The Young and the Restless Recap, July 3, 2025: Cole and Victoria share a final kiss before he dies 

Here’s your Y&R recap for the Thursday, July 3, 2025 episode of The Young and the Restless, when Victoria and Claire have a devastating loss, Holden follows Cane’s orders, and Daniel suggests Mariah’s secret is darker than Tessa realizes.

What happened on The Young and the Restless

At the hospital, Cole told Claire and Victoria that he had made peace with it, but he wasn’t going to survive. He didn’t want Claire and Victoria to suffer watching him. They both told him reasons why they needed him to survive. “You’re both going to catch each other, I know that,” Cole said. He told them he didn’t want to waste time talking about moments they would miss with them; he just wanted to spend what time he had left letting them know they were loved.

Cole told Claire how proud he was of her and asked her to be brave. “I've done a lot of things in my life, but my proudest moment is being your dad,” Cole told her. Claire said she was proud to be his daughter as well. She recounted her moments of loneliness in her childhood and how she’d made a birthday wish when she turned seven, that her dad would be funny and kind. Whenever she was scared, as she was at that moment, the thought of him would be there for her to find comfort and strength. Claire said the wish came true, and she couldn't bear to think that he wouldn’t be in her life now.

“Even if you let go, I'm not going to,” she sobbed as she told him she would hold on to him tight. “I’m going to make the same wish again, and then you won’t have any choice but to fight and get better,” Claire cried. She said that even though she was a grown-up, she still needed her dad. Cole reminded Claire that they had been given a second chance to get to know one another, and they spent the time wisely. “We squeezed every bit of love in every day that we had,” Cole added. Victoria sobbed as Claire begged Cole to live so they could have more days together, but he told her that this was goodbye. “It’s not okay, I can’t say it! I’m sorry, Dad,” Claire cried before running out of the room.

Once alone, Cole marveled at the second chance that he and Victoria had, and that most don’t have the love they have. He said that their happy-ever-after love story could only be found in fairy tales. Victoria noted that it didn’t feel like happily ever after to her. “We got the happy part. We both really know there’s no such thing as ever after,” Cole whispered. Victoria wasn’t so sure about that and said she counted on seeing him in the next life. Cole told her he would be waiting.

Cole knew that Victoria would take care of Claire. Victoria told Cole she wasn’t going to ask him to stay because she knew that he couldn’t. “But I would like to ask you for one last thing, please,” she cried, “Would you kiss me?” “I’m sick. I’m sick, Vick,” Cole said weakly, but said he wanted that more than anything. Victoria leaned in and kissed Cole as he took his last breaths. Victoria sat back down and cried.

Daniel ran into Tessa at Crimson Lights, and she updated him that Mariah had moved out. They sat down to talk, and Tessa shared that she hoped that Mariah would change her mind and come home. Daniel wondered if there was anything that Mariah could have done that Tessa wouldn’t be able to forgive. Tessa confessed she’d already thought of the worst-case scenario (that Mariah may have met someone else and fallen in love) but didn’t believe that had happened.

“All that Mariah is feeling right now is trapped by her own pain and misery,” Tessa concluded. Daniel suggested that maybe whatever Mariah did was far beyond her imagination. Tessa didn’t think Mariah was the same person who was raised by Ian Ward and wouldn’t do something illegal. Daniel wondered if that was part of Ian’s legacy to make Mariah so damaged that she couldn’t stop herself from doing something she regretted.

Tessa told Daniel she could only focus on the things that she could control, and that was to take care of their daughter. Until Mariah opened up, she couldn’t help her. She appreciated Daniel’s friendship. Daniel held her hand and agreed that at least he could be a distraction. Daniel offered to postpone guitar lessons as Tessa had so much on her plate. Tessa said making music was helpful to her, as well. Daniel offered to be there for her whenever he wanted to talk.

At the park, Mariah was in deep thought. “What have I done?” she asked herself. She agonized over the memory she had of laughing and drinking with a man, and then they looked into each other’s eyes. Later, Mariah sat on the park bench, recalling herself sitting, stunned, in an armchair, holding a pillow. She gasped and sobbed to herself again, asking, “What have I done?!”

