Eric and Brooke managed to keep their secret until a day before the divorce hearing. Storm has stumbled on the truth while talking to Brooke. He stormed Eric's office ready to give him a piece of his mind, but ended giving his blessing.
Ridge made the connection while speculating with Caroline about the mysterious man in Brooke's life.
At first Ridge was so mad that he wanted to reveal the truth to Stephanie. Thorne was the cool headed one who tried to talk him out of it. But when Ridge told him that Brooke is pregnant he made a 180 turn and and decided to spill the beans to Stephanie.
Ridge on the other hand made a 180 turn of his own after Eric, who was confronted by them, demanded that Stephanie will not be told.
Now Ridge was the one trying to talk Thorne out of telling Stepahnie.
That's why when the big day came and Eric was in Nevada ready to be granted his divorce and marry Brooke at the end of the day, Thorne was in the mansion telling Stephanie that the soon to be the new Mrs. Eric Forrester is no other then Brooke Logan.
Stephanie exploded, rushed to the courthouse and contested the divorce.
Eric was devastated. He had to go back to Brooke and tell her that there isn't going to be a wedding, not tonight and not in the near future. Stephanie is going to use any tactics in the book to delay the divorce.
That's how the war in the Forrester family started, with Stepahnie on one side, and on the other side Eric, who had the support of his children including Thorne. The later changed sides again, not before he and Eric almost got into a fist fight over Thorne bad-mouthing Brooke.
It is not that Ridge, Thorne and Felicia were not there for Stephanie. They were. But all of them tried to convince her to give Eric his freedom.
Giving Eric his freedom was the one thing Stephanie wasn't about to do, because for her it meant only one unthinkable thing - letting Brooke have him.
Eric tried to get Stephanie to change her mind about Brooke. He arranged a meeting between himself, Brooke and Stephanie. In that meeting Brooke apologized to Stephanie for moving in with Ridge without her permission.
Stephanie fought back by trying to convince Eric that he is not realy in love with Brooke because he doesn't really know her. And the whole affair is nothing more than a mid-life crisis. Stephanie even went as far as voicing her doubts about the baby's paternity.
No one was able to influence the other and they reached an impasse. As far as Stephanie was concerned, Eric was still her hubby and Brooke wasn't going to have him. And Eric was determind to get the divorce and start new life with Brooke, preferably before the baby was born. He was even considering moving in with Brooke without the divorce.
And then Caroline died.
