Storyline
Ryan Lavery arrives in Pine Valley in January 1998 as a con man seeking riches. After getting hired at WRCW, he begins a scheme involving kickback funds. When station manager Liza Colby discovers this, she threatens Ryan with jail time. She says that she will send him to jail unless he marries Gillian Andrassy, who is about to be wed to her nephew, Scott. Ryan and Gillian go through many ups and downs, but eventually fall deeply in love. Their romance ends in tragedy, however, when a hit man takes Gillian's life while trying to kill Anna Devane.
After the death of his wife, Ryan spins out of control, causing him to drink often and take more risks. He begins to come in "contact" with Gillian via psychic Opal Cortlandt. He is unsuccessful at trying to make Opal contact Gillian from the great beyond. In despair, he goes to his and Gillian's special place, the Wildwind turret, holding a candlelight vigil for Gillian, but accidentally sets the turret on fire and is knocked out in the process. Gillian appears to Ryan as a spirit, which revives him and he manages to escape. He is found later by his long-time friend Liza and the two make love out of their shared grief, causing her to become pregnant, which infuriates Adam Chandler. Ryan meets Mia Saunders during a card game and immediately becomes involved with her. They grow closer when Mia relays to him that she and Liza are sisters and that she never knew her father. Ryan and Mia's relationship does not last, however. They drift apart.
A ghostly Gillian orchestrates Ryan to meet Chris Stamp, who is new in town, when Ryan's mother dies (off-camera). Adam investigates Ryan's past, discovering that Ryan's father is a drug dealer. Ryan to leave town, but stays when he feels that he should learn more about his family's history. Liza falls down some steps and loses Ryan's baby. Ryan blames Adam for "killing" his baby. Adding to the drama, Chris tells Ryan that he killed his father a long time ago. Ryan does not trust Chris, though, and tries to keep his distance from him.
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