The heartbreaking reason Mariah left Tessa on The Young and the Restless

On The Young and the Restless, fans — and Tessa — were stunned when Mariah told her wife they needed to separate, and even had a child visitation schedule prepared. But if Mariah had it all figured out, why was Tessa (and the viewers) so blindsided?

Mariah leaves Tessa on The Young and the Restless

Ever since Mariah (Camryn Grimes) returned from a business trip, she hasn’t been the same. Mariah hasn’t been able to hide her tears and utter distress. Her mom, Sharon (Sharon Case), and her wife, Tessa (Cait Fairbanks), have tried to talk to her, or rather, to get Mariah to talk, to explain what happened that has her so upset. Even Nick (Joshua Morrow) has offered to be an open ear if she prefers.

But Mariah says that what happened can never be said. Tessa told Mariah she knew what went down: Mariah was alone, got to thinking about Ian Ward (Ray Wise) and all of the things that he had done, she was drinking, and she ended up cheating on her. Mariah didn’t deny it, but she said it was much worse than a one-night stand.

Meanwhile, viewers have seen glimpses of flashbacks of the night in question while Mariah was drinking excessively out of town. While pounding back martinis, an older man approaches her at her table. He joins her, drinks with her, and at some point, Mariah reaches out and seems to caress his cheek. The camera cuts out before it’s confirmed whether things took a…romantic?…turn. It’s implied, however, that there was some sort of physical connection.

Mariah wants to be alone

On The Young and the Restless today, Tessa said what she thought were all the right things. She told Mariah that she was her star, and she would always reach for her. She promised that there was nothing to feel guilty about, as she had already forgiven her. She said that whatever Mariah was going through, no matter if it hurt, the right way to handle it was with Tessa by her side. She implored Mariah to trust her, not to make a decision to break up their family, and not to leave her when Mariah needed her the most.

But what Tessa isn’t hearing is that Mariah is trying not to hurt her even more with the truth. Mariah thinks that whatever she did is more than an event; it’s who she is. She wants to heal herself, and the only way she thinks she can do that is by going within and keeping everyone else out. She simply can’t deal with other people’s feelings and reactions to her truths when she can’t even deal with her own.

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Mariah said she hoped to find a way back to Tessa and asked for space. But is it already too late? Mariah went to approach a crying Tessa later at Crimson Lights, but ran off when Daniel comforted her instead. If that’s not a foreshadowing of the future of Mariah and Tessa, we don’t know what is.

Watch The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.

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