Young & Restless fans have been buzzing about Malcolm’s latest return, particularly because it involves a past girlfriend. As it turns out, the latest episode may have teased viewers with a huge clue as to what’s about to go down.

Soaps have a way of dropping hints, some more subtle than others, as to what’s going to happen down the road. Young & Restless, being no exception, just aired a scene that totally confirmed our sneaking suspcions about the reason for Malcolm and Stephanie’s upcoming return.

The latest spoilers added even more intrigue with talk of Malcolm harboring a secret. But from whom? We’re gonna go ahead and guess that he’s hiding something from his daughter, Lily. If our hunch is correct, it’s kinda life-changing and will add another shocking chapter to Malcolm’s often complicated history.

So what was the scene that “all but confirmed” the reason for Malcolm’s return? Why it was the tête-à-tête between Lily and Holden toward the end of Monday’s episode. “What on earth?” you might be thinking, “Does Holden warning Lily about Cane have to do with Malcolm?” Well, we’ll tell ya’.

In their conversation, Holden was looking out for Lily. He warned her that Cane had been spurred to vindictiveness and that he and Victor were on a collision course. He didn’t want to see her getting caught in the middle. Don’t tell Devon, but some might say his concern and protectiveness was downright brotherly.

All we’re going to say is, Young & Restless may have been dropping a huge clue to what’s ahead during Malcolm’s visit when they decided to write Lily into a scene like this with Holden. As it turns out, it fits perfectly with our theory about why Malcolm and Stephanie are back in Genoa City and what the exposure of the secret will reveal.