Days Short Recap Friday, July 24, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Xander and Sarah talked about Holly, and the pills in her system. Sarah wanted to believe her, but the evidence was hard to ignore. She wondered how Holly got the pills. Xander felt like EJ was involved with what happened to Holly. Sarah was worried about Xander going up against EJ. She was afraid of what EJ would do to him. Leo was at Gwen’s door and didn’t get an answer. He wondered if he should get Gwen’s letter and expose EJ. Leo finally got into Gwen’s room and saw that she hadn’t been there. He looked for her lawyer’s card and went to the town square. While Leo was in the town square, he ran into Cat. He started telling her about Gwen and the dirt on EJ. Leo told her that Gwen wasn’t missing as long as she wanted to be before he got the letter, but he wanted to do something anyway. He wondered if Cat could help him. Cat promised that she wouldn’t tell EJ about what he knew. Kayla and Steve talked about Gwen’s disappearance. Steve wanted to check with Shane to see what he knew. Brady arrived at the pub, and Steve talked to him about EJ. Steve talked to the pharmacies that did business with the DiMeras, and they cut off their Coriseal two years ago. It happened around the time of the deaths. He thought that the DiMeras had a lot of bad pills and got rid of them,

Sarah met with Kayla at the hospital, and Steve and Brady told her what they found out about the Coriseal. Sarah and Kayla got to work on how Holly fit into the equation. Steve thought that the well had to be how Holly got the arsenic in her system. Sarah and Brady realized they were too hasty to believe that Holly was taking drugs again. Johnny arrived at the DiMera mansion and ripped into EJ about what happened to Holly. EJ didn’t deny planting the drugs, but he had to protect the family. Johnny was very angry with his father, but EJ told him it had to be done to protect the family. He said he would lose Chanel and his family. Johnny understood, but he didn’t agree with what he did. He realized he didn’t have a choice and had to go along with EJ. Later EJ went to see Melinda. He demanded that Amy drop the civil suit against Holly, or he would file charges against Sophia for what she did to Johnny. He would also put the blame on Amy for what Sophia did. Leo interrupted them to talk to Melinda. EJ left Melinda’s office in disgust. Leo asked Melinda about Gwen’s lawyer since he works in her office. He needed her help to bring EJ down. Melinda wanted to help him get EJ. She looked through the lawyer’s files and found a folder for Leo. Xander went to see Johnny. He knew that Johnny lied to Steve and Brady about the missing drugs. Xander needed Johnny’s help for Holly’s sake. He believed that Holly was telling the truth. Xander wanted Johnny to help her. He flashed back to the day he brought Holly’s bag to her. EJ was there at the time. Xander showed Sarah a video, and the bag was left in the room. He rushed out the door when he put it together. Shane reached out to Steve and told him that Gwen’s phone was deactivated. Melinda opened the letter, but it was blank. Cat was on the computer and deleted the file. EJ called Rita and told her that it was time for Kristen to disappear.

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Days Short Recap Thursday, July 23, 2026

Daytime Soap Opera Short Recaps

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Kristen went to Abe and Lexie’s place to let her sister know that they had to get ready for tomorrow night. If Lexie wasn’t ready, Kristen understood and would come up with another plan for her to get away. Lexie didn’t want to back out so Kristen came up with another plan. She told Lexie they just had to say goodbye to their loved ones. Abe arrived home while Lexie wrote her goodbyes. He gave her wedding rings. Abe informed her that her death certificate was rescinded, and he wanted to renew their vows. They decided to renew their vows. During their renewal ceremony, Lexie’s hands were too shaky to put the ring on Abe’s finger. She said that she was nervous. Lexie cried during the ceremony. Marlena and Brady went to see Rachel at Bayview. They let her know that she would be going home soon. Rachel was ready to go. Marlena left the room so Brady and Rachel could talk. Kristen arrived at Bayview. Rachel noticed how sad Kristen was. Kristen said that she missed her. Rachel left the room to get her artwork. Brady wanted to make sure that Rachel would be safe around EJ. Kristen thanked him and said goodbye.

Belle saw Stephanie at Small Bar. They talked about Joy and how she was trying to come between her and Alex. Belle reminded her about what Jan did to come between her and Shawn. She said that she lost Shawn because of her jealousy and paranoia. Belle didn’t want Stephanie to do the same thing with her marriage to Alex. Chad had the same conversation with Alex about Stephanie and Joy. They also talked about the feud between their families. Alex thought that the DiMeras and the Kiriakises had to end their feud. Chad and Alex met with Belle and Stephanie for their date nights. Chad surprised Belle with tickets to Milan. Belle told him that the clues mentioned Rome so they decide to go to both places. Alex and Stephanie talked about their problems with Joy. Stephanie told him that he was a good man and that she was lucky to be married to him. Alex was thankful that she felt that way especially with the drama going on with the family. Stephanie offered her royalties to help them get through the problem. Belle and Chad went to the town square and agreed not to tell anyone where they were going. They ran into Marlena and ended up telling her about their plans. Abe wanted to go on a second honeymoon, but Lexie made plans to see her mother. Brady realized something was going on with Kristen. Rachel interrupted them before he could ask Kristen any questions.

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Days Update Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Days of Our Lives Update

 

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Update written by Joseph

Gwen goes to Tate’s gym where he is working out. Gwen comments that she could’ve used a move like that yesterday as she got in to a bit of a scuffle. Tate questions her getting in a fight. Gwen responds that she used her self defense training outside of the gym and it was with Kristen. Tate recalls Gwen initially saying something about EJ coming after her. Gwen says EJ was there too and tried to break it up, but got a big shiner.

Theo goes to the DiMera Enterprises office where he’s surprised to find Gabi at his desk.

Alex goes home and calls out to Stephanie that he’s back, but she’s not home. Alex pulls out his phone but Stephanie comes in behind him. Alex thought she was working from home. Stephanie says she just needed some air. Alex goes to kiss her but Stephanie pulls away and asks if Joy and Kelsey are okay. Alex says they are fine and he just changed a flat tire. Alex adds that he knows Stephanie is annoyed, but Stephanie remarks that she’s royally pissed off.

Philip goes to the hospital and brings Sarah flowers for Holly. Sarah says she will make sure they get delivered to her. Philip asks how Holly is doing. Sarah says the good news is they think they know what it is but the bad news is that it’s arsenic poisoning. Sarah says they have started treatment and she’s responding well but she’s not out of the woods yet. Philip mentions talking to Maggie and says he thought she was joking about someone leaving the medical book open, but it’s obvious that someone knew about Holly. Sarah says that now they have to figure out who.

Brady goes to the DiMera Mansion and tells Kristen that Rachel’s doctors told the judge that she’s ready to be released from Bayview. Kristen says she just got the e-mail. Brady points out that normally Kristen would be thrilled about that, but she thinks Rachel is in danger from EJ and questions what that’s about. Kristen remarks that everyone is in danger from EJ. Brady says that vague answer won’t cut it. Kristen doesn’t know what to say. Brady tells her to clue him in as to what’s going on because he saw her face yesterday when she found out EJ had visited Rachel. Brady says it freaked her out that EJ was leaving some sort of message, threat, or warning. Brady questions why Kristen didn’t ask EJ about it. Brady asks when Kristen is going to confront EJ about his visit to Bayview because he needs to be apart of that conversation. Kristen responds that it’s not going to happen. Brady argues that they are talking about their daughter’s safety. Kristen complains that they can question EJ all they want but they know they’ll never get a straight answer. Brady remarks that it seems like he’ll never get one from her either.

Tate works out with Gwen and encourages her not to go looking for a fight, but to be able to defend herself when needed. Gwen responds that what Kristen did to her called for a response. Gwen asks if Tate is mad at her because Kristen is his dad’s ex and Rachel’s mom. Tate assures that he’s not and admits he’s never been a fan of Kristen. Tate adds that he’s sure whatever happened between them, Kristen started it. Gwen asks Tate to show her some more moves so she’s ready for when Kristen starts again.

Theo reminds Gabi that he told her to leave him alone. Gabi tells him this is really important, so Theo asks what she wants. Gabi knows she has no right to ask, but she needs a favor.

Stephanie asks Alex if their life now is him constantly dropping everything to go help Joy with some problem that she should be able to figure out on her own. Stephanie argues that Joy is not his responsibility. Alex responds that his daughter is. Stephanie complains that Joy knows to say Kelsey and emergency and then Alex will go running. Alex argues that she was stranded on the side of the road and it’s not like she let the air out of her tire, herself. Stephanie asks if he’s sure about that.

