Desperation can lead even the most seasoned schemers to cross unthinkable lines—and Brooke Logan may have just done exactly that. In The Bold and the Beautiful, after exhausting every trick in her arsenal to reignite the flame with Ridge Forrester, Brooke reaches a shocking low: faking a terminal illness to pull Ridge back into her orbit.
For weeks, Brooke had been fighting a losing battle. Ridge, clear-eyed and resolute, had chosen Taylor Hayes. The betrayal Brooke was responsible for during the Forrester Creations power struggle had driven a final wedge between them. Even Eric’s persistent encouragement to “keep fighting” couldn’t prevent Brooke’s every romantic gesture from falling flat. Ridge no longer lashed out or argued—he simply looked at her with the quiet sorrow of a man who had moved on.
But Brooke wasn’t ready to surrender. When recalling Taylor’s earlier health scare—the one that drew Ridge back into her arms—Brooke saw an opening. Taylor’s moment of vulnerability had shifted the balance, invoking Ridge’s protective side. Brooke, sensing history could be replicated, decided to fake a similar crisis.
She carefully crafted a believable story: fatigue, a vague but frightening diagnosis, and an ominous prognosis of only a few months left to live. When she delivered the news to Ridge in the Forrester CEO office, her tone was trembling, her eyes downcast. “They found something. It’s advanced. I may only have a few months,” she told him solemnly.
Ridge’s reaction was instant. The emotional distance he had maintained crumbled. He stopped everything, visibly shaken, his protective instincts reigniting. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asked, devastated. Brooke, feigning vulnerability, claimed she hadn’t wanted to be a burden—especially not after all they’d been through.
She didn’t ask him to come back. She didn’t beg. But she knew it was working. Ridge lingered longer than he had in weeks, offering comfort and care. When he eventually left the room, Brooke allowed herself the faintest smile. It wasn’t victory—not yet—but it was proximity. And proximity was the foundation for another chance.
Still, even as she basked in her temporary success, guilt started to creep in. Brooke had schemed before—but this? This felt darker. More dangerous. If Ridge ever discovered the lie, the betrayal would be irreversible.
What Brooke didn’t anticipate was that Taylor had overheard part of her conversation with Ridge. And something didn’t sit right. The timing, the symptoms, the way Brooke suddenly echoed Taylor’s past health scare—it all rang suspiciously familiar.
Now, Taylor’s growing doubts threaten to blow the lid off Brooke’s manipulation. And if the truth comes out, Ridge will not only walk away for good—he may never look at Brooke the same way again.
Will Brooke’s cold-hearted lie buy her enough time to rekindle love? Or will her fake illness be the death knell for everything she’s ever had with Ridge?
