The evening air in Port Charles was heavy with a silence that only the town seemed to understand—too still, too quiet, as though the entire city was holding its breath. Maxi Jones, always perceptive, trusted her instincts more than anything. Whether managing the chaos of deception or navigating the web of tangled relationships at the Cortmain estate, Maxi could always feel when something wasn’t quite right.

That night, as she pulled up to the mansion for an emergency meeting, her instincts were screaming. An urgent issue with one of Deception’s newest product lines, a faulty batch in the skincare line, had led her to make a late-night drive out. Brooklyn Cortmain had missed a few calls that day, and now, with the board breathing down her neck, Maxi knew she had no choice but to handle this herself.

She rang ahead, but there was no answer. Maybe Brooklyn was distracted, maybe she didn’t hear her phone, but Maxi didn’t hesitate as she walked through the familiar front doors of the mansion. “Brooklyn, it’s me, Maxi. We need to talk about the vitamin serum batch.” No response.

But then she heard it—a soft thud, a whisper of movement down the hall. Maxi followed the sound slowly, her heels clicking lightly against the polished floor. As she neared the nursery, her pace slowed. The door was slightly ajar, and inside, Willow Tate stood in the room, holding Daisy Gilmore in her arms.

Maxi froze at the doorway, her heart pounding. Willow, always so soft-spoken and kind, was dressed in a black robe with her hood shadowing her face. She was rocking Daisy gently, whispering something that Maxi couldn’t hear. The scene was unsettling, surreal. Willow wasn’t supposed to be there—Michael had banned her from the Cortmain estate months ago after a series of erratic actions. Yet, here she was, cradling Daisy in the middle of the night.

Maxi’s heart raced as she reached for her phone, ready to call Michael. But before she could dial, Willow turned. Their eyes locked for a moment. Everything in that second froze. Then, Willow bolted. She placed Daisy back in her crib with an eerie calmness, stepped out of the room without a word, and disappeared into the hallway.

Maxi backed away slowly, her thoughts spinning. She didn’t want to confront Willow, she didn’t want to believe that Willow could be dangerous. But as she turned to leave, a blow to the back of her head sent everything into darkness.

When Maxi awoke, her head throbbed, her mouth dry. She blinked against the dim light filtering through rusted panels above her. The smell of dust and metal filled her senses—she was in a warehouse, a shed? She wasn’t sure. Her hands were tied, the ropes biting into her skin. Willow was nowhere to be seen. Time passed—hours, maybe days. Maxi screamed until her throat was raw, but no one came. The only thing she could hear was the silence.

Back in Port Charles, the concern for Maxi’s sudden disappearance was immediate. Sasha noticed first—Maxi had missed two scheduled meetings and hadn’t answered any calls or texts. Brooklyn confirmed that Maxi had called the night before to arrange the meeting, but had never shown up. Carly, Michael, and Anna were all involved in trying to find her, but no one thought to suspect Willow. After all, Willow had been quiet lately, distant even. She had been focusing on healing, staying out of sight. No one had seen the cracks in her mental state.

Willow had grown increasingly obsessed with Daisy since Sasha regained full custody. But it wasn’t until Maxi’s disappearance that anyone began to realize just how dark Willow’s fixation had become.

Willow had convinced herself that she alone could protect Daisy from the dangers of the Corinthos world, that her actions were out of love and not madness. She believed Daisy needed her, and in her mind, no one else could keep her safe.

Maxi, however, had seen the truth. The night she had confronted Willow, she had become a threat to Willow’s delusions. The longer Maxi remained missing, the more unhinged Willow became. She didn’t notice the coldness creeping into the room where Maxi was kept. She convinced herself that no one would ever link her to the disappearance.

But Maxi’s eventual survival and return to consciousness shattered Willow’s illusion.

Meanwhile, a routine medication check at General Hospital uncovered a list in Willow’s locker—details about the Cortmain children’s routines, their naps, rooms, and even recently changed security codes. This discovery set off alarm bells for Elizabeth Weber, who quickly brought it to Anna DeVane.

Anna and Jason worked swiftly to trace Willow’s movements. Carly, piecing together the instability in Willow’s behavior and Maxi’s disappearance, started to suspect what no one else dared to say: Willow had orchestrated the whole thing.

Two days later, Jason discovered the warehouse where Maxi had been held. He forced open the door, finding Maxi barely conscious but alive. An ambulance was called, but Willow had already vanished. Her apartment was empty, and her phone destroyed. The last image caught on a gas station camera showed Willow boarding a bus out of state. Alone.

Maxi, recovering slowly, gave her statement to the authorities. She described everything she remembered, still haunted by the feeling that Willow wasn’t done yet.

Meanwhile, Jason found surveillance footage that placed Willow in a cabin 30 miles outside of Port Charles. When he drove there alone, he found signs of a fire, an attempt to erase evidence. Inside, he discovered a list detailing Daisy’s schedule. This wasn’t a flight or escape plan—it was a preparation for something much darker.

Willow had planned this. She wasn’t running away. She was preparing for something else entirely. And that made her even more dangerous.

Back at the Cortmain estate, Brooklyn strengthened security, moving Daisy and Sasha into a safe house. Sasha, still shaken, began therapy once again. She feared for Daisy’s safety and the possibility that Willow would return.

And return she did. A note was left in Deception’s mailbox—a single line of text in Willow’s handwriting: “She belongs with me.” Maxi received it, trembling as she unfolded the note. Anna and Jason immediately began formulating a plan to bait Willow out.

The strategy worked. Willow surfaced at a live press appearance by Maxi, holding a single white flower. But when the security surrounded her, Willow didn’t run. Instead, she called out, pleading, “Maxi, please tell them I’m not crazy. I just wanted my daughter back.”

Jason and Anna approached her calmly. “No one’s hurting you, Willow, but you need help.” Willow’s eyes searched for Michael, holding Daisy’s hand in the crowd. Her voice cracked, “You didn’t even give me a chance.”

Michael didn’t respond, but Willow dropped the flower, and the police took her into custody quietly. She didn’t resist.

Maxi’s recovery was slow, but she made it through. Willow, meanwhile, was placed in a psychiatric facility for evaluation, diagnosed with severe postpartum psychosis, trauma, and untreated schizophrenia. She wasn’t fit to stand trial, at least not yet.

Carly took control of the situation, working closely with Jason and Anna to protect her family. With Maxi back at Deception, she resumed her role, but now, she moved forward with a new, sharper resolve—one forged by trauma and betrayal.

Port Charles was never the same again. The ghosts of the past, like Willow’s obsession, still haunted the streets. Some truths had been uncovered, but as always, in Port Charles, not everything was what it seemed.

🕰️ TO BE CONTINUED ⬇️⬇️