The Time The Young And The Restless' Nikki Newman And Abby Newman Wanted The Same Man
"The Young and The Restless" is no stranger to showcasing complicated love stories, love triangles, and other dramatic situation-ships. However, one of the most bizarre storylines in the history of the show is the triangle entanglement between Arturo Rosales (Jason Canela), Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott), and Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway).
Arturo was a newcomer in Genoa City with no ties to any of the existing characters on the canvas. However, it didn't take long for Arturo to find himself romantically interested in not one but two of the town's most prominent and powerful women.
To up the ante, not only did he become involved with two different women of status in town, the ladies were related, with Nikki being Abby's longtime stepmother, married to her father, business titan Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), per Soap Central. Being involved with characters like them was a guarantee to fall in the middle of some sort of wild drama.
Arturo may not have been on "Y&R" for as long as some, but his impact can't be forgotten. The way things transpired had a lasting impression on not only Nikki and Victor's marriage but also the trajectory of Abby's love life. While Nikki used her time with Arturo to strengthen her future, Abby has been somewhat of a lost soul in the love department since her relationship with Arturo.
Nikki met Arturo while in an open marriage with Victor
Arturo Rosales' first foray into the Genoa City dating pool was with an unexpected individual. Originally presented as a stripper, Nikki Newman worked hard to build a positive reputation for herself, becoming a well-respected woman in the community. Plus, despite being married and divorced multiple times, Victor Newman and Nikki were considered pillars of the town, so a scandal in their marriage came as somewhat of a shock (via Soap Central).
Even though Arturo was originally brought to town to work on Nick Newman's (Joshua Morrow) charity housing project, it didn't take long for sparks to fly between him and Nikki. Eventually, their attraction escalated to one of a sexual nature, despite the glaring age difference between the two, as well as Nikki's marriage to Victor. When Nick discovered his mother's affair with Arturo, she was forced to divulge the details about her open marriage arrangement with his father (via Soaps).
Regardless of the arrangement between Victor and Nikki in their marriage, he still wasn't a fan of Arturo. It didn't matter what Victor or anyone else thought about the situation between Nikki and Arturo because she was insistent on continuing their torrid affair. Unfortunately for Arturo, the fun wasn't going to last as long as he may have intended, falling victim to the undeniable fact that Nikki and Victor always find their way back to each other.
Nikki ended things with Arturo after Victor's health scare
Things between Arturo Rosales and Nikki Newman were going well, with their no-strings-attached fun being a welcome new addition to Nikki's life. However, like anything in the world of soap operas, characters can't remain happy for too long. Even though Victor and Nikki were in an open marriage at the time, when push came to shove, she was always going to choose her husband, leaving Arturo in the lurch.
Sometime after one of their steamy encounters, Nikki learned about Victor's hospitalization, immediately racing to the hospital, with Arturo in tow, to be with him. It was just a casual fling, but Arturo was dedicated to Nikki, not only driving her to be with Victor but waiting at the medical facility to lend her emotional support (via Soaps In Depth). Sadly for Arturo, Victor's health scare would spell the end of his relationship with Nikki. Her focus was Victor, so there was no time for their bedsheet excursions (via Soaps).
Luckily for Arturo, when one door closed, another door opened, and it came in the form of Abby Newman, Nikki's stepdaughter, much to the dismay of his former fling. Even though they had a familial connection, his relationships with the two women could not have been more different.
Nikki was against Abby and Arturo's relationship early on
Things were always different between Arturo Rosales and Abby Newman than they were in his affair with Nikki Newman. The feelings seemed much deeper, and things progressed a lot faster and farther. Right away, Nikki didn't approve of Abby and Arturo's relationship, and she attempted to put her foot down about the coupling, but it fell on deaf ears. The chemistry between the new lovebirds was undeniable, and they raced toward a future together (via Soap Central).
