On March 20, 2015, Hayden arrived at Elizabeth Webber's home, looking for "Jake Doe" whom Hayden claimed was her husband, "Jake Barnes." Hayden knew that Jake Doe had suffered a brain injury in a horrific car accident, so she took advantage of his amnesia. According to Hayden, Jake had left her after a terrible fight while they'd been on a camping trip, and she provided proof in the way of documents and photos. However, it had been a lie. Later, Hayden met with Ric Lansing, who had paid her to pose as Jake's wife in an effort to break up Elizabeth and Jake because he wanted Elizabeth for himself. Hayden had agreed to help because she had hit on hard times following a divorce.

Jake moved into Hayden's suite at Metro Court, and they decided to stay in Port Charles because of Jake's job. Jake's feelings for Elizabeth remained unchanged, and Hayden had met a handsome prince named Nikolas Cassadine. It wasn't long before Hayden and Nikolas slept together, and Nikolas confronted Hayden with her secrets about Jake. After Hayden and Ric were exposed as frauds during the Nurses Ball, Hayden found herself out on the streets. She promptly seized an opportunity to blackmail Nikolas when she discovered that a DNA test had confirmed that Jake Doe was really Jason Morgan. Eventually, Hayden threatened to tell Jake the truth about his identity prompting Nikolas to hire a hit man to make certain that Hayden remained silent.

On May 18, Hayden arrived at Extreme Motors to tell Jake truth about his identity, but she was shot in the head before she was able to utter a word. Shawn Butler was presumed to have shot her because Sonny Corinthos had sent him to kill Jake. Horrified by what he thought he had done, Shawn confessed to the shooting. Hayden was rushed to the hospital, and she suffered a near-fatal seizure before she was taken to surgery. After surgery to remove the bullet, Hayden lingered in a coma for several weeks.

When Hayden woke from her coma, she didn't remember the shooting or the events leading up to it. Nikolas moved her to Wyndemere to make sure that she never remembered anything about Jake being Jason. Hayden's memory returned, but she kept it to herself. Instead, Hayden aligned herself with Tracy to help get ELQ out of Nikolas' clutches.

Despite her anger, Hayden began to see a different side of Nikolas, and her feelings for him blossomed. Those feelings were tested when she overheard Laura confront Nikolas about hiring a hit man to kill Hayden to keep Hayden from revealing the truth about Jake's identity. On November 19, Hayden went to Pentonville to talk to Shawn about the shooting. She admitted that she was 99.9 percent certain that his bullet had gone wild and another assassin had shot her. Hayden refused to elaborate about the assassin because she worried that it might tip off the person who had hired the him before she could prove his guilt. Shawn put her in touch with Curtis Ashford to help her locate Shawn's bullet in the auto shop.

Hayden's relationship with Nikolas remained tense, and she began to have nightmares of him trying to kill her. Nikolas had grown to care for Hayden, and he tried to gain her trust. Hayden confided about her rocky divorce, losing her job with a prestigious finance firm, and how Ric Lansing had paid her to pose as Jake's wife. Hayden confronted Nikolas about lying to her, so he admitted that he had wanted to make certain that Jason's identity had remained a secret.

Meanwhile, Curtis had recovered a bullet from the wall inside the auto shop where Hayden had been shot. However, he warned Hayden that proving that the bullet had been fired from Shawn's gun would cost more money.

During the Nutcracker Christmas charity event at Metro Court, Hayden was horrified when Nikolas and Jason had a violent confrontation, and Nikolas tumbled over the restaurant's terrace railing. Hayden accused Jason of trying to kill Nikolas, and Jason was arrested. Nikolas survived the fall, and Hayden remained at his side during his recovery at the hospital. Later, Nikolas confided that he'd taken a page from Hayden's book; he hadn't been as injured as people believed, but he had wanted Jason punished.

Hayden and Nikolas remained distrustful of each other even as their feelings for one another deepened. Hayden continued to covertly work on Tracy's behalf to undermine Nikolas' hold on ELQ's stocks, but Tracy had grown impatient to regain control of her family empire. Tracy warned Hayden that she knew Hayden's secrets. Hayden tried to call Tracy's bluff, but Tracy revealed that "Hayden Barnes" was not Hayden's real name.

Tracy gave Hayden a month to secure ELQ for her, or she would reveal Hayden's true identity. Hayden agreed, so Tracy warned Hayden not to leave town using one of Hayden's many aliases because Tracy would hunt her down.