Philip tells Sarah that he was surprised when Maggie told him the well water at the Horton cabin might be contaminated. Sarah says she was too as Julie sent the water test results from the last five years and they were all clean, including from this year, so they are waiting on the results from the sample they just took. Philip brings up that arsenic can occur in nature and asks if there’s any chance Holly just had bad luck. Sarah says it’s possible but she’s afraid Holly may have ingested the contaminated drug manufactured by DiMera Pharmaceuticals and she’s come across two other cases from two years ago that might support her hypothesis, pointing out that’s when EJ was running DiMera. Philip knows EJ is an evil SOB but knowingly putting out tainted meds is a whole other level of evil. Philip swears that if EJ is responsible for what happened to Holly, he will have no problem delivering his just desserts with a side of arsenic. Sarah complains that he sounds like Xander now and strongly advises him not to go looking for revenge. Philip argues that if EJ poisoned a member of his family, he can’t just let it go. Sarah says they are going to let the law handle it. Philip points out that not working well in the past. Sarah questions letting the DiMera-Kiriakis feud go on forever and points out the damage that’s been done to both families. Philip says especially his family as they are on the verge of losing everything because of it. Philip agrees with Sarah that the fighting needs to stop, so Sarah tells him to do something about it to end it. Philip asks if she thinks they’d ever get Xander on board with that.

Theo questions Gabi having the audacity to ask him for another favor, arguing that she’s not capable of being generous and selfless. Gabi knows he’s upset about her plans for her inheritance and she’s sorry about that. Theo feels she’s only sorry that she got busted betraying her boyfriend but he still felt she deserved the inheritance and then she repaid him by giving a chunk of it to his family’s chief rival. Theo thinks that’s despicable. Gabi says she is grateful that he went against his family, but says not to pretend he made some huge sacrifice by awarding her the inheritance as he admitted to selfish reasons like not wanting to see her in court. Gabi declares that it’s her money so she can do whatever she wants with it which Theo says is the real Gabi coming out to play. Gabi responds that she’s not playing when it comes to the family and Theo says he’s not either.

Gwen works out with Tate. Tate asks about her fight with Kristen as he thought they were cool. Gwen responds that they were until she started shagging Xander at the same time that she was. Gwen calls Kristen a backstabbing bitch who broke girl code. Gwen knew going in that Xander only wanted meaningless sex, but Kristen knew she wanted more than an open situationship. Gwen adds that top it all off, Kristen denied it twice when she asked her. Gwen tells Tate to go on and judge her becuase she’s used to it. Tate responds that he’s not judging her at all and feels really sorry that she had to deal with all of that as no one deserves to be treated like that, especially by someone they thought was a friend.

Kristen tells Brady that when you’re a DiMera, revenge is just a way of life. Brady questions if she’s just going to sit back and wait for EJ to make his next move which might be against their little girl. Kristen insists that EJ is not going to hurt Rachel. Brady argues that Kristen is all over the map on this as she went from not wanting Rachel released because she’d be in danger to now saying everything’s fine. Brady adds that he doesn’t know why EJ would come after their daughter in the first place. Brady brings up Rachel said that EJ came to forgive her and asks why he would do that if he was going to hurt her. Kristen asks why EJ does anything. Brady complains that they are going in circles and he’s not doing this anymore. Brady says he’s not going to let anything happen to Rachel. Brady asks Kristen if Rachel is in danger from EJ and if he needs to do something about it. Kristen responds that it’s between her and EJ, so she will handle it. Kristen says she was just venting and acknowledges that EJ loves his niece and only wants what’s best for her. Kristen says it’s just EJ being a jerk and her overreacting, so she just needs them to focus on getting their daughter home. Kristen adds that she will let him know if anything changes as Brady then exits the mansion.

Alex asks Stephanie if they can put a pin in this conversation, but she says they can’t. Stephanie argues that Joy is manipulating him and asks how he’s not seeing it. Alex repeats that it’s not like Joy got a flat tire on purpose and would never put Kelsey in danger. Alex says it’s crazy to even suggest that. Stephanie then asks if he’s saying she’s crazy. Alex shouts that’s not what he’s saying and decides now he needs some air, so he walks out of the apartment.

Brady goes to the hospital and tells Sarah that Rachel’s release is good to go home with him as soon as the judge signs the paperwork. Sarah asks if Kristen is okay with that. Brady says that she doesn’t want Rachel in the DiMera Mansion either. Brady asks about Holly. Sarah says she has begun treatment, so they are hoping for the best. Sarah adds that she is confident it’s arsenic poisoning so that’s how they are proceeding and says that Holly is responding to the meds. Sarah mentions putting a rush on Destiny’s labs and expects to see the same. Brady talks about how crazy it is to be dealing with arsenic poisoning. Sarah asks if he had any luck with the medical book left on her desk, but Brady says he’s afraid that’s a dead end.

Theo tells Gabi that he’s tired of people thinking they can walk over him because he’s the nice DiMera, including her. Theo questions Gabi thinking she can come ask for a favor after the way she treated him. Gabi clarifies that she also came to see Arianna, but she left the building as soon as she saw her. Theo is not surprised and says he would’ve done the same thing if he saw her coming. Gabi says so much for being the nice DiMera. Gabi tells Theo to keep on tearing her down as she’s lost her boyfriend, her daughter, and her good friend. Theo asks whose fault that is. Gabi admits it’s all her fault.

Alex sits in the town square as Bonnie comes by and greets him. Alex says he just needed to clear his head. Bonnie says that Justin told her what EJ is doing with Titan and asks if that’s what is weighing on him. Alex says that’s part of it, but there’s so much more. Alex admits he feels like he’s barely hanging on.

Philip goes to see Stephanie and says he came to check on her. Stephanie claims she’s good but Philip doesn’t believe her and asks what’s wrong. Stephanie cries that it’s everything as Philip comes in and hugs her.

Brady informs Sarah that he and Steve dusted the medical book for prints, but only found her prints. Sarah guesses whoever snuck in was careful. Brady says they definitely wanted to remain hidden. Sarah complains that whoever did this could’ve saved Holly’s life but also could’ve caused Destiny’s death and put Holly in this mess in the first place.

Gabi tells Theo that she admits what she did was wrong, but questions if it’s really so unforgivable. Theo responds that he cared about her and thought she cared about him too, but then she accused him of betraying her and refused to believe him when he told her he hadn’t which is not something he can easily forgive. Theo tells Gabi to just ask what she wants to ask and be on her way. Gabi says she’s sure that he’s heard EJ bought Titan’s debt and is putting the squeeze on them. Theo reveals he actually hadn’t. Gabi tells Theo that the terms of the new loan are ridiculous, so as long as Stefan’s inheritance is distributed quickly, Titan can remain solvent, but if EJ finds out the DiMera money is going to save Titan, he’ll make sure she never sees a dime. Theo responds that he thinks what she’s doing with the money is despicable, but assures that EJ won’t hear about it from him. Gabi thanks him. Theo asks if they are done now because he has to get back to work. Gabi says goodbye and exits.

Tate asks Gwen if she’s going after Xander too. Gwen says absolutely and jokes that’ll be after they complete weapons training. Tate senses that she’s not as angry at Xander as she is at Kristen when he’s the bad guy too. Gwen assures that she’s furious with Xander but he did make it clear that he didn’t want feelings involved and they didn’t talk about being exclusive, but she didn’t think he would go shag the one friend she has. Tate agrees that Xander should’ve told her. Gwen declares that she was a fool for going after Xander when he couldn’t give her what she wanted, so she only has herself to blame.

Bonnie tells Alex that she’s sorry he’s dealing with so much all at once. Bonnie encourages him to think about his daughter. Alex promises to bring her by soon and suggests doing some of his visits with her at the Kiriakis mansion since he can’t have Kelsey around Stephanie. Alex states that between work, his wife, and his daughter, he feels like he’s being pulled in all directions. Bonnie knows Alex wants to make everybody happy, but tells him parent to parent, that’s never going to happen.

Stephanie tells Philip that she and Alex had a fight over something stupid that’s not even worth talking about. Philip reveals that he spoke to Chloe, so he knows Joy doesn’t want Stephanie around Kelsey and why. Stephanie complains that she should’ve known that would get around. Stephanie admits the shooting was her fault, but swears it was not on purpose and that she’s so happy Joy was not hurt. Philip assures that he believes her. Stephanie questions him not thinking she’s crazy too. Philip responds that he doesn’t and asks what she means. Stephanie starts to talk about what Alex said, but says it’s not Philip’s problem. Philip feels it kind of his and says she’s been through Hell the past few months while a lot of what happened is his fault.

Theo talks on the phone with Johnny about an upcoming meeting and says he’s on stand by if he needs him. Theo hangs up as Kristen arrives and asks what he can do for her. Kristen responds that she needs a favor. Theo says that seems to be going around.

Brady asks Sarah who had access to her office. Sarah responds that it was unlocked, so everyone did. Brady points out that would include EJ so he thinks it’s possible that he did it. Sarah asks how to prove it.

Stephanie questions how what’s going on with her could be Philip’s fault. Philip explains that he and Sarah were just talking about the ongoing DiMera-Kiriakis feud and all the people who suffered because of it, which includes Stephanie when she was involved with him. Stephanie stops him and says that she and Alex had a similar conversation this morning. Stephanie says she’s not denying what happened in the past but she doesn’t want to drag it in to the present as she’s focused on taking control of her future. Philip tells her that he’s proud of her and agrees. Philip encourages her to keep looking forward and not to be afraid to ask for help.

