MICHAEL HUDSON

SPOUSES

Donna is generally considered to be the love of Michael's life.

Michael met Donna by working as a stable boy at the Love Estate as a teenager. They slept together at aged 16, but her father, Reginald Love, found out. He whipped Michael and ran him out of town, making him believe that Donna never wanted to see him again. Michael never knew that Donna was pregnant by him.

During his time away, Michael amassed his fortune and became a millionaire in his own right. He returned to Bay City in 1986 to resume his romance with Donna and become a father to the daughters he had just discovered. Donna and Michael married in a judge's chambers in November 1986.

They renewed their vows in a lavish church ceremony in February 1987. Although this wasn't a true wedding because they were already married, they both refer to this as their "second marriage."
In late 1987, Michael had discovered about Donna's past and present relationship with his brother John Hudson. He immediately divorced her. It was a short-lived divorced, however. They truly loved each other and remarried in May 1988.

In 1989, Michael was instructed by The Club, a top-secret FBI-like organization, to investigate Lucas. Since he had worked for them before, he had no choice now but to comply. He wasn't allowed to tell Donna what he was doing and had to break up with her in order to separate them and keep her from harm. Michael had to tell Donna that he was leaving her for another woman to convince her it was over. She was so devastated that she ended up having an affair with Jake McKinnon. Michael returned to her when his investigation was over and confessed everything. She accepted him back, but kept her affair a secret for fear it would destroy them.

In 1991 Donna and Jake's affair was revealed. Michael left Donna, not just because of the affair but because Donna had kept it a secret for so long. They finally divorced in late 1991 and Michael left town in January 1992.

Michael returned to town in February 1993 to attend his daughter Vicky's wedding to Grant Harrison. He and Donna looked back fondly on their relationship and reminisced about the good times, but neither was interested in getting back together. They parted on good terms when he left a week later to return to his home in Hawaii.

Michael returned to Bay City for good in 1995, and was shocked to learn that Donna and Matthew Cory were engaged to be married. He soon came to accept them together and honestly wished them well. Donna adapted well to having her ex-husband in town again; if anything, she was mostly embarrassed by his presence.

On the night Donna was to marry Matthew, she paid a fateful visit to Michael to reclaim some cufflinks which had been her wedding present to him. While discussing the subject in the barn, their favorite song began to play over the radio. Both found themselves caught up in the moment and they made love. Later, Donna was happily planning her reunion with Michael when he told her that he didn't have any such intentions. He said that what she ultimately wanted was someone who, aside from being exciting, would be there for her in the cold light of day, and that just wasn't him. Donna was devastated and ran back to Matthew. Michael helped cement their relationship by taking it upon himself to hire a priest to marry them.

Michael watched on the sidelines as Donna and Matthew's marriage disintegrated. He became involved for a short time with Sharlene, but found himself coming to Donna's rescue when she was accused of being the Bay City stalker. After that, they seemed to settle into de facto couplehood. Donna finally stopped fighting the attraction that she'd always felt for Michael, and began to pursue him, much to his disinterest. Well, Michael was interested in the sex being proffered, but not much else. Donna had almost to coach Michael in his role of seducee. When Michael reminded her of their failed previous marriages, she agreed to sign an "anti-nuptial" agreement (on a napkin) prohibiting them from marrying again.