Unfortunately for Hayden, Tracy revealed to Curtis that Hayden was really Rachel Berlin, the daughter of an infamous Wall Street swindler. Curtis used the information to force Hayden to pay up for services rendered or he would tell Nikolas everything. During this time, Nikolas' hold onto the ELQ stock became tenuous, so Hayden proposed a marriage of convenience. On February 3, 2016, Hayden and Nikolas eloped. They were married in Las Vegas at the Camelot wedding chapel. Later, Hayden ran into Baxter Corbin, someone from her past, who had known her as Rachel. When Hayden saw Nikolas, she acted as if she didn't know the "stranger" was, but when the coast was clear, Hayden paid Baxter off to go away.

After Hayden returned to Port Charles, she met with Tracy to share the news about the wedding. However, Hayden became concerned when she noticed that Tracy had zoned out during their conversation about ELQ. Hayden shared her concerns with Tracy's son, Dillon, and she urged him to have his mother see a doctor. Meanwhile, Hayden's past was about to catch up with her because Nikolas had turned to his cousin, Sam McCall, for help digging into Hayden's past.

Elizabeth was not happy about Nikolas' marriage to Hayden because she worried that Hayden was no good for her best friend. When Elizabeth's house blew up, Hayden extended an olive branch by inviting Elizabeth and her three sons to move into Wyndemere. Tensions mounted between the two women. Adding to Hayden's troubles was her concern for Tracy who had suffered a seizure during a meeting with Hayden. Hayden had grown to respect Tracy, and she worried about Tracy's health.

Eventually, Elizabeth uncovered Hayden's secrets, and she told Nikolas that Hayden was really Rachel Berlin, the daughter of a known criminal who had been responsible for bilked people out of millions. To protect herself, Hayden threatened Nikolas that if he told anyone, she would tell the police that he'd tried to kill her. Hayden suggested that she and Nikolas cut their losses and go their separate ways. She intended to invoke the prenuptial agreement, which guaranteed that she would receive five million dollars, but Nikolas discovered that Hayden had stolen some valuable diamonds from her father's possessions.

Hayden and Nikolas had reached a stalemate, but things took a shocking turn on May 26 when Nikolas was presumed dead after falling out of his bedroom window. Elizabeth accused Hayden of pushing Nikolas, and she told the police about the diamonds that Hayden had stolen. However, the diamonds had disappeared with Nikolas. Hayden lashed out, and the two women quarreled until Hayden's mother arrived. Naomi Dreyfus broke up the fight.

Hayden told her mother that the FBI had been asking questions. Naomi offered to help Hayden get rid of them, but in return, Hayden had to help her find the diamond necklace that Raymond Berlin had given her. Hayden insisted she didn't have the diamonds, but Naomi knew that Nikolas had sold one of the diamonds. Hayden confessed that Nikolas had had the diamonds on him when his body had been washed out to sea.

After Nikolas' memorial, two federal agents advised Hayden that they had found her fingerprints on an inventory list that suggested that she had taken the diamonds, but Naomi argued that Hayden had taken part in the task of providing an inventory list of all her property, which would explain why her daughter's fingerprints had been on the list. Naomi assured the agents that Hayden did not have the diamonds.

One night at the Floating Rib, Hayden saw Dr. Hamilton Finn exchange words with the bartender about Finn's "emotional support bearded dragon" named Roxy. The bartender insisted that the lizard was not allowed in the establishment. Hayden was amused, but she grew concerned when she noticed Finn sway on his feet. She helped him back to his hotel suite then made certain that Roxy was safe. The following morning, Hayden demanded to know what was ailing Finn, so he confided that he was dying. He explained that he had contracted a rare disease in his travels, and there was no cure for it. Hayden realized that Finn's wife had died from the same illness.

In July, it was revealed that Hayden's husband, Nikolas had faked his death. He had fled to Europe, but his life on the run ended in tragedy when he was shot and killed by Valentin Cassadine. His body had washed out to sea, but Ava Jerome had witnessed the deadly confrontation between uncle and nephew. Hayden's life took another unexpected turn when her mother began to have panic attacks whenever she heard Elizabeth's father's name -- Jeff Webber. Naomi had known Jeff years earlier.

