Color us stunned. We were sure that General Hospital intended for Esme to rise from her watery grave the same way that it did the last time that she made a splash. But apparently not. Avery Kristen Pohl made her permanent exit on January 31, the same day that Nicholas Alexander Chavez made his temporary exit as Spencer, Soap Opera Digest reports.

The actress’ villainous alter ego immediately became a lightning rod for viewers who were upset with the obstacle(s) that she presented to the pairing of Spencer and Trina. Nevertheless, the show seemed to have big plans for Esme, what with revealing that her biological parents were infamous psychos Ryan Chamberlain and Heather Webber, and setting it up so that she could carry a child that represented the next generation of the murderous Cassadine family.

We also wholly expected Cameron to return home curious about what might have been with the troublemaker that he last thought of as an amnesiac.

When the cameras weren’t rolling, Pohl became good friends with Tabyana Ali, who plays Trina. Pohl was even a guest at Ali’s birthday party. (See the festive photos here.) When she learned that Pohl wasn’t going to be bringing Esme up for air… well, understandably, it was rough.

“I hate that I’m not going to see her at work,” Ali told the magazine website. “I’ll still call her every day, but I am going to miss seeing her at work. The day that Avery left was a very tearful day. We all gave her hugs and flowers and gifts. It was a bittersweet thing.”