After the dazzling spectacle of the Forester fashion show, where Ridge Forrester and Brooke Logan stood hand in hand on the runway, the energy was electric — yet behind the scenes, a heartbreak was quietly unfolding. Taylor Hayes, observing from the sidelines, felt her world collapse. Despite Ridge’s assurances that he had moved on from Brooke, seeing the undeniable chemistry between them under the bright lights told Taylor a different story — one she could no longer ignore.

Though Ridge pulled Taylor into a backstage embrace, dismissing the runway intimacy as harmless, the cracks in their relationship had already deepened. In the following days, Ridge’s words remained loving, but his heart betrayed him in subtle ways — the lingering glances at Brooke, the silence when Taylor needed affirmation. Taylor realized Ridge wasn’t with her because he couldn’t live without her; he was with her because it seemed right.

Determined not to settle for a love weighed down by hesitation, Taylor made the bravest choice she could — she left. Quietly, without confrontation or bitterness, she packed a small suitcase and booked a flight to a distant place where she could heal.

Before leaving, Taylor left Ridge a letter. In six poignant words — “You don’t have to choose anymore” — she set him free. She confessed her enduring love but also her refusal to keep fighting for a man who remained tethered to someone else. She wished him happiness, even if it meant being with Brooke.

When Ridge came home and found her letter, the finality hit him like a blow. He had tried so hard to do the right thing, but in the end, he lost the woman who loved him enough to walk away. Eric Forrester later found Ridge, the letter still clutched in his hands. Eric gently pointed out that Ridge was free now to be with Brooke — but Ridge’s silence spoke volumes.

Now Ridge faces a crossroads: chase after the woman who let him go out of pure love, or surrender to the safety of old patterns with Brooke? Taylor’s departure has shattered the love triangle that defined a generation, setting the stage for a bold new chapter that could end in reconciliation, rebirth, or heartbreak.

Stay tuned — because in The Bold and the Beautiful, even love set free can find its way home.