Meanwhile, Hayden's relationship with Finn grew stronger. When he was wrongfully arrested for killing a couple of patients at the hospital, Hayden visited him in jail. She noticed that he was not doing well, so he explained that he needed his medication. In an ironic twist, Hayden realized that Finn had been unable to continue his research project because of her father's Ponzi scheme.

Hayden was determined to help Finn, so she agreed to fetch his drug knowing that he treated his illness with an illegal serum not sold in the United States. Finn had arranged for a "pharmaceutical friend" who lived overseas to send packages to the hospital. Hayden donned some scrubs then went through the mail bin at the hospital. Later, Hayden had to administer the drug because Finn's dire condition had made it impossible for him to hold a syringe.

Finn was released from jail when a doctor on staff was murdered in the same manner as Finn's patients, while Finn had been in jail. Hayden and Finn grew closer. Hayden confided Finn's troubles to Tracy and appealed to Tracy for help get the Zekenestrol that Finn needed to treat his illness. Tracy was grateful to Finn for saving her life when she had been stricken with a parasite that had nearly killed her. The two women turned to Naomi for help, but she warned them that Finn was addicted to an opioid commonly known as "Zen Zen." According to Naomi, the drug was highly addictive and not used to treat any illnesses.

Hurt that she'd been misled, Hayden confronted Finn, but he explained that the drug was the only medication that had successfully treated the symptoms of his disease and slowed down the progression of the illness. He conceded that he was an addict, but it had been a necessary evil until he could find a cure. Hayden let it drop as she leaned on Finn during her time of grief. Despite her unconventional marriage to Nikolas, Hayden had loved him.

After Nikolas' memorial service, Naomi asked Hayden about her prenuptial agreement. Hayden was surprised that she might be entitled to something. Laura warned that she'd stop Hayden from taking what belonged to Nikolas' son, Spencer. Hayden assured Laura she had no intention of taking anything from Spencer because Hayden cared deeply for her young stepson.

Meanwhile, Ava warned Hayden that Elizabeth had found the diamonds, and she intended to go to the authorities. Hayden confronted Elizabeth, and she demanded that Elizabeth return the diamonds, but Elizabeth made it clear that she believed that Hayden belonged in prison alongside Hayden's father, Raymond. Hayden slapped Elizabeth, and the two women exchanged heated words until Finn interceded.

On August 29, Hayden became the prime suspect when Elizabeth was found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs in the hospital's stairwell. However, she was released a few days later when Paul Hornsby was revealed to be the serial killer who had been stalking the halls of the hospital. Hayden was in for another surprise when Franco revealed that Hayden was Elizabeth's sister. Franco had uncovered that Naomi had been paying Franco's mother -- Heather Webber -- to keep quiet about Naomi's affair with Jeff Webber years earlier. Hayden was further stunned to learn that Elizabeth had turned the diamonds that Nikolas had taken from Hayden over to the authorities.

Elizabeth was equally shocked to learn about her sister, but she was also grateful to Hayden because Hayden had saved her with a life-saving blood transfusion. Elizabeth promised to try to get the diamonds back from the FBI. Unfortunately, time had run out for Hayden, and she was arrested on September 14, 2016.

Naomi visited Hayden in prison and was shocked when Hayden confronted her about her paternity. Hayden accused Naomi of keeping Hayden's paternity a secret from Raymond because Naomi had been selfish and afraid that Raymond would cut her off if he'd known the truth. Hayden suddenly realized that Raymond had denied Hayden's visits because he had learned the truth.

A little later, a federal agent advised Hayden that the charges had been dropped, and she was free to leave. The agent explained that Naomi had made a full confession. Naomi arrived wearing handcuffs and told Hayden that she'd told the truth to the agents -- that she'd hidden Raymond's diamonds among Hayden's things. Naomi promised she'd be fine as long as she knew that Hayden was living a life free of the lies that had plagued their family for years. Naomi encouraged Hayden to stay in Port Charles and follow her heart.

Hayden went to see Finn, told him about Naomi's confession, and revealed that she'd been a product of an affair between Naomi and Jeff Webber. Finn opened up to Hayden about how his wife Reiko had been infected with the deadly disease that was killing him, and how he had carried around the guilt of his wife dying in his arms because of his own folly. Hayden also visited her sister, and she presented Elizabeth with a bill for both Hayden and Naomi's attorney fees, but Elizabeth reminded Hayden that she lived paycheck-to-paycheck supporting three boys. Hayden suggested they talk to their father, but Elizabeth informed Hayden that Jeff was a humanitarian and had no money.

