FLASHBACK - June 24, 1997

Twelve years ago on this day, Erica Kane returned Maddie Grey to her rightful parents, Edmund and Maria. Oh what a tangled web of deception this was! On the day Erica was to re-wed Dimitri, happy and pregnant with his child, she collapsed on her way to the alter and suffered a miscarriage. It was difficult for Erica to live in harmony with back at Wildwind with Edmund and Maria, who were expecting a child, a painful reminder of what Erica had lost. Her suspicions about Maria and Dimitri's new found closeness got the better of her and Maria finally admitted to Erica that she and Dimitri had an affair.

Erica started to wonder if the baby Maria was carrying was actually Dimitri's and in a case of really poor judgment, Erica lured Maria to a cabin in the woods in the middle of a raging storm to confront her. Maria ended up going into labor but due to a flash flood, the roads were washed out and they had no way to get to the hospital. Erica delivered the baby. Maria begged her to take the child to the hospital so Erica left and tried desperately to get the baby to safety. But her car skidded off the road and went into the river. Erica searched and searched for the baby, but came up empty.

With all believing the baby had died, Erica went back to the scene of the accident and found a trailer nearby. Here was the home of Esther Glynn. And here is where Erica found Maria's baby. Making a deal with Esther, Erica decided to keep the child for herself and passed her off as a child she adopted from Russia. She named the baby Sonya Kane.

Watching Maria grieve for her child became more than Erica could handle though and she finally decided to give the child back to the Grey's. Furious with her deception, Dimitri washed his hands of Erica. She was sent to prison for kidnapping