Bonnie tells Alex that she knows what it’s like to try to please everybody without losing your own marbles. Alex agrees that he can’t make everyone happy. Bonnie calls it hard but doable, using Justin as an example. Alex calls it crazy how Justin made it look easy for all of his kids. Alex acknowledges that Bonnie made incredible sacrifices to protect her kids and worked really hard to change. Bonnie points out how far Alex has come and how he now has a wife and a daughter. Bonnie encourages that Alex will figure it all out as she believes in him. Alex thanks her and says he appreciates that. Bonnie reminds him that she and Justin are there to help with whatever he needs. Bonnie advises Alex to remember to pause and cherish the happy moments and be grateful for his wife and child. Bonnie says he will find clarity and all his answers. Bonnie admits she’s been reading self help books and thinks it sounds like good advice. Alex agrees and thanks her again as she hugs him. Bonnie says she just wants to see him happy as he’s like a son to her and she’ll be there for him no matter what.

Tate works with Gwen and encourages her to beat up the punching bag instead of herself. Tate praises Gwen as doing great and learning really fast. Tate adds that he needs to get to the hospital, so Gwen thanks him for the lesson and the free therapy. Gwen says to send her best to Holly while Tate says he will see her at their next session.

Kristen asks Theo if it’s a bad time. Theo says it’s fine and asks what favor she needs. Kristen informs him that Rachel is being released from Bayview soon. Theo says that’s great but Kristen is worried about EJ because they despise each other and she thinks he could possibly use Rachel to get to her. Theo asks how. Kristen says she doesn’t know and she may be paranoid, but it’s better safe than sorry. Kristen tells Theo that the favor is simple as she was hoping that if EJ says anything about Rachel, Theo could just let her know. Theo agrees to do so, but can’t believe they are talking about this. Kristen argues that Theo might see EJ as his dry old uncle but he has no idea who EJ really is.

Stephanie tells Philip that Alex told her about he and Gabi’s break up. Stephanie says she’s sorry about what Gabi did to him and Titan. Philip responds that he thought they had a great thing going, but she did something he can’t forgive. Philip brings up EJ having Titan in a vice now. Stephanie says she will help any way she can, even if Titan might need more than good PR. Philip jokes that if they need a press release on the implosion of his family’s empire, she will be the one he calls.

Gabi runs in to Gwen in the town square. Gabi compliments Gwen’s purse from Gabi Chic but then takes a closer look and questions Gwen as to where she got it. Gwen says she got it online. Gabi then reveals it’s a knockoff. Gwen is shocked as she paid a fortune for it and declares she’s been robbed. Gabi says she has too.

Alex goes home to find Philip comforting Stephanie and says he wasn’t expecting him. Philip says he was just leaving and quickly exits. Alex questions Stephanie as to what that was all about. Stephanie responds that Philip just came to check up on her, calling it very thoughtful and kind. Alex guesses she means unlike him, then apologizes. Stephanie repeats that he implied she was crazy while Alex says she knows that’s not what he meant. Alex asks her to forgive him for using that word. Stephanie admits she overreacted and apologizes too. Stephanie then asks Alex to see Joy’s actions from her perspective. Alex responds that he does and understands her concern, but promises his eyes are wide open and if he sees Joy taking advantage of their situation, he will stop it. Stephanie agrees to trust him on that. Alex tells her that he loves her. She says the same as they kiss and hug.

Brady tells Sarah that if she can get him a list of everyone working that night, he can start asking around if anyone saw EJ. Sarah thinks they’d be reluctant to rat out the boss. Sarah then gets the water analysis back. Tate arrives and asks if they know why Holly is so sick. Sarah says no but they hope to have answers soon. Tate asks if he can go see her. Sarah says that Holly’s mom is in with her now but she’s sure they would love to see him. Sarah sends flowers from Philip with Tate to deliver. Brady then asks about the water analysis. Sarah responds that it shows a concentrated amount of arsenic, but no Coriseal.

Theo tells Kristen that he hates that everyone thinks he is so naïve when it comes to their family. Kristen responds that she doesn’t think that, but she thinks he’s forgotten that EJ is his father’s son and that Stefano was far from a saint. Theo assures that he hasn’t forgotten and questions her ripping on Stefano. Kristen states that there’s just things he doesn’t know. Theo complains that Kristen is talking to him like he’s stupid when he knows who his Grandfather was. Theo argues that Stefano wasn’t perfect, but he valued his family and wouldn’t do anything to hurt them. Kristen complains that Stefano kept her from her mother and made her believe she was dead, brainwashed his own son, and even Lexie wasn’t immune. Kristen brings up what Stefano did to Lexie but stops. Theo questions what he did to his mother and demands an answer. Kristen guesses it’s time he knew since he’s likely to find out one day anyway. Kristen then informs Theo that Stefano was the reason that Lexie got a brain tumor, so it was Stefano’s fault that Theo lost his mother.

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Days Update Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Days of Our Lives Update

 

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Update written by Joseph

Cat goes to Marlena’s office at the hospital and asks if she has a minute so Marlena invites her in. Cat asks about making an appointment and informs her that she’s changed her mind and wants to try a hypnosis session. Marlena says she doesn’t have any appointments for awhile, so they can start right now.

Chanel brings Trey to the town square and says it’s just them today since Johnny went to work before they got up. Theo joins them and asks how they are doing. Chanel says they are about to head to a mommy & me class. Joy then comes by with Kelsey and greets them. Theo jokes that it’s like a Body & Soul reunion. Joy mentions heading to the mommy & me class, so Theo asks if it’s the same one and they are in it together. Chanel decides they are now going to skip it and claims she just remembered a lot of work she has to get done. Joy says that’s too bad and maybe she’ll catch her there next time, but Chanel says not likely.

Alex tells Stephanie about EJ buying the loan from the bank just to put the screws to Titan and question what Xander and Kate were thinking by going after Johnny like that. Stephanie guesses they weren’t thinking but calls it relatively tame for a DiMera revenge plot. Alex knows this endless feud has caused her a lot of hurt. Stephanie says it’s hurt a lot of people but it’s because of this feud that Owen kidnapped her. Alex thought the bad blood between the families would have died with Victor and Stefano but Stephanie points out that it’s alive and well, so now the next generation are hellbent on destroying each other.

EJ sits at home on the phone with Johnny, telling him that their mission was a success and they have begun treatment on Holly. EJ hangs up when Lexie arrives. Lexie warns EJ not to listen to Dr. Rolf’s medical advice so he doesn’t end up like her. EJ says he’s spoken with Dr. Rolf and he’s very sorry about the latest developments in her condition. Lexie doesn’t care as she spent 15 years hovering between life and death, then EJ brought her back without her consent and made her a human guinea pig with an experimental drug. Lexie asks if it was just to watch her suffer through the pain of seeing her body fail all over again and says she wouldn’t wish that on anyone, except maybe EJ.

Theo comments that it seems like things are still tense between Chanel and Joy. Theo knows Chanel has her reasons to not like Joy but says it’s not like she intentionally set out to hurt her. Chanel doesn’t want to get in to what happened with Joy and Johnny, saying the real issue was the cover up and the lying. Chanel states that she and Johnny have moved on. Theo says that’s good, but Joy is living in Salem and has a kid the same age as Trey, so it’s not like she can avoid her forever. Chanel says she can sure as hell try.

Alex apologizes to Stephanie as he realizes all this talk about going to war with EJ might be triggering. Stephanie says it’s okay as she’s his wife and he should be able to talk to her about whatever’s going on at work. Stephanie adds that she’s done feeling like a victim. Alex says he’s proud of her but still feels he shouldn’t be putting it in her face. Stephanie repeats that it’s okay and just hopes his cousins are okay as it’s another thing to throw gasoline on the family feud. Alex assures he’s trying to stop this from spinning out. Alex talks about Titan being his daughter’s legacy too, so he owes it to her to do whatever he can to save the company. Stephanie says she’s his family too. Alex calls her the most important as they kiss. Stephanie then declares she’s going to help him fight to save Titan and she’s already thinking about how to spin the PR as that will be a big part in stopping EJ. Alex then gets a call from Joy, who tells Alex that she needs help.

Marlena asks Cat what changed her mind about having hypnosis. Cat responds that she had a conversation with a friend who told her that she could trust her. Marlena asks who that friend was. Cat then reveals it was Andrew Donovan. Marlena didn’t know she knew Andrew and questions where they met. Cat has a feeling she can figure that out. Marlena asks if Cat is telling her that she’s ISA. Cat then confirms that she is.

Theo comments on Chanel really hating Joy. Chanel says she doesn’t hate her, she just doesn’t want anything to do with her. Theo questions Chanel forgiving Johnny, but not Joy. Chanel argues that it’s not about forgiveness. Chanel declares that with everything going on in her life, she needs positivity and not fake friends as she calls Joy a bucket of drama.