With Finn's help, Hayden secured a job at the hospital. She admitted she had feelings for Finn, but it would be best if they remained professional, since Finn wasn't interested in a romantic relationship. Hayden also had to deal with a board member who wasn't happy that the daughter of the biggest swindler on Wall Street had been hired. He vowed to keep a close eye on her and threated to have her fired if he didn't see a marked improvement in the hospital's finances within a reasonable amount of time. Hayden welcomed the scrutiny.

On November 8, Hayden entered Finn's lab and grimaced when she stepped into a spill with broken glass. She attempted to remove a piece of glass from her shoe as Finn arrived. Alarmed, Finn ordered Hayden to drop the glass. He inspected her hands as he dragged her to the sink to carefully rinse her hands and explained that he'd been working with the same bacteria that had infected him. Finn was horrified when he saw that Hayden had a cut on her hand because she'd been exposed to the same virus that was killing him -- and had killed his wife. He gave Hayden an antibiotic booster and an iodine pill, but he knew they were of little help.

Hayden went to Wyndemere, but Laura informed her that Valentin had claimed Wyndemere. After Laura left the room, Hayden collapsed onto the floor. Finn found her, and he insisted that she return to the hospital with him for testing. Hayden agreed, but when she collapsed after only taking a few steps. Hayden awoke in pulmonary distress, but she passed out again. Finn had to inject adrenaline straight into Hayden's heart then rushed her to the hospital. Later, Tracy arranged for Hayden to be transferred to the Quartermaine mansion because Brad Cooper and Liesl Obrecht had been making trouble for Finn at the hospital when they complained about Finn's research. Finn vowed that he wouldn't let Hayden die.

Elizabeth reached out to Naomi, while Finn worked furiously to develop a life-saving serum as Hayden rapidly declined. On December 20, Finn gave Hayden an experimental serum that he believed might work. Hayden said her goodbyes to Elizabeth and Tracy. Two days later, Naomi arrived desperate to see her daughter. Hayden was stunned to learn that her mother's sentence had been commuted. Hayden had slowly improved, and tests indicated that the serum had worked. Finn replicated the serum for Blackwood's syndrome and treated himself.

However, Finn had an addiction to overcome, so Hayden was determined to help him because she loved Finn. Finn used the money from selling the patent for the serum to save the hospital, and he opted for an unconventional detox by having Hayden tie him up in his hotel suite. Finn was able to kick the drug, and start a recovery program, but Hayden decided to end things because of the cruel things that he'd said to her during the drug withdrawal.

Finn focused on his recovery, but he was never far from Hayden's heart and mind. By the end of April, Finn had persuaded Hayden to give him a second chance when he completed rehab.

On May 12, 2017, Hayden and Finn were shocked to learn that they were going to be parents. The couple was delighted by the news and began to make plans for their future. However, Finn had failed his mandatory drug test at the hospital. Hayden knew that Finn was clean, so she and Finn set out to prove that Brad had tampered with Finn's results on Liesl's orders. Finn's name was cleared, and they found their dream home, but Hayden's happiness was shattered when Liesl tracked down Hayden's ex-husband, Jared Preston.

Jared didn't waste time seeking his ex-wife out and demanding $250,000.00 to compensate him for going to jail for her crime. Hayden had gotten drunk one night at the country club, argued with Jared, and drove home in a rage. She had been speeding and had not seen the young girl walking a dog. Hayden had struck the girl, but Jared had agreed to take the fall for the crime in exchange for money from Hayden's father, Raymond. Jared doubted that Hayden's new fiancé would be happy to learn that Hayden had left a young girl confined to a wheelchair for life. Desperate to get rid of Jared, Hayden embezzled the money from the hospital and transferred it to Jared's account, but the financial discrepancy was soon discovered. Hayden panicked and fled the country. On September 5, Hayden wrote Finn a letter claiming that she had miscarried their baby. It was a lie.

On November 14, 2018, Hayden reached out to Finn. She had sent a letter congratulating Curtis on his upcoming wedding, and she had added a letter for Finn. Hayden had written to ask Finn to meet her in Rome because they had some unfinished business. Finn decided not to go. He had become involved with Anna Devane, and Hayden was his past.