Young & Restless Preview: The Next Dark Twist for Ashley Could Shatter [Spoiler]’s Heart

When Ashley returned from Paris for Abby’s wedding, we assumed that her significant issues had been dealt with and she was on stable ground once again.

As it turns out, a revealing conversation with her daughter after the fact teased trouble just around the bend. Worse, the next excerpt in this dark chapter of Ashley’s life could shatter the heart of someone she loves dearly…

When last we saw Ashley in Paris, she’d admitted herself to a mental health clinic recommended by her dear friend, psychologist Alan Laurent, following the death of his twin brother and her tormentor, Martin.

The Abbott had developed a raging case of Dissociative Identity Disorder so out of hand that the late Neil Winters may have turned in his grave if he saw the display she put on in his memorial jazz lounge whilst tipsy on tequila and sporting a southern drawl, of all things.

Ashley was out of sight, but never out of mind as she battled her demons in the French facility, and when Jack went to fetch her to bring her home to attend Abby’s wedding to Devon, we assumed everything was coming up roses despite not having the details of what exactly went on in Paree.

Then again, it was a little strange that Young & Restless teased a huge trauma from Ashley’s early life that had supposedly triggered the dreaded D.I.D. and then dropped it. So it wasn’t entirely a surprise to hear her admit to Abby after the honeymoon that everything wasn’t quite as hunky-dory with her as we might have presumed.

As it turns out, Ashley wants to believe that the D.I.D. is gone, but can’t be absolutely sure, and the talented therapists in France, although highly recommended by Alan, were unable to aid Ashley in accessing the triggering trauma from her youth.

This left us feeling kinda leery… as in, we’re now certain that what we witnessed up to the point that she went into the facility was merely part one of this dark chapter in her life. There’s clearly more to come.

While Ash was away, Traci and Alan’s tentative romance blossomed into a full-blown love story as they first traveled together and then ended up living together — where else? — but in the Abbott mansion. One would think it would be good news for Ashley to have her psychologist pal Alan close at hand, particularly if she hits shaky ground mentally again… but what if he becomes part of the problem?

As you might recall, back when Traci first brought Alan to Genoa City, his behavior cued some suspicion from fans (and us!) that Alan might actually be his supposedly dead twin Martin. Read our reasoning here and see if you agree before you continue reading.

The last thing we’d ever want is for Traci’s heart to be broken again, but if Alan is somehow actually Martin, and Ashley’s living under the same roof with him, it’s obviously a recipe for darkness and disaster. Even if Alan is not Martin, the fact that he looks identical to him could prove to be triggering should something else tip Ashley back into instability.

Ashley’s alters could take over again and attack Alan, believing that he’s Martin. Heck, there’s one alter that would happily kill the man!

Alternatively, Ashley might figure out that Martin is posing as Alan and start sounding the alarm… which no one will heed because they’ll believe she’s not in her right mind. There’s a bunch of ways this could play out, and unfortunately, most of them end with Traci’s heart being shattered into pieces.

All we know for sure is that Abby’s conversation with Ashley signalled that her mother’s latest dark chapter is far from closed. The trauma that triggered the D.I.D. has yet to be exposed, and someone who looks exactly like her tormentor, Martin, is living in her house. Consider yourselves warned!