R.J. Comes for Zende With His Fists — and Hope Tells Liam How She Really Feels About Thomas

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Soaps.com may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

At the beach house, Luna pleads, “It was a mistake, RJ! I swear. I’m just so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you or betray you. I love you more than anything!” R.J. fumes, “You and Zende?!” Luna cries, “You have to believe me, RJ I wasn’t myself. I’m not trying to make excuses.” RJ thinks it sounds like she is. Luna goes over how she was accidentally drugged by her mother’s mints. It was like she was hallucinating. “I seriously, I really thought it was you. It was him, but I saw you.” RJ can’t believe that Zende didn’t realize she was that out of it. He saw his chance and took it. “Zende found you in his guesthouse and he took advantage of you?!”

In the design office, Zende tells Carter this has to stay between them. He won’t have anyone questioning Luna’s integrity — she didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Carter muses that she’s with RJ right now so it may not be a secret for long. Zende confirms she’s telling him the truth. Carter thinks it’s obvious how much Zende cares for Luna. Zende didn’t mean to turn her life upside down. He thought they shared something special. “And if things had happened differently, maybe some day we could have. If it weren’t for Poppy and her damn mints.” Just then, Poppy walks in and asks if Luna’s there. Zende says, “No. She’s with RJ telling him we spent the night together.”

Poppy realizes Zende told Carter what happened. She recaps that Luna’s been wanting to tell RJ the truth for a while now. “I encouraged her to do it.” Zende scoffs, “Yeah, after weeks of telling her not to.” Poppy says that was a mistake; one of many she’s made in this situation. She tells Carter that Luna is honest and principled. Lying to the man she loves was eating her up inside. Zende explains they tried to talk her out of it because of what the consequences might be for her. He’s not sure RJ will be able to forgive her.

In the main office, Liam and Hope laugh as they discuss Beth and her infinite patience while watching a hippo. Hope tells him them going to the zoo together was a good idea. She thanks him for making the time. Liam would do anything for Beth. He’s taken a lot of things for granted in his life, but Beth is never going to be one of them.

Liam and Hope go over Thomas’ departure. He mentions him being her lead designer. Hope says, “Liam. You know he was a lot more to me than just that.” She says she’s been thinking a lot lately about the evolution of her relationship with Thomas. Liam’s not sure he needs to hear the details on this unless she has a new perspective. Hope will never deny the fact that Thomas lied to them about Beth, but he regrets that decision. It haunts him. Liam may not be able to forgive him for that, but she did. “When he proposed, I just, I’m asking myself why I couldn’t say yes. So, now I’m not sure. I don’t know what the future holds for Thomas and me.”

In the beach house, Luna tells RJ she wasn’t passed out; she was confused. RJ thinks his cousin used that to get what he’d wanted for a long time. Luna protests that she wasn’t herself but Zende didn’t know that. She points out that RJ didn’t either, or he’d never have let her go home by herself. He shouts, “You didn’t go home! You went to the guesthouse? Why?!” Luna says she didn’t go there looking for Zende. This is all just a big misunderstanding! RJ argues that it’s not a misunderstanding. Zende has been hitting on her for months. He never respected their relationship. “Don’t lie to me and tell me that it was an accident right now, Luna.” Luna cries, “I know you don’t want to hear that, but it’s the truth. That’s why I’m here… to be honest for you. You’re heartbroken and I am too. And I’m sorry. It’s horrible and it kills me to see you in pain, but Zende did not take advantage of me.” She recaps that it was the mints, “I saw you. I thought it was you. You’re my boyfriend. You’re the person I love!”

In the main office, Hope tells Liam she’s been questioning everything lately. Liam grumbles about Thomas skipping town because she wouldn’t commit fast enough. Hope has been asking herself why she couldn’t. They were clicking right up to the end. Her mother thinks her involvement with Thomas was a reaction. Finn also thought it might be a bit of rebellion. Liam asks, “Against what?” Hope says she never wanted to be like her mother, so when she started to feel a pull to someone else… “A one-woman man.” She tells Liam she wasn’t trying to hurt him. Liam knows that. Hope hasn’t turned into her mother, but she was walking on the wild side a bit. “I was playing with fire.” She didn’t intend to hurt Liam, however, and she wasn’t using Thomas. If there’s one thing she’s certain of, it’s her feelings for him.

In the design office, Poppy says she threw her mints away. Zende tells her that doesn’t change what happened. Poppy hopes it will help to repair their relationship. She’ll need to be there for her. Carter thinks that’s true. Poppy cries that Luna found a man she truly loves and she could be losing him, “Because of me.”

At the beach house, Luna protests that she never meant to betray him. She should have come to him and told him right away. RJ points out she didn’t; she’s been keeping it from him all this time. Luna cries that she was afraid of what it could do to his relationship with Zende. They’re cousins, they’re family, and they work together. “It was all a terrible misunderstanding.” RJ hollers that it might have been for her, but Zende saw her face. “He knew exactly what he was doing and exactly who he was with!!” He grabs his keys and leaves as Luna screams his name.

In the main office, Hope tells Liam she knows he doesn’t want to hear it, but she does love Thomas. That said, she’s now at a point where she just wants to focus on Beth and her line. Liam wants to focus on kids and work too. Hope asks, “That’s the whole list?” Liam knows what she’s implying. He has to get over this thing where he doesn’t feel like he has an identity unless he’s with someone. Maybe his identity is just being the best dad he can be. Hope thinks it sounds like they’re going through the same thing at the same time. “Who knows what the future will bring us?”

At the beach house, Luna frantically tries to reach RJ by phone. She leaves him a message as a knock comes at the door. It’s Poppy. Luna says RJ left. She told him and she should have done it sooner. “He was so upset, mom.” She broke his heart. Poppy says it wasn’t her fault. “It was mine.” Luna made the decision to keep it from him and now she doesn’t know what will happen next. She’s afraid he’s gone to confront Zende and doesn’t know what could happen.

In the design office, Zende paces and starts a text to Luna to check on her and ask if she did it. He deletes it. Suddenly, RJ rips the door open like the Incredible Hulk and rages, “You! You knew we were together and happy!” Zende hollers, “Fine! Blame me, don’t blame her!” RJ yells, “Damn right I blame you!” and sucker punches him. Zende flies across the desk.