Joy tells Alex that she was on her way to a mommy & me class with Kelsey when she got a flat tire. Alex asks where she is. She responds that she’s in a grassy spot on the side of the highway. Alex if she has a spare tire. Joy confirms that she does but she’s a New York City girl and doesn’t know how to change it. Kelsey starts to cry, so Alex tells Joy not to worry as he’ll be right there, leaving Stephanie annoyed.

Marlena gets a text from Andrew, confirming that Cat is with the ISA and says she understands now why she was hesitant about hypnosis. Cat says she’s sorry she wasn’t able to tell her before. Marlena responds that she understands the rules of the ISA. Marlena then asks if working as her assistant was part of the operation. Cat says that all she can say is that Marlena and her family were never the target of any investigations. Marlena asks if she was still an ISA agent. Cat clarifies that she was an analyst. Cat asks if Marlena is still okay with doing this as she doesn’t want to put her in a position of something dangerous. Marlena responds that it’s not her first rodeo with the ISA or confidentiality. Marlena asks if Cat’s still interested in what happened at the clinic in Italy and her interactions with EJ. Cat confirms that she is and says she remembers a little bit, but it’s mostly a blur. Marlena understands since she was in a major accident. Cat brings up that EJ not remembering much under hypnosis. Marlena points out that EJ was unconscious for most of that time while Cat was awake, so she’s optimistic that they will get some answers. Cat assures that she does not intend on sharing those answers with EJ but says she does need to know for herself what happened between them.

EJ questions Lexie coming to his home to rake him over the coals after everything he’s done for her. Lexie responds that she came to see Dr. Rolf because he’s her only hope as that’s how they both wanted it. EJ asks if she thinks he wanted her to suffer and fail. Lexie thinks he didn’t care and just used the drug on her because he was in a hurry to make a buck. EJ argues that she can’t think he just did this for money. Lexie remarks that’s the reason he does everything. EJ shouts that he did this for family. EJ declares that Stefano built an empire and he must carry his vision forward. EJ screams that every sacrifice he makes, he did for this family. EJ reminds her that Stefano’s dying wish was to bring her back and he made that happen, shouting that he gave Lexie her life back. Lexie responds that he gave her life back just long enough to fall back in love with it, only to lose it and die all over again.

Marlena asks if Cat’s interest in the connection between her and EJ is personal or professional. Cat responds that it’s professional. Marlena guesses she’s investigating EJ then. Cat responds that if she was, she couldn’t tell her what the case was about. Marlena reminds her that she has a personal connection to EJ as he was married to her daughter and is the father of two of her grandchildren but she doesn’t think that will affect her ability to treat her properly. Cat says if she’s okay with it, she is too. Cat guesses EJ told her that he believes their time in Italy at the rehab hospital might have had an effect on the dissolution of his marriage to Sami. Marlena confirms EJ mentioned that. Cat hopes that she doesn’t say anything to upset her if she does remember anything. Marlena says she normally doesn’t tell her personal feelings, but if Cat had anything to do with the breakup of EJ and Sami, then she and Sami both owe her gratitude, which surprises Cat.

Lexie tells EJ that she begged Dr. Rolf to try more things but they both know how it’s going to end. EJ argues that they don’t as everything they’ve done has been groundbreaking and Dr. Rolf is working around the clock to find a cure for these unexpected side effects. Lexie tells EJ not to talk to her like one of his investors, but as his sister. Lexie argues that EJ was so determined to be a hero that he never thought about what it would do to her or the people she loves if his experiment went sideways. Lexie complains that it’s bad enough that Abe and Theo lost her once and now they have to watch as she dies before their eyes a second time and she will never forgive him for that.

Theo tells Chanel that he gets not wanting extra drama in her life, but he wonders if trying to avoid Joy will cause more stress instead of trying to peacefully co-exist. Chanel argues that she’s heard all of Joy’s excuses, but she was supposed to be her friend and trying to help her almost cost her marriage. Theo admits that he hates when someone disappoints him too. Chanel apologizes for getting upset. Theo says he can relate as he was let down recently by someone he cared about too. Chanel guesses he’s talking about the friend who accused him of lying. Theo responds that she’s not the person he thought she was.

Alex tells Stephanie that he’s sorry about this. Stephanie questions Joy not calling roadside assistance and complains that Alex can’t just be her first call for everything. Alex says he knows but he can’t leave her stranded on the side of the road. Alex says he hopes she understands and kisses her as he then exits.

Stephanie finds Chanel with Trey in the park and asks if she’s okay. Chanel says she was just on a walk with Trey and got a little queasy. Stephanie asks if there’s anything she can do. Chanel says nausea is just a normal side effect of chemo. Stephanie offers to take Trey for a walk while she rests for a minute but Chanel snarks back that she’s fine and can take care of her son.

Marlena begins hypnotizing Cat and asks what she sees. Cat tells her that she’s in EJ’s room as his face is covered in bandages but she knows it’s him and she’s reading to him. Cat talked to EJ, saying she knows it’s silly to keep coming in and hoping something would change, but she thought talking to him day after day might awaken something inside him. Cat questioned why she cared so much and pointed out that very few of Clyde Weston’s victims suffered as much as them, so she felt that bonded them for life.

EJ asks Lexie is not grateful for every moment she had in the second chance at life, like seeing Theo all grown up. Lexie responds that she is grateful for the moments and maybe it’s worth the pain she’s facing now, but she wishes she had more time with Abe and Theo as they are everything to her. Lexie cries at the thought of losing them once again as Theo then walks in and asks what’s wrong. Lexie tells him that she just got emotional while thanking EJ for everything he’s done for her. Theo says he’s happy and grateful to have her back. EJ says they all are. Theo goes to thank EJ and notices EJ’s black eye. EJ explains that he got hit while breaking up a fight. Theo says he’s not great at picking up on vibes but he feels like he walked in on something weird. Lexie claims that everything is great.

Stephanie apologizes to Chanel as she didn’t mean to overstep. Chanel apologizes as she’s a little on edge. Stephanie says she understands and that Chanel is probably still upset with her about the babysitting mess with Trey as she felt Alex was trying to pressure her and she overreacted. Stephanie states that she really loves kids but she’s not ready to be a mom herself. Chanel says she gets that and hopes things are okay with her and Alex as she’s sure it hasn’t been easy dealing with Joy and the baby. Stephanie calls it complicated but says she won’t stand here and complain to her. Chanel asks her to do so and says she’d loving nothing more than for her to complain to her.

Alex and Joy go to the Brady Pub with Kelsey. Joy thanks Alex for changing her tire and admits she was impressed. Alex says he’s just glad they are okay. Joy admits standing on the side of the road was terrifying. Alex can’t believe no one stopped to help her. Joy says she wasn’t exactly waving down strangers and hopes she didn’t pull him away from anything important. Alex says not at all.

Stephanie tells Chanel that it doesn’t feel right to dump her problems on her. Chanel says she can still be empathetic and she’d rather have conversations that aren’t about her illness or her chemo. Chanel wishes people would treat her like a normal person living her life. Stephanie says she understands that very well. Stephanie relates to when she got home after being kidnapped and everyone treated her like a fragile doll. Stephanie admits she had PTSD, but like Chanel, the last thing she wanted was people feeling sorry for her. Chanel says maybe they can just try to have some casual conversation then which Stephanie says she’s all for. Chanel then asks Stephanie for the tea on Joy.

Marlena asks if Cat can see the book she’s reading to EJ. Cat responds that it’s Wuthering Heights and remembers EJ squeezing her hand as she read to him. Cat then remembers kissing EJ on the cheek. Marlena then wakes Cat from her hypnosis.

Stephanie asks Chanel how much time she has for tea on Joy. Chanel hopes she’s not being insensitive but Stephanie thinks it would help to vent about Joy, so Chanel tells her to go on. Stephanie starts with a couple days ago when Stephanie called Alex, saying there was an emergency with Kelsey at the hospital but it was a problem with her insurance card and then emergency number two was a flat tire. Chanel can’t believe Joy called Stephanie’s husband over a flat tire. Stephanie mocks Joy and says she’s seen the damsel in distress bit before. Chanel agrees that she has it down and talks about how Joy used to go on to her about being lonely in Salem without friends or family. Chanel adds that when she found out Joy took Johnny to bed, she still tried to act innocent and claimed she only did say anything because she didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Stephanie calls that lame and awful. Chanel calls Joy a real operator. Stephanie says Alex assures she has nothing to worry about but she feels he has his head in the sand when it comes to Joy. Chanel warns Stephanie to watch her back when it comes to Joy.

Alex gets Joy signed up for roadside assistance so she’ll never be stranded again. Joy says she won’t have to bother him again while Alex assures that she can call him anytime about Kelsey. Joy jokes with him and says she knows it’s her second emergency this week but promises it won’t become a regular thing. Alex says he gets it and understands she’s just getting settled in with the move, Kelsey, and all the other life changes. Joy says she’s lived on her own before, but somehow this feels more alone. Alex responds that being a mom now changes everything, but she’s not alone. Joy thanks him and says when it comes to emergencies, she will call Alex for anything Kelsey related and anything else, she’ll call 911 or handle it herself. Alex says that sounds like a plan.