However, things between Abby and Arturo almost fizzled out as quickly as they began because of his affair with Nikki. Once Abby learned about their previous sexual encounters, she was a bit uncomfortable, but she was able to move past it and entered into a genuine relationship with the Miami heartthrob. Nikki was certain his relationship with Abby was doomed from the beginning, regardless of any grandstanding about how legitimate their feelings were. She knew Arturo intimately and could read him from a mile away.
They didn't pay Nikki's warnings any mind, but, for this couple, Nikki would become the least of their concerns. A blast from Arturo's past was on her way to town. There was no escaping the hurricane known as Mia Rosales (Naomi Gonzalez), Arturo's sister-in-law (via Soaps In Depth).
Rey's wife, Mia, came to town, causing trouble for the lovebirds
The single biggest hurdle in Abby Newman's relationship with Arturo Rosales was the arrival of his brother, Rey Rosales' (Jordi Villasuso), wife at the time, Mia Rosales. Her mere presence threatened to ruin any chance of these two having the type of fairy tale romance that Abby had always dreamed of. Once she was in town, a bombshell was dropped on Abby and everyone: Mia and Arturo previously had an affair, and that was the actual cause of the current tension between Rey and Arturo (via Soaps In Depth).
What Abby didn't see coming was the betrayal of a lifetime, something that occurred strictly out of paranoia over something that never transpired. Rey went on an out-of-town trip with Sharon Newman (Sharon Case), resulting in Mia's imagination working overdrive, paving the way for Mia and Arturo to cross the line for the second time, threatening to ruin everything he and Abby had built (via Soaps).
Abby ended her engagement after the affair was revealed
Abby Newman and Arturo Rosales were destined to prove Nikki Newman's point to be true, thanks to his tryst with his brother's wife, Mia Rosales. Even though Nikki's prediction was rooted in jealousy, she wasn't wrong. The second affair between Arturo and Mia was the beginning of the end for the couple. This was a long time coming because Mia clearly wanted to be with Arturo. In an attempt to kill Abby to pave the way for her own agenda with him, Mia hit Abby (or so she thought) in the back of the head, forcing her to fall into a pool unconscious (via Soap Hub).
However, it wasn't Nikki but Lola, Arturo's sister. Regardless of the attack, the facts about the affair were eventually exposed, leading to a question about the paternity of Mia's unexpected pregnancy. In the meantime, Abby went berserk and destroyed Arturo's car in a fit of rage. She wasn't wrong, though, because Arturo was indeed the father of Mia's unborn child, forcing everyone involved to re-evaluate who was in a relationship with whom (via Soaps In Depth).
Abby's relationship with Arturo was over, leaving a far larger trail of heartache and destruction than the dissolution of his casual fling with Nikki. Abby was engaged to Arturo at the time of the revelation of his affair, so, naturally, she was distraught and quite uncertain about what the future had in store for her.
Arturo left a lasting impact on the lives of both Nikki and Abby
Even though neither Abby Newman's nor Nikki Newman's relationships with Arturo Rosales worked out, their lives were forever changed by their romances with him. Nikki wanted a fling and some eye candy, but he gave her so much more. It was because of her sexual relationship with Arturo that she developed a new appreciation for her greatest love of all, Victor Newman. After Arturo, she recommitted to Victor, and the two have been stronger than ever in the years following her breakup with him. They squashed their open marriage arrangement, making room for only each other, something that appears to be working well for the soap legends.
Per Soaps, for Abby, things haven't been as smooth sailing since things didn't work out between her and Arturo. Following the end of their engagement, she eventually found love with Chance Chancellor (Connor Floyd), marrying him and even having a baby together. However, since returning to town after being presumed dead, things haven't been the same between them, driving Abby into the arms of her son's biological father, her longtime friend and confidant, Devon Hamilton (Bryton James).
Arturo, however, is a mere memory at this point. With Rey's death, following a fiery car crash and heart attack, the entire family has vanished from "The Young and the Restless."