With Traci's help, Brad finally managed to get out of his unusual marriage. At the divorce hearing, Brad and Cassandra agreed to part amicably without laying claim to each other's financial interests. Immediately after the hearing, Cassandra rushed off to see her former boyfriend, Paul Williams. Before they could connect, Cassandra was fatally struck by a truck. At the reading of Cassandra's will, Paul was surprised to learn she had made him her sole heir. However, before Paul could celebrate his becoming a multi-millionaire, an unexpected turn of events took place. The judge who presided over Brad and Cassandra's divorce died before he had signed their papers, which meant that Brad was the legal heir to Cassandra's fortune.

A pregnant Lauren was infuriated to learn that Sheila was also pregnant with Scott's baby. When Sheila suddenly went into labor, she was rushed to the hospital. The doctors later informed her that her baby had been stillborn. Realizing that she needed a baby to continue manipulating Scott, Sheila hatched a new scheme. She purchased a pregnancy pad and made everyone believe that she was still expecting Scott Grainger's baby. Soon after, Paul helped Lauren through her labor and she gave birth to a baby boy. At the same time, Sheila, who was pretending to be out-of-town, phoned Scott and announced that she had given birth to a baby boy while visiting her parents in Michigan. Sheila then arranged to return home with a baby, courtesy of a shifty baby broker.

Hightailing it to the hospital, Sheila exchanged her brokered baby with Lauren's child. Sheila also falsified the medical records. However, she encountered a glitch when Lauren noticed that her son was missing the Grainger birthmark. But Sheila bypassed the problem by having the birthmark surgically removed from "her" baby. Scott persuaded Lauren to hasten their divorce so that he could marry Sheila. Disappointed that Scott was dumping her for Sheila, Lauren revealed that she had also just given birth to a baby boy, but that the child's conception was the result of a extra-marital affair.

Soon after, Sheila and Scott were married in the hospital chapel. A tearful Lauren stood in the back of the chapel and watched them exchange wedding vows. Eventually, Sheila's mom, Molly Carter, discovered her daughter's baby switch and decided to tell Lauren the truth. On the way to Lauren's office, Molly suffered a debilitating stroke, which left her temporarily unable to speak. When Lauren began visiting Molly, Sheila orchestrated an elaborate scheme to make it look as if Molly had attempted suicide. Then Sheila had her mother committed to a mental institution. Not long after, Lauren was overwhelmed with grief when her son died from meningitis.

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