Why would Liam ever trust Bill with his confession secret?

If you think provoking his son to almost kill him causes Bill to consult the man in the mirror and make that change, you are absolutely right. But it won't be the change you think! Let's scoop on how Bill's brush with death will make others wish he was in hell this week on B&B.

Usually, people who have near-death experiences take stock of their lives, decide what's important, and attempt to obtain those things. Some become daring and take more chances. Some cling more closely to loved ones. Bill is about to do all of the above, but we know from his mountain-climbing incident just how cruel he can be after his life flashes before his eyes.

Just ask Katie, who was in Bill's crosshairs back then and right now over Will's custody. Bill's loved ones must know it, too, and it's likely the reason they weren't around when Bill checked out of the hospital. While Ridge walked into a welcome-back party at Forrester, Bill returned to an empty house with Justin and a stack of spreadsheets -- and with Steffy on Bill's mind.

Bill isn't on Steffy's mind, though, no matter how much Hope tries to convince Liam that it's subconsciously true, and Liam, in turn, tries to brainwash Steffy into believing it. Steffy told Hope to get out of there with that "eventually-give-in-to-Bill" garbage.

Where does Hope get the idea that Steffy will just give in to the next guy that wants her? Just because Steffy wound up married to a persistent Wyatt while Liam was otherwise criminally detained doesn't mean that -- never mind. Steffy already proved that a Spencer in the bed is better than one losing his mind in a cabin. To be fair, she didn't know Liam was losing his mind in the cabin, and she doesn't know that he's losing his mind now.

How would Steffy feel if she found out that her husband could go to prison if he turned himself in? She'd want to do anything to keep Liam safe, even if it meant giving him up to be with Bill under a blackmail threat of Bill sending Liam to prison for the attempted murder.

Hope advised Liam not to tell Steffy that he was the shooter, but that won't stop Bill from saying anything. Justin thinks Bill has another proposal for Steffy in the works, but could it be more of an ultimatum? Marry Bill or the father of her child goes to prison? Would Bill dare do that, or is the ego on this Stallion too big for a loveless marriage saddle? It wouldn't be a loveless marriage at all if Hope is right in believing Steffy is in denial of her fiery feelings for Bill.

Bill couldn't believe it when Liam confessed to shooting him. Bill agreed to get Ridge out of jail so Bill could put Liam in there instead. Hope roared that Bill would do no such thing because all of it had been Bill's fault from the start. Bill recanted his statement against Ridge and ultimately said the shooter had been a stranger.

Ridge was released from jail, and Forrester threw him a party the next morning. Steffy readily noticed that Hope wasn't there.

Hope didn't make it because she had kept vigil at Liam's bedside all night while he slept. Good move, Hope. You never know if brain-damaged Liam will nut up in the middle of the night and go on a trance-walking "Ki-Ki-Ki..Da-Da-Da" spree over at the hospital. Hope also watched as Liam scheduled himself a brain scan and neuropsych evaluation for the next day. Better years late than never. Here's to hoping the doctor won't find the eyes and teeth of a mostly-absorbed twin named George Stark in Liam's brain.

Just when you think Hope is being a good, supportive friend, she brought up the gondola incident and having to watch Liam marry Steffy. Hope started going on and on about how Bill and Steffy had been colluding back then and ever since. As far as Hope was concerned, Liam needed to stay away from Bill and Steffy and let them have each other.

Hope kissed Liam and professed love for him. She wasn't sorry for it, either. No, ma'am. This is not your 2010 virgin-bride prude. Instead of having everything her fairytale way, Hope couldn't care less if Liam is married, about to be a father, or guilty of any crimes. She has waited long enough for her happy ending, and she doesn't really even need one of those just as long as she's with Liam.

Hope claimed that Liam's crime wasn't Liam's fault, and she vowed to help Liam get through it. Hope also advised Liam to go on and get a divorce if Steffy won't sign the annulment -- again. Yes, scoopers, we might have to play the shell game with the annulment papers again, roughly six years later. But I'll tell you what it sounds like Hope ain't gonna put up with again: gondola abductions, fake blood clots, wedding-pick-up-truck abductions, Spencer reporters, or scandals real and imagined. I don't even think hair dye and fake tattoos will stand in her way now.

