Jack what caused his shift in perspective about Diane. “Forget it. I couldn’t care less if you and mom split up,” Kyle said. He explained to Traci that his feelings don’t matter to Jack and Diane. Traci told Jack and Kyle that she could see they had all been in pain for some time. “I’m over it. I warned Mom to steer clear of me. You probably should, too,” Kyle said coldly to Jack before leaving. Traci told Jack how sorry she was and hugged him.

Jack told Traci that he’d been in denial for a long time. “Everyone said she was a user. I didn’t want to believe it,” he said. Traci reminded Jack that he knew Diane was sincere at the time and that she worked hard to prove to everyone that she had changed. Traci added that the smartest and most loyal people she knew saw a change in Diane and said they couldn’t have all been wrong.

Traci was saddened when Jack told her everything, including how Kyle stole Jabot’s secret formula. Jack said he was stunned by how Diane went after Kyle as if he were a common criminal. He felt Diane should have understood how they drove him to that point. Traci agreed mistakes had been made on all sides but implored him not to do anything rash. Jack advised Traci to stay out of it as their issues were far more complex than she could imagine.

At Society, Lucy and Daniel tried to eat. Lucy wondered if Daniel was keeping information about the investigation from her. Daniel said there was a fine line between keeping her informed and having to hear every single upsetting detail.

Daniel told Lucy that he had made a decision on how to keep her safe and that she needed to go along with it. He explained that he was the sole suspect until the police found another one. Daniel wanted Lucy to go with Daniel on tour, do remote schoolwork, and be distracted. “Things are going to get a whole lot worse for me before they get better, and I do not want you here for that when it happens,” Daniel said.

Lucy protested, but Daniel told her it wasn’t her job to be brave for him, it was his job to take care of her. Summer joined them and said that she agreed with Lucy. Lucy wanted to stay in town to be up-to-date on the investigation details and support Daniel. Daniel said that Lucy was too young to choose and it was a good plan. “Lucy, I couldn’t agree more,” Christine said.

Everyone turned to Christine, who said she had flown in on the tour jet, but the pilot’s instructions were to pick up Lucy and return immediately. Lucy adamantly declared she was not getting on the plane and ran outside. Christine explained that she had talked to some of her old contacts on the force and that the case wasn’t as weak as expected. If Lucy stayed, Christine felt she could be confronted by people who thought Daniel was guilty, which could be traumatizing.

Summer went outside and told Lucy that she had changed her opinion and that Lucy should go be with Danny. Summer pointed out that it would be harder on Daniel if she stayed, as he would be worried about her. Summer promised that Daniel wouldn’t be alone, and she and Phyllis would have his back. Lucy stared at her dad through the window.

Inside Society, Daniel asked Christine what her friends had told her at the station. Christine said not to worry about that but needed Daniel to tell her everything. She said she wanted to hear his side of the story from the beginning, and then she would figure out how to get him out of this nightmare.

At her front door, Sharon sobbed to Nick. I thought I could do this, but I can’t. It’s too hard. I tried to keep it up, but it’s too much,” she cried. Nick brought her to the couch and calmed her down. Sharon insisted she was a terrible person and she had caused so much pain. “I can’t live with myself anymore,” Sharon said.

Nick asked Sharon what happened. “You’ll lose yourself if you tell him. Get yourself together,” Sharon’s inner voice said. Sharon asked Nick to make her some tea. Nick got up to go to the kitchen but paused at the dining room table and watched Sharon.

When Nick returned, Sharon told him she was much better and apologized for being a burden. Nick said that he, Faith, and Mariah just wanted her to be happy, and they didn’t mind supporting her, so she didn’t need to apologize or feel like a burden. Nick added that he couldn’t help if he didn’t know what was going on. “I hoped we were at a place where you could tell me anything. I’m here for you no matter what,” Nick encouraged. Sharon started looking around the room for Cameron.

Sharon knew Nick noticed, so she said she needed air and went outside. Nick followed Sharon and asked if she was okay. Sharon said she had a doctor’s appointment for another therapy session. Nick said he was glad Sharon would see her doctor, but he was there and wanted to know what happened earlier. “You said you couldn’t take it anymore and couldn’t live with yourself, and that’s concerning,” Nick explained. “Can we just forget about that?” Sharon asked. Nick said he would not let it go as she had made serious statements.

Sharon told Nick that before he showed up, Daniel had stopped by, and he had upset her. Sharon said that seeing Daniel grieving and knowing she added to his pain made her feel like a terrible person. “So I said I couldn’t live with myself,” Sharon explained. Nick asked what she had done that hurt Daniel.

Sharon shared that she saw Heather the night that she died but noticed that Nick didn’t seem surprised. Nick reluctantly admitted that Phyllis had told him. Sharon pressed him to know what Phyllis was saying about her. At first, Nick claimed not to remember but decided Sharon should know so she could be prepared. “Phyllis thinks it was you that killed Heather,” Sharon said.

Sharon thought Phyllis was unbelievable and wondered how many others she told her theory to. Nick shared that Phyllis thought Daniel was being framed. “By me?” Sharon asked. She wondered if Nick thought she was acting suspicious by not telling anyone she had seen Heather that night. He agreed it did look odd but knew she was upset and had other things on her mind.

Sharon said she could understand Phyllis trying to find another guilty party and noted that they would do the same if Noah or Faith were in Daniel’s position. Nick disagreed and said they wouldn’t try to pin a crime on someone innocent, even if it was to protect their family. “It’s not a line I would cross. I know you wouldn’t, either, Sharon,” Nick added.

Nick reminded Sharon that Phyllis would do anything to protect her kids. He worried that the situation would reverse any progress that Sharon had made. Sharon said she was past the worst and felt bad for Daniel, Lucy, and even Phyllis. “At least now I know why he came by to interrogate me,” Sharon mused. She said that Phyllis must try to shift the police’s focus from Daniel to Sharon. “I’m starting to feel like I’m the one being framed here,” Sharon said.

Nick told Sharon that Phyllis would calm down, think rationally, and then let this theory go. Sharon hoped that Nick was right, but her inner voice thought differently. “I’ve got to deal with Phyllis and stop this nightmare before it’s too late,” Sharon told herself.

Diane checked into the club and ordered a martini at the bar. She looked at her wedding and engagement rings, pulled them off, and put them in her purse. Kyle approached her and told her to look him in the eye and tell the truth. He asked if she ever actually loved Jack or Kyle or if they were just tools she used to get what she wanted.

Diane said Kyle wanted respect and success, but he immediately blew her off. “Why is that okay for you but horrible for me to want the same?” Diane asked. She added that he was born an Abbott, but she also wanted to be one. “How did you get it?” Kyle asked. “I fell in love,” Diane responded.

Diane added that it wasn’t just the kind of love she had with Jack but also the kind she had with Kyle when he was a little boy. “My heart never felt so full. You were my little man, we were inseparable,” Diane said. “Until you abandoned me,” Kyle added.

Diane told Kyle that walking away from him would forever be the greatest regret of her life but that her love for him never died. Kyle asked what she felt when she fired him, but she said it was business and that love had nothing to do with it. She added it was the same with Jack, that she fell for him harder than she ever thought possible. “I thought after all the mistakes and regret, I finally did something right,” Diane said of her marriage. “So you answer your question if my love for you and Jack is real, yes and always will be,” Diane concluded.

Kyle sneered that Diane had a twisted way of showing love and that she had alienated him and Jack. “You put love on par with your desire for success and power,” Kyle added. He said that Diane made his mind up for him. “For what it’s worth, I never meant for any of it to play out this way,” Diane told her son. “And yet it did,” Kyle replied.

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