For months now, The Young and the Restless has woven a tense undercurrent around the absence of young Harrison Locke from Genoa City. The once-lively presence of the boy left a void in the Newman and Abbott households, a silence that carried more weight than anyone expected. Rumors swirled, questions lingered, but the truth was deceptively simple: Harrison had been living with Summer Newman in Milan.

Summer, determined to shield Harrison from the chaos that often consumes the Abbott and Newman legacies, provided him with stability, peace, and a carefully built routine. It was a sanctuary far from Genoa City’s constant turmoil—a chance for the child to experience normalcy. For a time, it seemed the arrangement was necessary, even beneficial. Yet in true Genoa City fashion, no period of calm lasts forever.

Now, the boy’s return to his fractured family threatens to ignite a firestorm of accusations, betrayals, and emotional upheaval.

Summer’s Choice – A Return That Isn’t What It Seems
Summer’s decision to bring Harrison back should have been simple—a joyful family reunion. A father seeing his son again, a family reconciling over months of lost time. But instead of returning to Genoa City, Summer detoured to Nice, France.

What awaited her there wasn’t the warm embrace of reconciliation, but a shattering revelation about Kyle Abbott’s spiraling life choices.

Rather than the responsible co-parent she hoped to find, Summer discovered a man lost in indulgence and reckless romance. Kyle, once the devoted father who fought tooth and nail to protect Harrison, now seemed distracted and consumed by his personal entanglements.

Summer, always torn between her love for Harrison and her lingering bitterness toward Kyle, was blindsided. She expected flaws—Kyle has always been impulsive and complicated—but she never expected him to put fleeting desires above his role as a father.

The disappointment cut deep. Their reunion, which could have been tender, instead erupted into confrontation.

A Clash in Nice – Love, Anger, and Bitter Truths
Summer’s anger was raw, her words unfiltered. She accused Kyle of choosing passion over responsibility, of abandoning his son emotionally, even if not physically. Her fury wasn’t only for herself but for Harrison—the little boy who had unknowingly become collateral damage in Kyle’s reckless choices.

Kyle, stung by her accusations, lashed back. He insisted Summer didn’t understand the pressures he faced, the conflicting obligations pulling him in different directions. But his excuses rang hollow. To Summer, they only confirmed what she feared: that Kyle had lost sight of what truly mattered.

The argument escalated, shifting from bitter recriminations about the past to harrowing questions about the future. Who would raise Harrison? Where would he belong?

Kyle, cornered and overwhelmed, suggested that Harrison should stay with Summer. After all, the boy had already grown accustomed to life in Milan, and Summer had proven she could provide the stability Kyle himself seemed incapable of offering.

But this reasoning wasn’t a solution—it was an abdication of responsibility.

Summer’s Shocking Refusal
Kyle’s plea stunned Summer. For years, she had stepped into the role of Harrison’s mother, nurturing him, protecting him, and loving him as her own. But now, she refused.

She reminded Kyle that Harrison needed more than her love—he needed his father to step up, to fight for him, to make him a priority. Summer had carried the burden long enough, and while her love for Harrison was deep, she couldn’t continue to sacrifice her own happiness to cover Kyle’s failings.

It was a heartbreaking confession. For perhaps the first time, Summer placed herself first, admitting that she longed for freedom from the constant shadow of Kyle’s choices. She wanted a life that was hers alone, not defined by the mistakes of the man she once loved.

The revelation hit Kyle harder than he expected. He had counted on Summer—depended on her—to shoulder the weight he could not. Her refusal stripped him of that crutch and forced him to face a painful truth: Harrison was his son, and no one else could fill that role for him.

Kyle’s Crisis – Can He Be the Father Harrison Needs?
In that moment, Kyle was left to grapple with the deepest question of his life: Was he capable of being the father Harrison deserved?

The illusion that he could juggle his love life, his career, and his parental responsibilities shattered under Summer’s refusal. The argument in Nice left Kyle exposed—not only to Summer’s disappointment, but to his own self-loathing.

Harrison, too young to fully understand the venom in his parents’ voices, would nonetheless feel the weight of their decisions. Children always do. He would sense the instability, the tension, and the pain, even if he couldn’t articulate it. And that realization tore at both Kyle and Summer, even as they clashed.