Hillary Wilson's world was shattered by the death of her mother, Betty Wilson. On her deathbed, Betty revealed to her daughter a secret that rocked Hillary's world: Hillary's father, Langley Wallingford, was alive and living in Pine Valley. Hillary was shocked when she learned that Langley was married to Phoebe Tyler, one of Pine Valley's richest women. Surprisingly, when Hillary stepped forward and told Langley and Phoebe who she was, she was welcomed with open arms. Hillary and Phoebe eventually became very close.

Hillary enrolled at Pine Valley University and found herself the object of many men's desires. She endured flirtations from Alfred Vanderpoole, the so-called class nerd, and then caught the eye of Tad "The Cad" Martin. Though there were sparks, Hillary knew she couldn't pursue Tad because he was involved with another woman, Dottie Thornton. More than that, there was no way that Phoebe would approve of her dating a reputed womanizer. When Dottie became pregnant with Tad's baby, Hillary moved on and began dating Tad's friend, Bob Georgia.

Hillary later learned that Bob had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Wanting his final days to be happy, Hillary married Bob in a private ceremony at the Wallingford Estate. Shortly thereafter, Dottie suffered a miscarriage and Tad no longer felt obligated to stay with her. Tad pledged his love to Hillary, but Hillary was trapped in a loveless marriage. Bob learned that his condition had gone into remission, but he didn't want Hillary to know the truth. Word eventually got out when Alfred told Tad, and Tad told Hillary. Hillary got a divorce so that she and Tad could be together.

As expected, Phoebe wasn't happy with Hillary's choice in men. She arranged for Hillary to accompany Langley on an archeological trip to Arizona -- but told Tad that Hillary had gone to Australia. Phoebe hoped that Tad would only be able to come up with enough money for a one-way trip. On their wedding day, Tad was missing. Phoebe convinced Hillary that Tad was back to his philandering ways. A distraught Hillary ran out of the church and into the street, where she was hit by a car... a car driven by Edna Thornton, Dottie's mom. Tad eventually showed up, saying that he'd been held up at the bank. He and Hillary were married that night in a private ceremony at the Wallingford Estate.

Married life proved difficult, as Hillary found herself on edge by all the women -- among them Skye Chandler and Robin McCall -- who flocked to Tad. Hillary was furious when she learned that Tad knew about a plot Wade Mathews concocted to swindle Phoebe, and she called it quits. Hillary filed for divorce.

Hillary moved on, but soon found herself fighting Skye Chandler for the affection of another man: Mitch Beck. Mitch dumped Skye and pursued Hillary. Mitch soon moved to Boston after landing a new job. A recent law school grad, Hillary decided to follow her heart. She received and accepted a job offer from a law firm in Boston, and left Pine Valley behind.

In 2010, Hillary's name surfaced when it was revealed that she was the mother of a one-man crime spree, 20something Damon Miller.