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Young and the Restless spoilers reveal Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) is leaving Genoa City in the next couple of months. And that means Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn) is not going to wind up with her, at least not for a while. Lily’s exit may change a lot of things for Cane, including opening him up to other romantic options.

We’re going to talk about what happens after Lily leaves town for a lengthy time away. Cane may turn to somebody else, looking for comfort, looking for love, looking for some physical affection.

Lily Winters’ Young and the Restless Exit Explained: Christel Khalil’s Real-Life Pregnancy

So, Christel Khalil is big pregnant, in case you don’t know. News broke thanks to her co-star Courtney Hope (Sally Spectra), who posted a video on her Insta of the Young and the Restless cast and crew behind the scenes doing the Thriller dance for Halloween. We all know the dance. We all love the dance. It was a super cute video.

And it was even better because you could see Christel Khalil’s nice big round baby bump. As the Lily actress was dancing around, she was cradling her bump, showing it off, pointing to it with her hands. This is Christel Khalil’s third child she’s expecting. By the way, she’s got a 15-year-old son and a one-year-old son, and then this baby in her belly is going to be boy number three for her.

That means the Lily Winters actress will be heading out on maternity leave before too long. And that means Lily is going to be leaving Genoa City for a while. Looking at her bump, I’m just making a guess as a mom who’s been pregnant a couple of times. I would estimate that Christel Khalil is about 7 to 8 months along since that’s just one baby in there. So, I figure she’s probably going to be giving birth around the end of the year, give or take, hazarding a guess here based on that bump size.

Young and the Restless: Christel Khalil on Maternity Leave Soon

Also, don’t forget there is a four-week tape-to-air delay for Young and the Restless. So, Cane might be saying goodbye to his ex-wife in early 2026, maybe even along the lines of February sweeps when she exits. That kicks off at the end of January, by the way. The bottom line is Christel Khalil will exit sooner rather than later.

When she gave birth to her second son, Lily exited the Young and the Restless character canvas for a few months with the explanation that she needed to go visit her daughter Mattie Ashby (Lexie Stevenson). That was the whole thing where there was a wildfire near her daughter’s boarding school and Lily went to be with her. To be honest, it was a very clumsily written exit.

Young and the Restless: Lily’s Last Hiatus Ended in Heartache

If you recall also, while she was gone, Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei) got way too close to Heather Stevens (Vail Bloom), and that was what split up Lily and Daniel. This time, Lily’s not dating anybody, but Cane sure wants her back in his life. Now, Lily has softened on him a little, but I doubt there’s enough time left before her leave for anything to happen between her and Cane.

So Lily might decide to exit Genoa City to get away from Cane and to be with their kids as the cover story for her maternity leave. And with Lily gone, we could see Cane heat up with somebody he’s already close to, or maybe someone totally new to him. We’ve got a few ideas of where Lily’s exit may lead Cane and who he might turn to and get romantic with in her absence.

Cane and Phyllis Summers: A Fiery Romance Forged in Betrayal?

The first option for Cane, well, it’s pretty obvious that’s crazy Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford). She has had her eye on Cane since before she knew he was the man behind the legendary Aristotle Dumas. And then once Cane revealed himself in France, then Phyllis was all about Cane. Phyllis has been determined to work for Cane and get close to him. She’s been flirty with him from the start. And since then, Phyllis and Cane have been getting gradually, incrementally closer.

Phyllis and Cane typically go back and forth between flirting and infuriating each other. There is a definite spark there. There’s chemistry between Phyllis and Cane, and I think it’s only a matter of time before they get physical, especially if Phyllis really is setting up Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) for an epic betrayal and blindside like I am really hoping to see.

We all know Phyllis stole Cane’s AI program and gave it to Victor so he can destroy Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), take over Jabot, and give that to Phyllis. But since Cane had a back door built into the AI program that he could secretly use to control it, I think Phyllis may use that. She may let Victor think he’s controlling the AI and attacking Jabot, but Phyllis is really pulling the strings and is aiming it at Newman Enterprises instead.

I mean, she may be doing the same thing with Victor that Cane was planning to do with Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) when he offered to let his fake brother use the AI. So if Phyllis double-crosses Victor, I think Cane would be super impressed and obviously would be happy that Victor got a karmic slap. Cane might be so impressed with Phyllis that sparks really fly and they end up in bed.

A Surprising New Pairing on Young and the Restless: Could Audra Charles Be Cane’s Next Love?

The next possibility for Cane as a romantic option once Lily leaves Genoa City is somebody who has not been on his romantic radar, and that’s Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver). I mean, she’s single since Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) dumped her and Audra is a town pariah, something she has in common with Cane. Plus, Audra already admitted in France that she thinks Cane is hot, which obviously he is. And let’s be real, Audra is a total babe.

So, I could definitely see Cane commiserating with Audra about how much they’re hated and then turns to her for comfort. Plus, Audra might turn to Cane for a job if things don’t work out at Abbott Communications. At this point, it seems like a long shot that Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) and Billy are ever going to get this company off the ground. And even if it does launch, Billy may convince Sally to exclude Audra from it.

From Friends to Lovers: Will Cane Ashby and Amanda Sinclair Cross the Line?

Last but not least, as a romantic option for Cane after Lily leaves Genoa City is Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan). We all know she has been Cane’s close friend and confidant and lawyer for several years. Amanda already knows Cane’s business and she won’t judge him. She never has. Amanda and Cane also have a really, really strong friendship. They have a lot of mutual respect for each other. They’re both gorgeous. We haven’t seen chemistry there, but that’s to some extent because Amanda has not been around.

But with Lily leaving Genoa City, we may be seeing a lot more of Amanda to fill that character void. You know, Amanda also has been single since Devon Hamilton (Bryton James) did her dirty by cheating with Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway). So, I feel like Amanda and Cane would actually be perfect together because they’re already close. They kind of know everything about each other. There are no secrets there and friendship can easily be the foundation for something romantic.

We all know Amanda has a very deep history with Cane. And let’s be real, both of them, both Amanda and Cane certainly need romance in their lives. With Lily out of the picture for a while, obviously any of these three ladies could be paired with Cane. However, when Lily returns to Genoa City, even if Cane’s in a new romance by then, he might dump that woman if Lily decides to give Cane a second chance.