1994 (#25) - Victor's doubts about Hope's pregnancy and escape to Kansas

Victor and Hope's wedding starts off under the best auspices. After returning from their honeymoon, the two love-struck newlyweds receive a visit from Nikki, who apologizes for her behavior leading up to the wedding, admitting that she was convinced that Hope could really make her husband happy. However, when Hope discovers to her great surprise that she is pregnant, the woman's happiness is not very reciprocated by Victor, who begins to have serious doubts about the decision to carry a pregnancy, worried that Hope's blindness could be a great limitation for the growth of a child. As always a perfectionist, Victor begins to seriously consider the possibility of terminating the pregnancy, not wanting to give birth to a child without having the possibility to raise it in optimal conditions; and so, the man tries to convince his wife about the risk of taking care of a child in such circumstances. When Victor confides in Douglas, however, he doesn't seem to agree with Victor's decision, while Nikki comes to support him, convinced that Hope could never be a good mother for the baby. As time goes by, meanwhile, Hope begins to enjoy the prospect of becoming a mother; and when she informs the man that she has decided she wants the baby and therefore has no intention of having an abortion, a deep argument ensues with her husband. The two begin to argue furiously, and when Victor forces his wife to get into the car to go to the hospital to see Dr. Andrew Forbes to complete the abortion procedure before it's too late, the woman goes off the grid. Desperate, Hope has in fact fled from Victor and, not knowing what to do, has taken the most natural decision for her: to return to Kansas. After contacting Cliff, who has never stopped loving her in all this time, he runs to her in Genoa City and happily agrees to take her back to his home, the only place she has ever loved and where she plans to give birth and raise her unborn child. When a worried Victor realizes he can't find Hope, his first thought is of a possible kidnapping. As the days go by, however, no ransom offer arrives, and when the phone finally rings, Victor realizes everything, namely that Hope has returned to Kansas. The woman informs her husband that she doesn't want to give up the baby and that it will be born there, in Kansas, where he wants her to grow up. In addition, Hope does not hide from her husband that she needs to think about their future, no longer knowing if their marriage can overcome this division. A grief-stricken Victor, who realizes that he has gone too far and that he can't pretend to manage everyone's lives, unless he hurts the people who love him the most, is consoled as always by his lifelong friend, Douglas, who urges him not to give up, since he is convinced that Hope will come back to him.