Ashland’s motives remain a chilling mystery. Is he back for revenge, seeking to bring the Newmans to their knees? Or is his return more personal—a calculated move to reclaim what he believes was stolen from him? What’s clear is that Ashland has no intention of fading into the background. His arrival at Victoria and Cole’s wedding is a declaration of war, and Genoa City is the battlefield.As Victoria battles the return of her most haunting past, another devastating revelation is about to shake her world. Cole Howard, the man she’s prepared to build her future with, is keeping a tragic secret. After weeks of medical testing, Cole has received heartbreaking news: he is gravely ill. The diagnosis is grim. His condition is aggressive, incurable, and advancing fast. The man who has been Victoria’s rock now finds himself facing the most terrifying battle of all—his mortality.

But Cole, ever the protector, chooses silence. He can’t bear the thought of shattering the happiness that Victoria and Clare have found. At first, he manages to hide the signs of his illness, masking his fatigue with smiles and pretending all is well. Yet, the pain soon becomes impossible to disguise. During a quiet dinner with his family, his condition betrays him. His weariness, the pale shade of his skin, the struggle to sit upright—all alarms that Victoria cannot ignore.

When she confronts him, the truth tumbles out in heavy, heart-wrenching silence. Victoria’s world stops. Her husband is dying, and she didn’t see it coming. Clare, innocent and bright-eyed, senses the despair but doesn’t yet grasp its depth. “Daddy, are you going to be okay?” she asks with a trembling voice. And in that moment, Cole’s strength falters. There are no answers that can offer comfort.

For Victoria, the weight of grief and fear becomes unbearable. She begins a frantic search for hope—specialists, trials, alternative treatments—anything that could keep Cole with them just a little longer. Yet deep down, she knows the truth: this may be a fight they can’t win. In the face of impending loss, Clare matures quickly. Though still a child, she becomes more observant, more compassionate—aware, in her own way, that change is coming.

As this storm brews within the Howard household, Ashland’s looming presence grows darker and more insidious. His reappearance is not just about unresolved feelings or lingering grudges; it’s about power. Ashland knows the Newman family’s weaknesses. He knows how to sow doubt, stir conflict, and exploit every fracture. And he’s come back at the worst possible time, when Victoria’s strength is being tested by her husband’s failing health.

Victoria finds herself trapped between two impossible fronts: a past that refuses to die and a future slipping through her fingers. Her love for Cole is fierce and unwavering, but her emotional strength begins to erode under the combined weight of loss and fear. And Ashland watches. Waiting. He knows that heartbreak can break even the strongest woman—and Victoria has never been more vulnerable.

Cole, meanwhile, begins to piece together that Ashland’s return may not be coincidental. He sees how Victoria pulls away emotionally every time she sees Ashland, how her resolve crumbles ever so slightly. Is Ashland back to reclaim her heart? Or to destroy it all over again? Cole starts to wonder if his own illness might be weaponized in Ashland’s vendetta. And if so, how can he protect Victoria and Clare when he’s already battling his own mortality?

The Newman family, already splintered by past betrayals, finds itself facing yet another reckoning. Secrets long buried threaten to rise. Ashland hints at knowing things no one else does—family secrets that could destroy reputations and dismantle legacies. With every cryptic comment, he tightens his grip around Victoria’s life.

As Victoria struggles to keep her world from falling apart, she’s faced with an impossible decision: does she confront the man who once destroyed her, or does she retreat in an attempt to protect her family from further trauma? Time is running out. Cole’s condition worsens, Ashland grows bolder, and the safety of her daughter hangs in the balance.

One thing is certain—Ashland Locke’s return marks the beginning of a storm no one in Genoa City is prepared for. In a world of power plays, painful memories, and fragile love, Victoria Newman must decide what—and who—is worth fighting for.

Stay tuned, because this chapter of The Young and the Restless is far from over. And in Genoa City, nothing stays buried forever.