This week on The Young and the Restless, the shadows of Mariah Copeland’s past return with terrifying consequences. After months of psychological torment, fractured memories, and terrifying silence, the truth Mariah feared most becomes undeniable: he’s back. The man she thought she killed — or hallucinated — has returned. And now, he wants something from her. Or he’ll take the one thing she loves most… Tessa.

It begins with a note slipped beneath Mariah’s door. Simple. Direct. “We both know what happened. You talk, she disappears.” Attached is a photo: Tessa at the park with Aria, unaware she’s being watched. The message is unmistakable. This isn’t guilt anymore. It’s a game. A threat. A warning.

Mariah is thrown into panic, her fear morphing into sheer fury. She races to Sharon’s, desperate to confess, but stops herself at the last minute. What can she say? That a man she might have tried to kill — or imagined altogether — has come back from the dead and is now stalking her wife? There’s no evidence, no proof, only dread.

Tessa notices Mariah unraveling again. The same distance. The same haunted look in her eyes. When she confronts her, Mariah finally admits the truth — or as much of it as she dares. Tessa listens, heartbroken and afraid. But instead of running, she vows to stay close. “If he’s watching, let him,” Tessa whispers. “He’ll see we’re stronger than whatever he’s planning.”

But even their united front may not be enough.

Later that night, a second message arrives — this time on Tessa’s phone. A live photo of Aria’s daycare. Taken from outside the building. The caption: “You’ve got 48 hours. Meet me alone. Or she’s next.”

Now, Mariah has no choice. She can’t risk the life of her daughter. She can’t bring in the police — not without unraveling everything she’s tried to protect. She turns to the only person who knows how to navigate these kinds of games: Cain Ashby.

Cain, already suspicious of Mariah’s unraveling story, agrees to help — but with his own agenda in mind. He offers surveillance gear, tracking tools, and a burner phone, but warns Mariah: “If you go through with this, you’re going into the lion’s den alone. And you may not come back the same.”

As the clock ticks down, Mariah prepares to face her tormentor. She’s no longer the fragile woman haunted by half-memories. She’s a mother, a fighter, and now — possibly — a vigilante. Her past has cornered her, her future hangs in the balance, and the only way out is straight through the fire.

But will she get to him before he gets to Tessa?