In November, 1996, Veronica Landers, the unstable wife of Dr. Joshua Landers, was presumed dead when a body was found at the bottom of a lake along with her wedding ring. However, Veronica turned up alive in Genoa City Memorial Hospital having undergone extensive facial reconstruction after a car accident that left her hideously disfigured. She was determined to recover and return to her husband. After tracking Joshua down and phoning him, she was shocked when a woman - Joshua's new wife Nikki Newman - answered the phone.