Marlena asks if Cat remembered something else from the clinic. Cat informs her that she was reading to EJ and then she felt him squeezing her hand like he knew she was there which she doesn’t think he had done before. Marlena notes that Cat seemed to have a very strong emotional attachment to that moment and asks if she was excited to realize he knew she was there. Cat responds that she thinks she was. Marlena asks if there’s anything else she remembers, but Cat claims that was it. Marlena calls that a very good start for today. Cat asks if that’s all. Marlena thinks it’s good to go slowly at first and asks if she wants to book another session. Cat assures that she would because that was very enlightening. Marlena says she will get her paperwork from the front desk and get her on the calendar as she then exits. Cat says to herself that it was real.

Lexie asks what Theo came for. Theo says he was going to talk to Tony before he and Anna leave for Europe, to see if he had any parting advice for running the company. EJ informs him that Tony and Anna are upstairs packing. Theo tells Lexie that he’ll see her at home as they hug. Lexie calls Theo his mother’s delight which Theo recalls her calling him when he was little and says he still likes it as he heads upstairs. Lexie tells EJ that every time she’s with Theo, all she can see is the little boy who lost his mother and now he might lose her all over again. EJ tells Lexie that they must not give up hope as the world needs her light and her heart. EJ declares he’s not going to let it happen as he hugs her while looking panicked.

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Days Update Monday, July 6, 2026

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Update written by Joseph

Steve and Kayla sit together in the town square and watch the fireworks as they kiss.

Xander goes to the hospital and finds Sarah sleeping in a chair next to Holly’s bedside. Xander wakes Sarah up and she asks what he’s doing there.

Brady runs in to Kristen in the town square as the fireworks are going off. Kristen points out that Brady is all alone and asks if his girlfriend decided to watch the fireworks with the father of her child. Brady informs Kristen that he got back from seeing their daughter and Sarah is at the hospital with Holly. Kristen asks how Rachel is. Brady says she’s actually good and that Dr. Gregory was impressed by how she reacted to the news about Sophia. Brady adds that Dr. Gregory plans to go to the board about getting Rachel released by next week, but Kristen tells him that cannot happen.

Gwen joins Leo in his room at the Salem Inn and pours a drink. Leo asks if this is about the news he shared with her earlier about Xander and Kristen as Gwen begins drinking. Leo complains that he’s recovering from a concussion and the fireworks are going to make his head explode which Gwen calls good.

EJ calls Johnny and says he needs to see him right away at the DiMera Mansion. Johnny says he’s not going over there, complaining that EJ dragged him in to this Coriseal mess and he did what he asked, so now he’s done. EJ tells Johnny that he’s afraid this is just the beginning. Johnny tells EJ that he doesn’t want to be involved in any of this anymore, so he’s out. EJ says there are loose ends to tie up and Johnny is still the CEO of DiMera. Johnny reminds him that he’s taking a step back and adds that he can’t leave Chanel because she’s sleeping and he needs to be there in case Trey wakes up. EJ says he will come to him then. Johnny says no but EJ hangs up.

Sarah questions Xander waking her up. Xander says she looked uncomfortable and he remembers how she got a crick in her neck when she was staying in the hospital with Victoria. Sarah thanks him and admits she didn’t realize she even fell asleep as she just wanted to come sit with Holly for awhile after her mom and Tate left. Xander asks how she’s doing. Sarah says her condition is worsening and they still haven’t figured out the problem. Sarah asks if he had any luck with the files on Coriseal. Xander says not yet, but reveals he’s getting help from the inside from Kristen.

Brady doesn’t understand since Kristen has been dying to get Rachel out of Bayview. Kristen says now is not the right time for her to get released. Brady questions what this is about, so Kristen admits it’s about EJ. Steve asks if Kayla has talked to Roman lately since he saw him earlier with Marlena and Kate didn’t seem to be around. Kayla informs him that Roman and Kate are going through a rough patch, so Steve questions what’s going on. Kayla thinks that Kate was a little less than forthcoming about Titan’s lawsuit against DiMera. Steve knows there were suspicions that Johnny was set up. Kayla reveals those were confirmed, so Kate moved out to the Kiriakis Mansion to give them space and time to try to figure things out. Steve hopes they can make it work. Kayla says that what Kate did to Roman’s grandson was pretty awful, but it’s too bad because she really made him happy the last few years. Steve points out that just a few months ago they were really happy while Abe and Paulina were going strong. Kayla agrees that so much has changed. Steve jokes that maybe Mercury is in retro. Steve says he doesn’t believe in that but it’s something people say when the world is going haywire. Kayla tells Steve that she’s so grateful to have him as they kiss.

Leo asks Gwen why his head should explode instead of Xander. Gwen responds that she doesn’t blame Xander. Leo argues that it’s not his fault. Gwen agrees and blames herself for being such an idiot when Xander made it clear what to expect from him which was very little, but she thought that could be enough as she thought they could just have amazing, mind-blowing sex with no feelings involved but she ended up making a fool of herself. Leo says he told her repeatedly while Gwen asks why he had to open his mouth and ruin everything. Leo asks if she wishes he hadn’t told her.

Steve can’t believe Kayla has to work the late shift on the Fourth of July. Kayla blames EJ for the hospital being short staffed. Steve jokes that EJ should be emptying bedpans there. Kayla hopes they can get rid of him. Steve asks if it is going to happen. Kayla says as long as Gwen follows through with her bid on the hospital and declares they can finally be rid of that son of a bitch.

Leo admits to Gwen that he considered not telling her about Xander and Kristen, he thought it would hurt, and that he was breaking a bro code with Xander, but he felt it was his duty to be honest with her. Leo apologizes for bringing her bad news and causing it in the past. Gwen apologizes for blaming the messenger, so Leo thanks her. Leo asks what happens now between her and Xander. Gwen responds that there is no more her and Xander. Leo says that’s probably for the best. Leo asks if she will forgive Kristen. Gwen assures that she won’t since at least Xander didn’t pretend to be something he’s not, while Kristen went behind her back and lied to her face. Leo guesses she’s going to give Kristen a piece of her mind. Gwen responds that she’s going to kill her and storms out of the room.

Brady asks Kristen what EJ has to do with Rachel being released from Bayview. Kristen complains that EJ visited Rachel and brought the stuffed animal because he wanted to send her a message and let her know that he was there because he knows the way to get to her is through her daughter. Kristen adds that EJ is now on the banned list of visitors. Brady asks if she’s telling him that EJ could hurt their daughter or if he should worry about her. Kristen responds that she can handle this. Brady doesn’t believe her. Kristen tells Brady that she’s sorry as she was just being really dramatic, but she and EJ will work this out. Kristen apologizes and says she really has to go as she hurries off.

Sarah questions Xander using his new girlfriend as a mole. Xander clarifies that she’s not his girlfriend. Sarah asks if he can really trust her. Xander assures that Kristen hates EJ and wants to see him burn as much as they do. Xander adds that this is uncomfortable as the last thing he’d ever want to do is hurt Sarah. Sarah says it’s fine as it really is none of her business who he’s sleeping with because they aren’t together anymore. Sarah states that she’s moved on and he’s free to do the same. Sarah adds that she’ll take help from anyone that gets her closer to finding out what’s wrong with Holly. Xander thought this Coriseal business was about Destiny’s death. Sarah says it was and is. Xander brings up that Sarah told him that there was a second patient and questions if Coriseal is related to Holly’s condition. Sarah thinks it’s possible that Holly took some of the contaminated pills.

EJ goes to see Johnny, who tells him to stay quiet and not wake up Chanel and Trey. EJ says he’s sorry for missing Trey’s first birthday party. EJ asks how things went at the hospital and if he gave Sarah their message.

Xander tells Sarah that he can’t believe that Holly’s illness could be connected to whatever happened to Destiny. Sarah admits she’s terrified. Sarah then gets a text with the results of Holly’s latest tests which reveal her liver and kidney function are trending towards failure which indicates some sort of poison is shutting down her system. Xander asks if she can treat it now that she knows that. Sarah says not without knowing what kind of toxin it is and they are still waiting on the test from the water at the Horton Cabin. Xander asks if she thinks the well water was poisoned. Sarah says she doesn’t know, but they are running out of time. Sarah says she has to go and rushes out of the room.

Johnny tells EJ that he took care of it and did what he asked by leaving the message for Sarah. Johnny flashes back to sneaking in to Sarah’s office and leaving a medical book open to the page on Arsenic on her desk. EJ states that he gave Sarah the tools to figure it out without incriminating himself or DiMera. Johnny just hopes she can figure it out in time to save Holly’s life.

Sarah goes to her office and finds the book on her desk, open to the page on Arsenic and declares that’s it.

