Nina Reeves and Ava Jerome, who have spent years navigating a complicated friendship marked by betrayals, truces, and uneasy alliances, now find themselves on the brink of war

after a scandal involving Ric Lansing. The fallout from Ric’s mysterious disappearance is shaking the very foundation of loyalty and trust—not only in Willow’s custody battle but also

in the fragile bond between Nina and Ava. Thursday’s episode is set to highlight just how far both women are willing to go to protect their families, their reputations, and their own fragile senses of security.

Willow’s Custody Battle Spirals Out of Control

For Willow Tait, her custody fight has been one long nightmare. Already wrestling with feelings of betrayal after uncovering Drew Cain’s true motives, Willow has been struggling to hold on to her sense of stability. Ric Lansing seemed to appear at just the right moment. He offered his services pro bono, claiming he wanted to support her through the custody process. On the surface, Ric’s gesture looked like a lifeline. But as longtime fans of General Hospital know, Ric is rarely a man without ulterior motives.

Ric’s decision was not purely altruistic. He had ulterior ties—namely his quiet arrangement with Nina, who wanted him to support Willow in every possible way. For Nina, this was about ensuring her daughter received the strongest legal representation in what promised to be a brutal custody fight.

But when Ric suddenly vanished, the cracks in this carefully constructed plan became glaringly visible. His absence left Willow shaken, suspicious, and convinced that something sinister was at play.

The Disappearance That Changed Everything

On the September 16th episode, Willow confronted Nina directly. She visited her mother’s home, demanding answers and pointing out that Ric had gone completely off the grid, citing a so-called “digital detox” as the reason for his sudden unavailability. To Willow, this explanation seemed far too convenient. Was Ric truly stepping away from technology to recharge—or was this an elaborate excuse to back out of her case entirely?

Willow’s suspicions grew darker. She began to believe that Ric’s disappearance was not random but rather part of Nina’s larger scheme to manipulate the outcome of the custody proceedings. Was Ric, in fact, working as Nina’s pawn all along?

The confrontation between mother and daughter quickly escalated into a heated shouting match. Willow accused Nina of orchestrating events behind her back, while Nina insisted she had nothing to do with Ric’s sudden withdrawal. In Nina’s mind, she had hired Ric to give Willow a fair chance—not to sabotage her. But Willow wasn’t buying it, and the trust between them took a devastating blow.

Ava’s Secret Role

As if the family drama weren’t already explosive enough, Ava Jerome is about to become entangled in this web of lies and betrayals. Viewers will soon learn that Ric’s vanishing act wasn’t voluntary at all. In a shocking twist, Ava is revealed to have imprisoned Ric in Alexis Davis’s basement.

Why would Ava go to such extremes? In her usual fashion, Ava likely saw Ric as a threat—either to her own secrets or to those she cares about—and decided to take matters into her own hands. But her drastic move comes with enormous consequences.

When Nina eventually discovers the truth—that Ava was directly responsible for Ric’s disappearance—the fallout between the two women will be explosive. For years, they’ve managed to set aside their frequent disagreements in favor of a tenuous friendship, even leaning on each other during times of crisis. But this revelation could be the final straw, transforming allies into sworn enemies.

Nina’s Fury and Betrayal

Nina has already been pushed to the brink by Willow’s accusations and the collapse of their fragile relationship. Learning that Ava, of all people, was behind Ric’s disappearance will ignite her fury in ways fans haven’t seen in years.

From Nina’s perspective, Ava’s reckless actions have not only sabotaged Willow’s custody case but also destroyed the delicate trust between mother and daughter. What makes matters worse is that Ava’s betrayal feels deeply personal. Nina had come to rely on Ava as one of her closest confidantes, someone who understood her flaws yet still stood by her side.

Now, all of that is in jeopardy. With emotions running high, it’s entirely plausible that Nina could go so far as to report Ava’s crime to the police. After all, Ava’s decision to lock Ric away isn’t just underhanded—it’s criminal.

Carly, Sonny, and the Wider Fallout

While the focus of this storyline is squarely on Nina, Ava, and Willow, the ripple effects are bound to spread across Port Charles. Carly, who has never trusted Ava, will likely use this as yet another reason to argue that Ava can’t be trusted around anyone—including her daughter Avery. Sonny, who has maintained a complicated co-parenting relationship with Ava, will be forced to confront just how dangerous her decisions can be.

The custody drama surrounding Willow will also be deeply impacted. Without Ric, her case becomes more precarious, leaving her vulnerable and uncertain about the future. Will she seek out another lawyer, or will Ric’s eventual reappearance—traumatized and embittered—make things even more complicated?

A Friendship in Ruins

The most devastating aspect of this storyline, however, is the implosion of Nina and Ava’s friendship. Their bond has always been volatile, built on moments of deep connection but constantly threatened by betrayal. They’ve shared secrets, traded barbs, and even defended each other when no one else would.

But this? This may be the point of no return. Nina will see Ava not as a friend but as a saboteur who jeopardized everything she was trying to protect. Ava, in turn, may feel justified in her actions, convinced that she did what she had to do. Yet deep down, she’ll know that she’s lost one of the few allies she had left.

Final Thoughts

The Ric incident is more than just a subplot—it’s a storyline that fractures relationships, reshapes alliances, and reignites rivalries in Port Charles. With Willow’s custody battle hanging in the balance, Nina’s trust in tatters, and Ava’s secret about to explode, viewers are in for a rollercoaster of drama.

Will Nina report Ava to the police, ending their friendship once and for all? Can Willow ever forgive her mother for the suspicion that she tried to control her life yet again? And what will Ric’s fate be once he is inevitably discovered in Alexis’s basement?

One thing is certain: General Hospital fans should brace themselves for some of the most dramatic confrontations of the year. Nina and Ava, once best friends, now look destined to become bitter enemies. And in Port Charles, enemies rarely stop until one of them is completely destroyed.