Upon arriving at her mother’s house, Serene knew that her brother might be the toughest egg to crack. “If my brother has ever been super protective of me, normally he’s like ‘oh, I’m your brother, I don’t care,'” she joked. “But he really cares deep down.”
As the group recounted the couple’s experiences thus far, Serene told her family that she had opened up to Clayton about the recent deaths of her grandmother and cousin. Serene acknowledged that she “hasn’t really talked about any of it” and looked at the breakthrough as a “huge turning point” in her relationship with Clayton.
Before breaking off to chat with Clayton one-on-one, brother Roland imparted some wisdom in a confessional.
“I’m anxious to talk to Clayton,” he asserted. “I know my sister. She instantly seemed really, really happy. Which is bittersweet for me, because the higher you are, the harder you fall. And I’m really, really scared for her.” Sometimes brothers really do know best.
In sitting down with Clayton, Roland immediately revealed that he was surprised to see his sister so vulnerable. “Our grandma? That happened two years ago. Our cousin? That happened two, maybe three months ago,” he said. “The fact that she told you about that is huge. That’s still an open wound for her. That lets me know that she sees something special in you.”
Before leaving, Serene and Roland sat down for a cathartic conversation that only siblings can have.
“I have to put a lot of big brother stuff aside because this is so fast,” he said while wiping away tears. “Because of how y’all are acting and looking at each other, it makes me really happy. But it also scares me the most. I have seen you hurt in a lot of ways. I’ve been up on the phone crying with you until three in the morning. I don’t want you to feel that anymore.”
Wait, can Roland be our big brother, too?
Back at the mansion, Clayton was having a noticeably difficult time with his decision before going into the rose ceremony. He admitted to host Jesse Palmer that he was “falling in love with” all four of the final women.
However, with roses handed out to Susie, Rachel and Gabby, the harsh truth—and Roland’s fears—reared its head. Serena questioned Clayton about whether or not her openness was ultimately what sent her packing, but Clayton said he merely had to ask himself “where do I stand with my heart?”
