The fragile peace in Belle Marias was brutally shattered. Jax Reynolds (Kofi Siriboe), driven by justice and a growing obsession with "Alana," publicly dropped the paternity bomb, revealing that Alana Jacobs is the secret daughter of Cassandra Laurent and Dr. Andre Bishop. The news instantly destabilized the Laurent inheritance and forced Alana's mother, Loretta, into a desperate custody battle. Meanwhile, the personal fallout from the disastrous wedding reached a devastating peak: Riley Kurth (Chris Warren) witnessed his new wife, Monique, embracing the master schemer Matthew Deschamps. Crushed by this betrayal and the simultaneous confession from Daphne that the baby she carried was his, Riley’s world collapsed. He transitioned from the loyal, naive fiancé to a wounded, vengeful enemy of the Laurent machine.