What Happened To Zende And Nicole On The Bold And The Beautiful?
Nicole Avant (Reign Edwards) was introduced to fans of "The Bold and the Beautiful" in 2015 as the sister of Maya Avant (Karla Mosley) who came with a secret to share. It turned out that Nicole was the only person in Los Angeles who knew Maya — a groundbreaking character in soap history — was transgender, and she wanted to get to know the sister her parents kicked out years earlier (via Soaps in Depth). She quickly took on an internship at Forrester Creations and met fellow-newbie Zende Dominguez Forrester (then Rome Flynn).
Zende was the adopted child of Kristen Forrester (Tracy Melchior) and Antonio Dominguez (Paulo Benedeti) and the grandson of Forrester Creations' founders Eric and Stephanie Forrester (via Soaps). He grew up in an orphanage in Africa prior to his adoption and then moved to Florida with his parents. In 2015, an adult Zende returned to Los Angeles to work at the family company.
Nicole and Zende hit it off immediately and were clearly interested in one another. When Zende witnessed his cousin Thomas Forrester (then Pierson Fodé) kiss Nicole, he decided it was time to make his move. He invited Nicole on a date, and the two began a relationship not long afterward.
Nicole became a surrogate for her sister
A few months into Nicole Avant and Zende Forrester Dominguez's relationship, Nicole made a huge life decision when she was asked to be a surrogate for her sister Maya Avant and her husband Rick Forrester (Jacob Young), per Soaps. Though she was given ample opportunities to turn down the request, Nicole felt carrying a baby for her sister who wasn't able to birth her own child was the perfect way to repay her for all of her support. Though Zende was initially skeptical of Nicole's decision, he was ultimately supportive and stood by her side when her parents Vivienne (Anna Maria Horsford) and Julius Avant (Obba Babatundé) attempted to talk her out of it (via Soap Central).
However, during Nicole's pregnancy, Zende grew more uncomfortable with the idea of her carrying another man's child and eventually broke things off, according to Soaps in Depth. Soon afterward, he began dating Nicole's childhood best friend — later revealed to be her half-sister — Sasha Thompson (Felisha Cooper), though he clearly still had feelings for the other woman.
After Nicole gave birth to a little girl that Maya and Rick named Lizzy, Zende realized that she was who he really wanted to be with and ended things with Sasha. In a last-ditch effort to save her relationship, Sasha lied about being pregnant but was soon forced to come clean when Nicole suspected the truth (via Canyon News). Nicole and Zende were then free to be together, and she happily took him back.
Nicole and Zende got married
Things seemed to be going well between Nicole Avant and Zende Forrester Dominguez following their reunion, but their happiness didn't last long. Less than a year after baby Lizzy's birth, Maya Avant asked her sister if she would be willing to be a surrogate for a second time so her daughter would have a sibling (via Soap Opera Spy). Zende was upset about the request and full-on outraged when Nicole agreed, and in a resentful outburst he whisked Sasha Thompson off on a Hawaiian getaway.
Nicole realized that having another baby for Maya and Rick Forrester would almost certainly jeopardize her relationship with Zende and decided that their love was more important. She tracked down Zende to tell him that she changed her mind about the surrogacy and was heartbroken to find him in bed with Sasha (via Soaps). Zende tried to make amends for his infidelity by proposing to Nicole, but she turned him down.
Refusing to give up, Zende continued with his attempts to win Nicole back by planning more and more extravagant gestures. He was finally able to woo her with a horse-drawn carriage proposal, and she accepted (via Soaps in Depth). The couple planned a luxurious wedding at the Forrester mansion and were eventually married on Valentine's Day 2017.
Nicole and Zende left town after terrible news
After getting married, Nicole Avant and Zende Forrester Dominguez decided they were ready to start a family of their own. However, the couple was devastated to learn that Nicole likely wouldn't be able to carry another baby due to uterine scarring from her pregnancy with Lizzy (via Soaps in Depth). Her family tried to comfort her during this difficult time, but Zende, her sister Maya Avant, and brother-in-law Rick Forreter became concerned when Nicole grew even more attached to Lizzy.
When it turned out that a clerical error had prevented Lizzy's adoption paperwork from being finalized, Nicole's father Julius Avant tried to convince her to take back the baby that was biologically her daughter (via Soap Central). Though she was tempted by the idea, Nicole ultimately made the decision to leave the little girl in the loving and capable hands of her sister Maya.
Not long afterward, the group decided that it would be best for Nicole and Zende to get some space, and they moved away to Paris to work at Forrester International. Nicole made a trip back to Los Angeles to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family, and things seemed to be going well for her in Europe. However, Zende (now played by Delon De Metz) returned to the city in 2020 stating that he and Nicole had gone their separate ways, according to via Soaps. Nicole has not been and has been rarely mentioned since, but fans of "The Bold and the Beautiful" hope that she might return someday to shake things up.