Just when Liam started to think Hope might be just what he needed, Steffy showed up and planted her lips on him, too. "I know you want to," she said about Liam going home to her. Liam told her to be with Bill, smoke cigars, and drink scotch, because he knew she wanted to.

Yeah, Liam, that's what all pregnant women want to do. Why don't you suggest Steffy jump on her motorcycle and take the PCH to Bill's house while you're at it?

In other happenings around town, Thomas and Sally stopped by the CEO's office and informed Ridge and Brooke that Thomas and Sally were going to New York. Ridge wished them luck.

Is that it? Seriously, writers? Ridge gets a party for getting out of jail yet again, but the Spectra gang doesn't even get a frozen dinner picnic before they leave the show? And did you ever tell us where R.J. is? Is Coco with him?

At Bill's house, Justin was surprised that Bill had changed his story about Ridge. Justin was eager to know who Bill had seen that night. Bill didn't really want to talk about it and decided that, since he told Justin almost everything, Justin should know Bill had proposed to Steffy that night. Justin didn't think Bill was divulging that detail for nothing, and Justin suspected that Bill was planning a repeat performance on bended knee.

The stranger you know and the devil who knows you better

When Bill recanted his story about Ridge, Bill told Detective Sanchez that Bill had seen the intruder's reflection, and the person had been a complete stranger. Glaring at Liam, Bill said that he had never known the person, and he didn't want to know the person. Bill even remarked that he'd like to strangle the person himself.

In the end, Bill didn't give Liam away because Bill wanted to take responsibility for his part in the whole incident. Liam wanted to turn himself in, but Bill was against it because Liam hadn't been himself during the crime, and he had a child on the way. Bill and Liam shook on the agreement that no one would know; however, Bill had said that the shooter was a stranger, so what does a handshake between strangers mean?

Back when Bill found Liam in the rubble of Spectra Fashions, Bill also made a deal. Several times, he volunteered to help Spectra relocate to make up for the pain he'd caused. The moment Liam walked out on Bill over Bill's breach of trust, Bill reneged on the deal and refused to help Sally with a new Spectra building.

If you will recall, when Bill awakened after the shooting, he also told Liam that he was sorry about the proposal to Steffy and that he would never do it again. If that's the case, why can Justin smell Bill's brain cells frying about possibly proposing to Steffy again?

There's no reason to believe Bill won't go back on his word to keep Liam's involvement in the shooting a secret, either. Bill probably wishes he had had a recorder at the time of the impromptu confession for the sake of vengeance, but there's strong reason to believe that if someone asked Liam outright, he'd be too upset and duty bound to deny that he'd pulled the trigger.

That makes the information the best weapon in Bill's mission to win Steffy's heart. Bill can blackmail Steffy with the threat of sending Liam to prison for the shooting if she doesn't cooperate, and he can do it without worry that she'll ever say a word to anyone. Bill knows that she won't tell Liam about it out of fear that Liam will turn himself in to stop the blackmail, thereby leaving their daughter without a father. Steffy would suffer in her own hell of cigars and scotch while Liam naively believes that Hope had been right about Steffy and Bill all along.

Could Bill be so cruel? Bill might not see it as cruel but as a way to get Steffy to see her true feelings -- like he did with the lie to Thomas about Caroline's health. Maybe Bill will think it is for the good of the family because Liam seems to be leaving Steffy either way, and Bill had vowed to take care of Steffy and the baby. Bill might figure that Steffy would be upset for a while, but after seeing Liam with Hope for long enough, Steffy might figure she was meant to be with Bill.

It's an interesting storyline possibility, but no matter how one looks at it, it wouldn't be what is best for the family. Steffy would be in a loveless marriage from hell, and she'd have to battle her bullheaded father every step of the way, trying to convince him not to kill his new son-in-law.

It's equally hard to imagine that Bill would accept being second to anyone, let alone accept being cuckolded by Steffy's persistent love for his weak sauce son. What do you think? Would Bill resort to betraying Liam's confidence and blackmailing Steffy to be with her? To use one of Bill's terms, it just seems too "namby-pamby" for Bill. How else could he rightfully earn back Steffy's love, or will it reawaken on its own once Steffy's heart breaks over Liam and Hope in much the same way that it did over Liam and Ivy?