Steve approaches Brady in the town square, joking that it looks like they’ve both been abandoned on the Fourth of July. Steve asks him what’s going on. Brady responds that Kristen just informed him that EJ may be a threat to her and Rachel. Steve thinks Kristen could just be being paranoid. Brady says ever since Rachel’s been in Bayview, Kristen’s been desperate to get her out and now they got news she might get released while Kristen is panicked about her coming home. Brady says that’s why he doesn’t think it’s the usual paranoia. Brady declares that if there is a legitimate threat to their daughter, Kristen better tell him about it.

Johnny tells EJ that he left the hospital as he instructed to avoid the security cameras and wore gloves so his fingerprints wouldn’t be on anything. EJ calls that excellent as there’s no way the book can be traced back to them. Johnny questions that being what he’s worried about when Holly could die because of the way DiMera disposed of those contaminated pills. EJ argues that he never would’ve approved of disposing them on Smith Island, but what’s done is done and all they can do now is try to save Holly’s life. Johnny doesn’t understand why EJ couldn’t have placed the book on Sarah’s desk and why he had to lie to his family and leave his son’s first birthday party early, then sneak in to an office when EJ owns the hospital. EJ explains that he couldn’t because he spent the evening on Smith Island, making sure the pills were dug up to avoid further contamination. Johnny hopes this is the end of it, but EJ reveals there is one more thing he needs him to do.

Xander sits at Holly’s side and talks about Victoria missing her. Xander urges Holly to keep working hard to get better so she can come home to all of them. Kayla comes in and says she was looking for Sarah to go over Holly’s latest test results. Xander informs her that she saw the results and stepped out for a break. Sarah then returns to the room and announces that she thinks she knows what it is. Xander asks if it’s treatable. Sarah responds that if it is what she thinks it is, they can beat this.

Leo remains dizzy as he gets dressed in his room and declares that Gwen is tough, but he has to put a stop to this before she runs face first in to a buzzsaw as he leaves his room.

Kristen goes to the DiMera Mansion where Gwen is waiting for her. Kristen tells Gwen that she’s relieved to see a friendly face but Gwen asks if her face looks friendly. Kristen asks what’s going on. Gwen tells Kristen that she has a much bigger problem to deal with and calls her a bitch. Kristen asks what she is missing. Gwen responds that for once, EJ was telling the truth about Kristen and Xander having an affair. Kristen says she wouldn’t call it an affair, so Gwen asks what she would call it. Kristen calls it hot, meaningless sex and says she’s sure Gwen wouldn’t judge her for that, pointing out that it’s exactly what Xander and Gwen were having. Gwen calls her a two faced cow and argues that Kristen knew her relationship with Xander meant more to her than that and lied to her face. Kristen says she didn’t know it was so serious. Kristen then says they can hash this out over martinis because she do not has time for this. Gwen grabs her and says that’s too bad.

Xander finds Brady at the hospital and tells him that Sarah and Kayla are in with Holly. Brady asks how Holly is doing. Xander says she’s not good but that Sarah thinks she’s figured out what’s wrong and it’s arsenic poisoning. Brady questions how she figured it out. Xander says there was a medical book left open to the page on her desk. Brady questions it just being left for her to see. Xander says it seems that way but the question is why they would want to remain anonymous. Brady suggests maybe it’s the person connected to why Holly is sick in the first place. Xander mentions Sarah believing it as tainted Coriseal. Brady notes that’s the drug in the missing DiMera files. Xander declares it has to be EJ.

Johnny tells EJ that when he took this job, Chanel warned him that it would be a slippery slope and he really tried to do things the right way, but he got set up with the lawsuit and now he’s leaving his sick, pregnant wife to sneak around, make fake phone calls, and break into an office. Johnny says he doesn’t want to lie to Chanel anymore. EJ says he understands, but he’s doing this for her and their growing family so she never needs to know. Johnny asks what more EJ needs from him. EJ responds that he needs him to ensure that Theo never finds out either. Johnny argues that Theo is his co-CEO and they are equal partners. EJ states that only Johnny understands what needs to be done to protect their family.

Sarah can’t believe she didn’t think to test for arsenic or recognize the symptoms. Kayla argues that it’s so uncommon and there might no longer be a detectable amount in Holly’s system. Sarah says they have to begin treatment. Kayla talks about having to wait on a 24 hour analysis but Sarah worries that she might not have that kind of time. Kayla asks if she’s suggesting they start therapy without a definitive diagnosis. Sarah says she knows why not to but she’d rather deal with the side effects because if they don’t do something soon, Holly is not going to make it and they’re going to lose her. Kayla questions how arsenic could’ve gotten in Holly’s system anyway. Sarah points out that she tested positive for Coriseal. Kayla wonders if Destiny died of arsenic poisoning too. Sarah calls it awfully coincidentaly and that maybe the pills were contaminated. Kayla asks if Holly took the pills willingly. Sarah says she can’t rule it out, so she’s either dealing with Holly took the pills or it came from the water. Kayla decides to go contact the lab to have them test for arsenic and Coriseal. Sarah promises Holly that they are going to figure this out and get her feeling better.

EJ tells Johnny that there are parts of the job that they both know Theo is not equipped for. Johnny asks if he means because Theo is not okay with lying. EJ says Theo sees the world a certain way and sometimes the lines are blurrier than that which is why he never wanted him to make Theo co-CEO. Johnny argues that he and Theo both want to change DiMera for the better and make it something their kids can be proud of. EJ commends their vision but says the company has a past that the CEO must reckon with whether he likes it or not and if the truth about Coriseal gets out to anyone including Theo, there won’t be a company left to run. Trey wakes up crying, so Johnny tells EJ he needs to go. EJ thanks Johnny and says to send his love to Chanel and Trey as he exits.

Xander repeats that it had to be EJ, but Brady questions why EJ would leave the book open, arguing that he would never risk his neck for his ex-stepdaughter. Xander calls that a valid point. Brady wonders if it could be someone from DiMera Pharmaceuticals that was afraid to come forward, but Xander says they wouldn’t know about Holly. Brady says it has to be someone connected to DiMera and Holly which Xander says brings them back to EJ.

Gwen questions if Kristen is loyal to anyone but herself. Kristen warns that she does not want to do this. Gwen can’t believe she apologized for accusing her of sleeping with Xander and she confided in her about being cheated on, yet Kristen still decided to find the one guy in Salem. Kristen doesn’t know what to say. Leo arrives and listens in from outside the living room. Kristen argues that it meant nothing to her and even less to Xander. Gwen complains of all the betrayals she’s been through and declares she’s tired of it and done with allowing people to get off free for the pain they cause her. Kristen asks if she’s done with this pity party. Kristen argues that if she really cared about Xander, maybe she would’ve worked harder to satisfy him. Gwen then grabs Kristen and pulls some of her hair out as Leo runs in to separate them. EJ comes in and holds Kristen back as Leo holds Gwen back as they scream at each other.

Brady tells Xander that Kayla will take Steve to Sarah’s office to dust for fingerprints and then they will look at the security footage. Xander comments on Brady acting like a real private investigator and guesses he made a good decision in walking away from Titan and Basic Black when he did. Brady asks if things aren’t going so well. Xander informs him that EJ used a shell company to buy their loan and made the terms impossible to pay back, so they could lose everything. Brady asks Xander to tell him what he can do. Xander says right now his primary concern is getting Holly well, but if they could take EJ down in the process, even better. Brady agrees and declares he’s on board with whatever it takes.

Sarah wakes Holly up to give her medication and says that her mom is okay with starting her therapy to clear out her system. Sarah apologizes for not figuring this out sooner.

Kayla brings Steve to Sarah’s office. Steve notes there’s no sign of forced entry while Kayla mentions that Sarah left the door open. Kayla shows Steve how Kayla found the book opened to the page on arsenic poisoning. Steve says whoever left it seemingly knew what’s going on with Holly. Kayla is grateful for the break but questions who would do something like this. Steve tells Kayla to focus on saving Holly while he and Brady focus on who left the book and why.

Johnny watches over Trey and talks about all he ever wanted was to be someone that he, Chanel, and the baby could be proud of. Johnny doesn’t know what’s coming but promises he will never become his father’s son.

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Days Update Friday, July 3, 2026

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Update written by Joseph

Jada comes home from work to find Shawn getting dressed. Jada asks if he’s going out. Shawn responds that he is, with her which makes her smile.

Marlena greets Belle at home as they wish each other a happy 4th of July. Marlena guesses Belle isn’t just going out for the fireworks. Belle confirms that Chad is taking her out to dinner at the Bistro. Belle hopes it’s fun for Chad since he’s been a little sad about the kids spending the summer with Jack and Jennifer in Boston. Marlena thinks it’ll be just what the doctor ordered.

