Throughout 2021, the “next generation” of Footprints — the now-adult kids of the original Fisher siblings, as well as their love interests and foils — rose to prominence in front-burner story, while the threat of Loretta Ragan simmered all year. In 2022, look for these setups to explode as different threads converge together, lives and relationships are threatened, and secret ties are revealed…
She’s Got Designs: On the advice of her attorneys, Molly decides to move forward with a lawsuit against Dr. Longo and the hospital over the way that the death of her and Brent’s baby was handled. This decision sets off a shocking chain of events that puts Loretta on the defensive, as her scheme to destroy Molly’s life is jeopardized. Brent grants Molly his support in the suit, and the exes dance around addressing the feelings that led to her pregnancy in the first place. Meanwhile, the other angle of Loretta’s plot — having Molly permanently removed from Objection Designs — continues apace, but Finn grows impatient. The reasons behind his allegiance with Loretta will be revealed in the first part of 2022… but will anyone get wise to what he’s up to before it’s too late? This is a massive umbrella storyline that folds in Travis and Rosie — who are on the verge of legally adopting baby Gabrielle, just as Molly and Brent become more suspicious about the circumstances that led to the infant being left outside the police station — and will have ripple effects for all the Fishers and everyone working at Objection.
Bar None: Once the lawsuit is filed, Elly feels caught in an impossible situation as part of Molly’s legal team. Spencer convinces her that she needs to confront Anatoli, the law firm partner who claimed he fixed her bar exam results, in hopes of gaining some clarity and neutralizing Loretta’s hold over Elly. Spencer accompanies her to California, with feelings between the two bubbling just beneath the surface. And Natalie — despite knowing full well that her marriage to Spencer exists in name only — catches wind of their bond and grows fearful that she could lose access to Spencer’s money, which could put Elly in her crosshairs.
The Boy is Mine: Another Loretta-related story gets a jolt early in the year when Sarah receives word through her contacts that Sonja has been located. Claire insists on accompanying Tim to confront her in hopes of learning the truth about TJ’s paternity. What Tim and Claire want almost as much as confirmation that the boy is Tim’s is info on Loretta, which got them hunting for Sonja in the first place. Will Sonja come clean about how and why she originally got involved with Loretta? Ultimately this story will dovetail with the threads involving baby Gabrielle and Objection, as the extent of Loretta’s vengeful schemes against the Fishers becomes clear.
House of Cards: While Finn assumes his post as Gia’s new assistant and hopes to ascend the ladder — or create a way to do so — at Objection, he causes friction between Trevor and Alex. Trevor makes a unilateral decision regarding the rental of the Brooks house, and Alex is upset when he finds out that his husband is taking action without consulting him. Loyalties come into question, just as an unexpected fourth party enters this story and creates potential for even more chaos.
I Take Thee: The other major story playing out as 2022 kicks off is that of Tori and Zane’s engagement. Sarah and Matt are more desperate than ever to get through to their daughter before she marries Zane, and they once again join forces with Landon, who decides to show Tori just how serious his feelings for her are. When Tori and Zane choose a wedding date, look out for a race against time that turns into an action-packed climax to this long-running tale — but will it be the end of Zane, or does he have another trick up his sleeve?
Second Time Around: Elsewhere in King’s Bay, two couples with very different — and very entangled — situations look primed to find their way back together. Samantha can’t deny her feelings for Tempest, but she also feels guilty over having not been completely honest with Jaq. When Jaq spots them together, they consider Zane’s offer to help get revenge on Sam and Tempest. Diane starts off the year with her walls up as far as Isaac is concerned, but it’s obvious that feelings remain between them. A harrowing situation thrusts the unlikely lovers together once again, and this ultimately forces Diane to face her shame over what she did to Tim and figure out whether she can move forward or not.
Around King’s Bay: Jason crosses his fingers after he and Sabrina decide that it’s time to get more serious, which means having Sabrina spend time around his rebellious teen daughter, Sophie… The older teens, facing high school graduation, must decide where — or whether — to attend college… Christian struggles with jealousy over Bree and Marcus’s growing closeness… Caleb makes a major life decision that involves Jasmine, to the consternation of his family.