Outside Wayback Cottage, Grayson angrily confronts Avery for accusing Eve. Avery insists Eve has revealed where her loyalties lie: Eve will put herself first, hates Tobias Hawthorne, does not see the Hawthornes as family, and is tied to Vincent Blake. Grayson responds coldly that he was wrong about Avery, then walks away, leaving Avery devastated.

Jameson stays with Avery and suggests that Oren can assign guards to watch the cottage if Eve becomes a threat. Avery makes clear that her concern is not jealousy or tension with Grayson, but the danger Eve may pose. Jameson acknowledges that Avery loves him, then admits his lifelong insecurity beside Grayson, whom he sees as the better Hawthorne and the man Emily truly loved.

Avery rejects Jameson’s interpretation of Emily’s love and redirects the conversation to their own relationship. Jameson says he wants to be a better man for Avery, and Avery tells him that being better means treating her as a partner, not making decisions for her or trying to protect her by confining her. Avery affirms that Jameson makes her bold, but Jameson remains unconvinced when she says it was always going to be him.

After Jameson leaves, Oren takes Avery back toward Hawthorne House. Avery forces herself to stop thinking about Grayson and Jameson and instead focuses on Vincent Blake’s relentless attacks: the media pressure, financial assaults, attempts to weaken her security, and the clues he has used while holding Toby over her.

At the House, Avery decides she is done waiting for Blake’s next move. She uses her influence and contacts to obtain Vincent Blake’s private cell number, calls him, and tells him she knows about Eve and his son. When Blake tries to draw her back into guessing games, Avery refuses. Blake finally states his demand: he wants the truth Tobias Hawthorne hid, wants to know what happened to his son, and wants Avery to dig up the past and bring him his son’s body.