Chad finds Lexie in the town square. They talk about Tom and Alice watching over their town square. Chad tells Lexie how wonderful it is to have her back in their lives as she was truly the best of them. Lexie says that’s what they say about him. Chad asks where everybody is as he assumes they are there for the fireworks. Lexie says that Abe and Theo went to get dinner, but while it’s just them, there’s something she wants to talk to him about.

Abe and Theo walk through the park. Theo questions if Abe and Lexie are sticking around the town square for the fireworks which Abe confirms. Theo admits he was hoping they’d do their own thing elsewhere because Johnny and Chanel are having a birthday gathering for Trey and of course Paulina was invited. Abe then points out that he was not invited.

Johnny sits at home wrapping a birthday present for Trey when he gets a call from EJ. Johnny questions EJ saying he can’t make it to Trey’s first birthday. EJ then confirms to Johnny that Holly has arsenic poisoning.

Chad asks Lexie what’s going on and if everything is okay. Lexie claims everything is fine and she just wanted to thank him for being there for Theo in her absence. Chad says there’s no need to thank him and says he’s really proud of the man Theo has become. Lexie is glad they are close and asks Chad to stay close and keep looking after him. Chad says of course, but questions where this is coming from and if something’s wrong.

Theo tells Abe that it’s not that he wasn’t invited and he knows he loves Johnny and Chanel, but it’d be hard for Paulina and Lexie who are both going through a lot right now. Abe wishes he handled the situation differently. Theo knows how hard it was for Abe to abide by Lexie’s wishes to not contact Paulina. Abe states that he and Paulina had something very special, so he can’t just turn off his feelings for her. Theo says he loves Paulina too, but he knows it’s harder for Abe since he can only have one wife.

Belle asks Marlena about her visit with Rachel. Marlena says it was good but she was surprised to learn that EJ came to visit her and told her that he forgave her for shooting him. Marlena says that’s good for Rachel’s recovery, but they know EJ doesn’t do anything without an ulterior motive.

Johnny tells EJ that he has to tell them. Chanel comes in behind Johnny as Johnny tells EJ that he can’t do that as it will be a little hard to get away tonight, so he asks why EJ can’t do it. Johnny then hangs up as he sees Chanel, who asks him what’s going on.

Belle tells Marlena that she knows EJ’s motives are always suspect but Rachel is his niece, so it’s possible that he just wanted to show he cares after almost losing his son. Marlena supposes that’s possible. Belle says she has to get going to the Bistro. Marlena says she will walk her out as she’s going to stop by Trey’s birthday party and then she will pop in to see a dear old friend.

Jada asks Shawn if they are not just going to sit on the couch with ice cream and watch the fireworks on TV. Shawn asks why they would do that when they could watch the fireworks in person on an actual date. Jada says she will go change and freshen up then. Jada comments on it being backwards to be living together and now going on a date. Shawn feels it’s about time. Jada asks if it’s not weird. Shawn says he’s been looking forward to wining and dining her. Shawn also wants to thank her for everything she’s done for him in his recovery. Jada says he doesn’t have to thank her as it was all her pleasure as they kiss.

Johnny claims to Chanel it was just business stuff and nothing important. Chanel points out that he was talking to EJ and thought he wasn’t involved in his business anymore. Johnny says that EJ just likes to keep his hand in everything. Chanel says she can tell when Johnny is dancing around something and asks if there is a problem. Johnny claims there was just a situation that they disagreed on how to handle, but it’s taken care of now so he can give his full attention to Chanel and Trey.

Lexie tells Chad that nothing is wrong but she told Theo that she’s proud of him for taking the lead at DiMera, but she wants him to keep listening to his better angels while in that job. Chad promises she has nothing to worry about as Theo will always do the right thing. Chad says he has to go and will see them later as they hug and wish each other a happy 4th. Chad heads to the Bistro while Lexie sits down at a table looking frustrated as Lani enters the town square.

Shawn and Jada go to the Bistro for dinner. Chad and Belle then arrive as well. Shawn waves to them. Belle comments to Chad that Shawn is on a date with his caregiver. Chad asks if that makes her uncomfortable but Belle says it’s fine. Jada asks Shawn if he’s uncomfortable but Shawn says they have both moved on and he’s glad that if Belle is going to date a DiMera, it’s Chad instead of EJ. Shawn says he’s happy for them and thinks they are for them too. Jada guesses they are about to find out as Belle and Chad approach their table.

Marlena goes to the Brady Pub and wishes Roman a Happy Fourth of July. Marlena invites Roman to join her at a table which he accepts. Marlena tells him that she was on her way to their great grandson’s birthday party so she decided to stop and check in on him. Roman says he’s planning to head there too so he will see her there. Marlena asks Roman how he is on Independence Day. Roman responds that he’s independent for sure because Kate moved out.

Chanel questions Johnny saying that he and EJ had a little disagreement and calls it vague. Johnny says it’s just work stuff and what’s important to him is her and asks how she’s feeling. Chanel says she’s good and feels her energy coming back. Chanel says she’s really excited about the 4th and their son’s first birthday so it will be an amazing day. Chanel decides they should get Trey ready and reminds Johnny not to forget the birthday candle.

Lani approaches Lexie and greets her, asking if she’s okay. Lexie says she is and it’s just been a long day. Lexie brings up the emotional toll of being back. Lani asks what she means. Lexie explains that when she left, her son was so young and now he’s all grown up, but she reacts to him as if he was still a child and wanting to protect him from pain and sorrow. Lexie says she’s so proud of the man Theo has become, but she’s always a mom. Lani assures that she gets it. Lexie asks where her babies are. Lani says they are with Julie at the Book Club. Lexie asks Lani not to say anything to Abe about her moment before because of how he worries. Abe and Theo then arrive to join them. Lani says she’d love to stay and hang out but she has to pick up the twins, so she will see them later. Abe apologizes for the line taking forever. Abe notes that the town square looks pretty crowded, so he suggests moving to a more secluded spot to eat and watch the fireworks. Lexie disagrees and says being next to Tom and Alice’s plaque is so comforting, so she thinks it’s the perfect spot.

Belle takes Shawn’s picture and says their daughter Claire will be happy to see him out and about. Shawn suggests she take one of herself to send as well because she looks beautiful tonight. Chad agrees and says he will take a picture. Belle tells them to have a good night as they walk away. Jada comments to Shawn that she’s sure Claire has been worried about him since the shooting. Shawn confirms that she was until he told her that he had Jada taking care of him. Belle and Chad sit together at their table. Belle talks about missing Claire. Chad asks if Marlena is still okay with them poking around the chess board mystery. Belle admits that she was relieved when she said Paul was going to help out, so she may not have told her that they are still poking around. Belle adds that it’s not high priority for Paul but Chad says there are potentially high stakes when Stefano’s involved.

Marlena tells Roman that she’s sorry to hear about him and Kate. Roman says he is too but he kind of forced her hand by giving Arianna the room that Kate was staying in when she was no longer welcome in their bed. Marlena mentions Will telling her that Arianna had moved out of Gabi’s. Roman says that kind of brought matters to a head and he told Kate no to moving back in to their room and that she was on her own. Marlena asks if there are no other rooms available. Roman confirms there are not now that Joy and her daughter are staying. Marlena asks if Kate went to the Salem Inn. Roman says that’s where he thought she would go, but she’s back at the Kiriakis Mansion.

Lexie asks why Abe and Theo are looking at her like that. Lexie then turns around and sees Johnny, Chanel, and Paulina setting up for Trey’s birthday. Lexie says now she gets why they wanted to move to somewhere else. Theo asks if she minds if he joins them. Lexie tells him to go ahead. Abe asks if Lexie still wants to stay there. Lexie assures that she believes the town square is big enough for everyone. Theo joins Johnny, Chanel, and Paulina to celebrate Trey’s birthday. Johnny looks for Trey’s cup while Theo and Chanel go to get the cake. Paulina sits down and looks over at Abe and Lexie. Abe sits with Lexie and asks if she’s sure she’s not uncomfortable. Lexie promises she’s fine and suggests eating their food before it gets cold. Abe looks over as Chanel and Theo bring out the birthday cake. Lani joins them for Trey’s birthday. Paulina points out that it’s also Lani and Eli’s six year wedding anniversary, so they all congratulate her. Lani wishes Eli was there to celebrate with them. Chanel is sure he will make it up to her. Chanel decides Trey needs a diaper change, so Paulina goes with her. Theo then goes to check on Abe and Lexie. Lani tells Johnny that the evening turned out pretty good. Johnny agrees and says he hates to do this but he has to check his phone. Lani asks if everything is okay. Johnny says he’s sorry but he has to take a call with a business associate. Johnny asks Lani to let Chanel and Paulina know as he steps away for the call.

Shawn asks if Jada wants to order dessert before the fireworks. Jada suggests taking the dessert and fireworks somewhere more private, so Shawn calls for the check. Chad tells Belle that he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt over Stefano’s mystery either. Belle talks about not even knowing what they are looking for. Chad thinks they need to establish ground rules. Chad suggests making a pact that if they ever start to feel uncomfortable, they drop it no arguments which they agree to. Chad then reveals he bought them tickets for the Salem String Quartet performing the music of Verdi in the town square and says maybe they’ll get a little inspired.