Hope told Ridge that things cannot go back to being the same after all that has happened. Ridge is glad to be let off for a crime he wished he'd committed, but if Bill is planning to continue to pursue Steffy, Ridge is on the precipice of a whole new nightmarish downward spiral with Bill. Can Brooke and Ridge's marriage survive it, especially when their daughters are at each other's throats about Liam all over again?

The same question goes for Wyatt and Katie, who need to stop rolling around in bed together and start coming up with some tag-team strategies for dealing with Bill Spencer. They should know by now that Bill changes for nothing, not even a bullet, and if he was after them before he got shot, he'll be after them again the moment he recovers. Heck, I'm surprised that the first things Bill asked Justin for were spreadsheets, not the custody agreement or papers cutting Liam and Wyatt out of the business.

Katie used to be on her game when it came to Bill. That was how she managed to get the one percent of Spencer she needed to give control of the business to Karen, who replaced Bill as CEO with Katie. While Bill was unconscious in recovery, Wyatt and Katie should have been eloping or finding a power of attorney clause to exploit before Bill could resume crushing their future beneath his heel.

After all, Wyatt and Liam were technically in charge of the Spencer empire. Because Bill hadn't signed those papers, the company was still under majority rule. The sons could have used that power somehow to write up new bylaws to stop Bill from tossing them out of Spencer or taking full custody of Will. Not sure how it would work with Will's custody, but that is what Carter is for.

Speaking of that fine specimen, Carter, wasn't it nice to hear him mention his adopted brother, Marcus, who happens to also be Ridge's adopted brother and nephew-in-law, while Carter was saying he felt that Ridge was like a brother to him? Yeah, that was kind of deep, and Eric stared blankly as if he didn't even get it.

I can excuse brain-damaged Liam for not following up on Bill's affairs, but Wyatt should have been screwing Katie less and finding loopholes to keep himself from getting screwed by Bill anymore in the future. The Spencer boys are two sorry sons, indeed, to leave their family company in Justin's hands without a fight. It's times like these that I wonder if they really are Bill's sons.

Wyatt is Quinn's son, indeed, and while Ridge will attack Bill on the Steffy front, Quinn will gnaw away at Bill about all matters concerning the mistreatment of Wyatt. Maybe Brooke and Eric can bond over their struggle with Quinn and Ridge's incessant warring with Bill while Quinn and Ridge forge an unholy alliance to take care of Bill permanently.

You can get detailed spoilers in our scoops section if you need to, but here are some highlight of what's to come on the Bold and the Beautiful:

It seems I'm not the only one who thinks Bill will still cause custody troubles for Katie. Thorne will remind Katie of what's at risk if she follows through on her engagement to Wyatt. Thorne lets her know that there are other romantic options that won't threaten her custody of Will.

Katie makes a difficult decision. I wouldn't be surprised if it's whether to have her wedding before or after her court battle with Bill, because I do not see Katie cowering to Bill's threats. The decision might possibly involve her figuring out Liam's involvement in the shooting. It's a long shot, but if anyone can unearth a secret, it's Katie, and that information would be perfect leverage against Bill if Bill really does not want Liam to go to jail for the shooting.

Bill told Sanchez that the shooter isn't on Sanchez's list, but it won't stop the detective from continuing his investigation. Sanchez zeros on in Bill, who claimed he'd seen the shooter's reflection. Under Sanchez's questioning, will Bill slip up and betray Liam?

Meanwhile, Steffy and Ridge grow more suspicious of Hope's motives with Liam. Really? I thought it was obvious already that Hope is going after Steffy's hubby. Maybe the spoiler means Steffy picks up on hints about the shooting and wonders what Liam and Hope are hiding. Brooke warns Ridge to keep himself under control, and Steffy tries to put an end to Liam's HFTF input.

Thanks for scooping with me again. Our tenacious Mike will be serving you the tea for the next two weeks, and I will see you in time for Emmys! Until then, stay bold and beautiful, baby!

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