At Society, Chelsea told Adam she wished she could go to France with him, but knew she couldn’t. Adam was convinced that Colin and Cane were running a con and wanted to forewarn his dad. Adam shared that he had a feeling that something bad was about to happen to his family. Adam thought the GCAC was a local institution, and it freaked him out that Aristotle Dumas bought it. Chelsea noted that he’d overpaid for most of the properties he’d bought in Genoa City.

Chelsea advised Adam that Aristotle wouldn’t want to take on the Newmans. Outside the window, Holden approached the restaurant but saw Chelsea and Adam inside. He glanced at the list on his phone that Cane had instructed him to casually make acquaintances with: Chelsea Lawson, Adam Newman, Mariah Copeland, and Claire Newman. Holden put his phone in his pocket and walked away.

Chelsea walked Adam outside to say goodbye to him as he left for the airport. When she went to walk back inside, Holden reappeared and held the door open for her. He stopped her inside and said, “I apologize for sounding forward, but aren’t you Chelsea Lawson?”

Holden told Chelsea he was a huge fan of hers and work in fashion, and that she found a sweet spot between what was classic and cutting edge. Holden introduced himself and offered to buy her a drink. He explained that he had just left his position but with his interest in fashion, he was thinking of a new career path and hoped she could give him some advice.

Chelsea told Holden that she wasn’t in fashion anymore as she’d left Marchetti for Newman Media. “But I have a feeling you already knew that,” she added. Chelsea said that she knew he worked for Nate’s half-brother, Damian, and had seen him at Crimson Lights earlier. “How do you know Cane Ashby?” she asked. Holden stammered that he had just met him and swore that was the truth. “Is it true that you’re between jobs? Because Cane was giving you marching orders like he was your boss. What exactly do you do for him?” she wondered.

“Damn…you are good,” Holden replied. Holden insisted that he didn’t work for Cane and that they had just started talking at the coffee shop randomly. He explained that Cane mentioned he used to live there, and they were talking about things that had changed in Genoa City. Chelsea wondered what information Holden was hoping to get from her. Holden said he was just a sucker for an interesting and beautiful woman.

Holden insisted he was just a harmless flirt and that he did find Chelsea intriguing. “You know from fashion, there is more than what one can see with the eye,” he added. “So you really are a fan?” Chelsea asked hopefully. Holden thought the designer shirt he was wearing would have given his fashion interest away. He smiled as he apologized if he had upset her in any way. Chelsea told him that he didn’t upset her. She appreciated his compliments and believed that he admired her work. “But I think everything else you said is a lie,” she retorted.

Victoria and Claire came home and consoled one another. “I shouldn’t have left like that,” Claire said. “I didn’t say goodbye,” Victoria told her that Cole wasn’t upset about it. “It’s not right. We finally found each other after all these years. He’s never going to hug me again,” Claire cried. Victoria pulled out Cole’s jacket and put it around Claire’s shoulders as she smelled his cologne. “It’s almost as though he’s hugging me,” she said.

Victoria made Claire some tea. Claire didn’t know how to handle losing someone she loved so much, but Victoria said she hadn’t figured that out either. Claire wondered if Victoria truly believed in Heaven and if her dad was there. Victoria told her she did. Claire didn’t know what to think, but knew she would carry Cole in her heart for the rest of her life.

Victoria noted she was missing her dad, mom, and Nic,k but knew that if they could call, they would. She and Claire both thought they would be fine and needed some time to process that Cole was gone. Claire put Cole’s jacket on Victoria before going up to bed. Alone in the kitchen, Victoria sobbed. She spotted Cole’s book about British romanticism and brought it upstairs with her.

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Claire came home to the dark living room and grabbed the phone. She called Kyle and left him another message. “I wish you would respond. I need to hear your voice. It’s my dad. I lost him. He’s gone,” she cried before hanging up.

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