@RadioMan71 Based on your description, it sounds a lot like your entire TS3 game folder in Documents was removed or deleted. This would delete your saves as well as your store content—all of this data is located in your game folder. When TS3 can't find this folder, it spawns a new one, but this clean folder won't have any of your content.
If you didn't get rid of your game folder yourself, it's possible that it was automatically uploaded to OneDrive. You can retrieve the folder from there and put it back in Documents\EA, but of course be sure to remove the newer folder first. Then disable OneDrive so that this doesn't happen again.
You don't need to be logged in, or even connected to the internet, to use your store content while you play. I myself disconnect from wifi before launching TS3, and my content always loads just fine. Of course, if you play through Origin, you'll need to sign in first, but you can then put Origin in offline mode and turn off your connection before loading the game. The only store function you won't see is the in-game shopping experience, but it's better to turn that off anyway, as it's a drain on resources that your saves need for themselves.
And yes, it's possible to decline to login at the Main Menu, then do so once your save has loaded. It has no effect on the save itself or any content in your game folder.
