Although Nicole announces that she’s Mrs. Lucas Roberts, Eric still fights for the bride
There’s heartache ahead for Salem’s young lovers! Nicole shocks everyone and breaks her supposed fianc� Eric’s heart when she announces she’s married to Lucas! With this stunning revelation, she helps Lucas win immediate custody of Will.
During the hearing, Lucas incurs anger from all directions. Tempers flare between Lucas and his older brother Austin over Will. Lucas also engages in verbal sparring with Eric over Nicole. IN the highly charged atmosphere, estranged spouses Austin and Carrie try to present a united front as Lucas tells the judge he has turned his life around and wasn’t to raise his son. He seems to be losing the battle…until Nicole arrives and delivers the bombshell. As a result, Eric explodes and lunges at Lucas; fists fly, and Eric is escorted out. Nicole then tells the judge she married Lucas out of love and wants to raise Will. All of the Bradys, except for Roman (who has always had doubts about Nicole), are shocked by her turnaround.
Austin, Carrie, and Lucas get into a shutting match after Lucas is accused of blackmailing Nicole into marriage. Lucas rubs salt in Austin’s fresh wounds when he counters with painful remarks about Carrie and Mike. When Eric confronts Lucas, he says he’s convinced that Nicole was somehow forced into marriage and will get an annulment so she can marry him after all. Lucas snaps back that Eric is the loser here, period.
Meanwhile, after Nicole is rebuffed b Eric, she and Kate have a heated confrontation. Nicole says she can end the marriage just as fast as she agreed to let it happen. But Kate reminds Nicole that she owns her and better become the perfect, loving wife for Lucas. Later, when Eric arrives, Nicole flatly denies his accusation that Kate threatened to fire her unless Nicole married Lucas.
Still, Eric asks Nicole to wear his engagement ring. He’s also put a down payment on their house; they can live happily-ever-after. Nicole is heartbroken as she tells him to get on with his life without her and insists her decision to marry Lucas was her own. Eric asks her how much she was paid to become Mrs. Lucas Roberts. Nicole denies this, too. She says she would never feel worthy of Eric because she’s done some awful things in her past, and if he knew the extent, he would dump her anyway. Eric doesn’t wonder if she was two-timing him along. Nothing Nicole ca say can convince Eric that Nicole wed Lucas for love, but Eric knows he can never believe Nicole ever again!
What the Actors Think About the Bombshell
Arianne Zuker says of Nicole’s choice, "Lucas has no idea Kate gave Nicole money. He’s a victim between Nicole and Kate. And Nicole has completely ruined Eric. I have no idea how she could come back to town and face him! She has no one left to lean on. Lucas knows her past and accepts her anyway. She really loves Eric, but money overshadowed love." Bryan Daltio feels, "Lucas is not stupid. HE knows that if he pushed the right buttons, he can get Nicole to accept him. HE really thinks that love will come later. That where I thinks he’s a little demented! He’s probably a bit intrigued by Nicole’s bad streak; Lucas has one too. It makes them somehow alike."Jensen Ackles says Eric is feeling "incredibly hurt and betrayed. It took a lot for him to let his guard down and love unconditionally. He wanted to trust Nicole so much. He believed this relationship was going to be forever, and better than most of the relationships in his family and in town. To have it all backfire is devastating. He blase himself."
-taken form the May 25, 1999 issue of Soap Opera Update