What Happened Between Ridge And The Second Caroline On The Bold And The Beautiful?
In the early days of "The Bold and the Beautiful," Ridge Forrester was romantically involved with Caroline Spencer (Joanna Johnson), the daughter of business tycoon Bill Spencer Sr. (Jim Storm). Sadly their relationship was plagued with issues from the start. However, one of the biggest hurdles the couple had to overcome was Caroline's leukemia diagnosis, a disease that ultimately claimed her life. Caroline was Ridge's first major love story on the show, but once she was out of the picture, things became all about Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Taylor Hayes (then Hunter Tylo).
During one of Brooke and Ridge's many fallouts, she became involved with Bill Spencer Sr.'s son, Bill Spencer Jr. (Don Diamont). Ridge was vehemently against the idea of them being together — so much so, that he traveled across the globe to stop them from tying the knot. Upon arrival, he was able to hold off the nuptials, but Bill orchestrated the helicopter carrying Ridge to dump him in the water, and although he survived, he suffered severe memory loss.
This not only caused Ridge to forget about his epic love story with Brooke, but it took away his innate abilities as a fashion designer. However, amid all of this, Ridge grew closer to Caroline's namesake, Caroline Spencer (Linsey Godfrey). She was fresh off her own heartache from her doomed relationship with Rick Forrester (Jacob Young), so working with Ridge was comforting for all involved.
Caroline was instrumental in helping Ridge recover from his injuries
Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) had lost all confidence and skills pertaining to his career as a fashion designer. Luckily, Caroline Spencer was able to serve as his muse. The more she helped him regain what he had lost, the deeper their bond became. The only issue was that she was previously involved with his son, Thomas Forrester (then Pierson Fode), and there was a lot of bad blood on the table as a result.
Thomas aside, Ridge and Caroline were able to craft something special together that ultimately led to a genuine romance. Things were looking up for them, but as they were getting closer, an unexpected hurdle put a kink in their plans. Caroline discovered she was pregnant, but she was terrified at the idea of Thomas learning that he was the father of the baby. Sleeping with Thomas while on a pause from Ridge made the strange and twisted story of the baby's conception even more complicated because of Ridge's vasectomy.
Ridge and Caroline put a plan into motion for him to raise his grandson as his own, keeping Thomas completely out of the loop. It was risky, but they felt like they were doing what was best for the child at the time. Eventually, their son arrived, and he was named Douglas Forrester after Ridge's late mother, Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery). However, they knew the walls would eventually close in, and the guilt would begin to grow about keeping Thomas from his son.
Ridge and Caroline kept Douglas' paternity from Thomas
Ultimately, Ridge Forrester was the one who couldn't take it anymore and formally declared that Thomas Forrester was the real father of baby Douglas. It caused a lot of mixed emotions, but he believed he was doing the right thing. Obviously, this reveal served as the amicable dissolution of Ridge and Caroline's marriage, and she made a genuine attempt at building a life, and a family, with Thomas and Douglas.
When their relationship didn't work out either, Caroline resorted to faking an illness to keep Thomas in her life, hoping it would separate him from Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) entirely. Once that lie came out, Thomas reconciled with Sally and they gave things another try, but it didn't work out, and Caroline eventually passed away from a genuine illness. Ridge and Caroline's relationship started off with the best intentions and was full of hope and potential.
Unfortunately, the secrets and lies quickly added up, and their genuine feelings for other people couldn't be swept under the rug any longer. It was clear that Caroline wanted to give a family with Douglas and Thomas an honest try, and Brooke Logan will always be the one true love and destiny for Ridge no matter how many pit-stop relationships there are along the way. Sadly, despite their best intentions, it wasn't meant to be.