Marlena tells Roman that it makes sense that Kate would go to Victor’s since her son lives there. Roman says framing Johnny like she did feels like a Kiriakis plot and now her living there feels like they are circling the wagon. Marlena agrees the optics are not good but suggests Philip was just trying to help his mother in her hour of need. Roman brings up Kate swearing and insisting that his family was her family but clearly not. Roman asks what Kate would do if someone screwed over her kids like she did to Johnny. Marlena points out it’s exactly what Sami did to Kate and Austin a few times. Roman knows Kate doesn’t always walk the straight and narrow but to do what she did to her grandson, he doesn’t know how to live with that. Roman adds that he also doesn’t know how not to as he doesn’t know how to live without Kate.

Theo rejoins Abe and Lexie, telling them that the birthday was all good fun but too bad Trey won’t remember any of it. Lexie says at that age it’s more for the parents and talks about vividly remembering Theo’s first birthday party. Abe reminisces about that as well. Lexie says what she remembers most at that age is how Theo looked at her when she held him. Lexie gets emotional and asks to hold him now so Theo hugs her. Chanel and Paulina return with Trey to Lani, who tells them about Johnny having to go return a phone call with a business associate. Paulina questions Johnny working on a holiday and during his son’s birthday party. Chanel assures that it’s okay and that Johnny is catching up from being behind. Chanel decides it’s past Trey’s bedtime so she should get him home. Chanel tells Lani and Paulina to enjoy the fireworks as she exits with Trey. Lani hugs Paulina and tells her that she loves her.

Johnny sneaks in to Sarah’s office at the hospital and puts on a glove.

Shawn and Jada go home. Shawn asks if she’s sure she doesn’t want to watch the fireworks. Jada thinks they can set a few off of their own as they kiss onto the bed while the fireworks go off outside the window.

Marlena hopes Roman and Kate find their way back together but encourages him not to rush or force it. Roman thanks her and says that was helpful. Roman says enough about him and wants to know what’s going on with her. Roman suggests they walk and talk through the town square, watch some fireworks, and wish their great grandson a happy birthday. Marlena says she’d like that so they exit the Pub together.

Abe and Lexie watch the fireworks together in the town square as they wish each other a Happy Fourth of July. Chad and Belle watch the fireworks in the town square as they hold hands and kiss. Theo stands with Paulina and Lani, watching the fireworks. Lani invites Paulina to come get the twins with her but Paulina decides to go home, so they say goodnight. Marlena and Roman walk in to the town square, watching the fireworks. They talk about Johnny sending them a video of Trey this morning. They come across Paulina, who informs them that Trey’s birthday party is already over. Paulina jokes that Trey won’t remember it anyway. Roman says they will celebrate another time. Paulina says she’s heading home, but Marlena invites her to stay and enjoy the end of the fireworks with her and Roman which she accepts.

Johnny returns home to Chanel and joins her on the couch. Chanel tells him that Trey went to sleep while Johnny apologizes for having to leave the party early. Chanel asks if everything is okay at work. Johnny says it should be fine now and decides no more talk about work or talk at all as they kiss.

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Days Update Thursday, July 2, 2026

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Update written by Joseph

Holly wakes up in the hospital with Tate at her side. Tate tells her that Sarah let him stay the night. Tate then gets a text that Holly’s mom Nicole just landed at the airport and will be coming straight there. Holly feels bad that she rushed all that way just for her. Tate says that’s what moms do and she probably couldn’t have stopped her anyway. Tate asks how she’s feeling. Holly responds that she is much better which Tate likes to hear.

Brady brings Sarah coffee at the hospital and asks how Holly is. Sarah responds that her vitals are stabilized but her overall condition is not improving. Brady hopes the water sample result will give them some answers. Stephanie arrives and greets Kayla, wishing her a happy fourth of July. Stephanie brought flowers for Holly and asks if she’s doing any better. Kayla says unfortunately not, but they are hoping to get a diagnosis to find out what is making her so sick. Stephanie is sure she’s so worried. Kayla notes that she’s surprised to see her as she thought she and Alex would be at the parade. Stephanie responds that it was the plan, but it turns out that Alex went with his daughter, so that means no parade for her.

Alex and Joy bring Kelsey to the Brady Pub, talking about how much Kelsey loved the parade. Joy mentions that Roman said he has rocket pops and invites Alex to join them upstairs for Kelsey’s first brain freeze. Alex says he’d love to, but he has to go to work for an emergency meeting that his cousins don’t think can wait until after the holiday.

At Titan, Philip tells Xander that he doesn’t get the tripled payment rate. Xander assures they are going to fight it. Philip questions why they’d force them to anyways, knowing the terms are impossible. Xander says they’d only do it if they’d want them to fail. Philip remarks that it’s almost like it’s personal. EJ then arrives and declares he’s damn right it is.

Tate wishes Holly a happy Fourth of July and it’s also their one year anniversary. Holly remembers Tate kissing her as the fireworks started and guesses there’s not much chance of this today. Tate says they can stream them on the TV. Holly asks about Tate’s session with Stephanie today. Tate says it’s not until later and he’s sure she’d understand if he cancelled to be with her. Holly encourages him to still go and says she’ll just be going back to sleep, joking that she’ll need to be well rested for their TV fireworks show. Tate agrees to go, but promises to be back as soon as he can. Tate wishes her a happy anniversary and then exits.

Sarah talks to Brady about the possible diagnosis that align with Holly’s symptoms but they keep striking out. Sarah says she’s trying to stay positive for Holly and the family as he hugs her. Stephanie complains to Kayla that this is their new normal that Alex will make plans without her and go running any time his baby mama calls. Kayla guesses she’s referring to Joy’s insurance problem. Stephanie remarks that she still doesn’t know why Joy made it sound like something was wrong with Kelsey and scared the life out of Alex when it was her problem that had nothing to do with Kelsey. Kayla agrees that she should’ve been more clear on that but points out that Joy has a baby with Alex, so any of her problems will be his as well. Stephanie says she gets that and that’s what keeps her up at night.

Joy tells Alex that she doesn’t get how much of a work emergency it could be on the holiday but Alex points out that it’s a regular day for the rest of the world and Titan is a global company. Joy says she gets that and that’s the duty of a Kiriakis to take care of the family company, joking that it might even be Kelsey’s one day. Alex assures that she’ll be a natural like him. Joy tells Alex that she heard Kelsey trying to say “dada” earlier, so Alex tries to get her to say it and says he’s looking forward to it. Joy says she feels very lucky to be Kelsey’s mom and to have Alex as her dad.

Xander questions EJ being behind on ARO Wealth Management. EJ thought it was painfully obvious and explains that ARO is ORA backwards. Philip realizes that’s for One Rainy Afternoon, the title of Bonnie’s novel. EJ mocks that they call Philip the dumb one and calls Xander a miserable human being. EJ brings up his child being screwed over and says Xander is the scum that set Johnny up to nearly being a public disgrace and asks if he really thought he’d let him get away with it.

Tate comes out from Holly’s room and tells Brady, Kayla, and Stephanie that Holly said she’s feeling better but she wanted to rest, so he agreed to head to the gym. Tate asks if Stephanie is still up for their training session, which she assures she is, so Tate says he’s going home to change and will meet her there as he exits. Stephanie goes to bring her flowers to Holly. Kayla tells Brady that she’s glad their kids are getting a chance to spend time together. Brady says that Tate needs the clients so he’s grateful. Kayla thinks after everything with Owen, Stephanie could use anything to help her regain her confidence, so she’s all in.

Sarah goes to check on Holly as Stephanie arrives with her flowers. Stephanie says she wanted to discuss something with Holly, so Sarah says she will check on her in a little bit and exits. Holly guesses it’s about her internship. Stephanie confirms it is and apologizes for not reaching out sooner as she had a lot to deal with lately.

Alex says he had a lot of fun with Kelsey at the parade, but he should get to his meeting. Joy asks if Alex is going to see the fireworks tonight because she’s definitely bringing Kelsey, so she’s wondering if he’d like to join them. Alex thanks her but says he promised Stephanie that he would go with her. Alex says he’s sure they will have a blast and that Kelsey will love it. Alex says he’ll see them soon as he exits the Pub.

EJ says now that he knows Titan were the bastards trying to take down Johnny all along, he will do everything in his power to tear down their empire piece by piece. Philip argues that he knows their families have always been going at it but there’s no reason to turn this in to an all out war. EJ says he should’ve told Xander that before he decided to fan the flames. Xander argues that he did what he did to save his company and that EJ would do the same thing which Philip says is true. Philip adds that every time they get in to this revenge cycle, it only ends up weakening both sides. Philip suggests they cut their losses and call a truce. EJ says that would assume they are still in the game when they clearly are not. EJ calls it inevitable and the fall of the Kiriakis pride as he says cheers to another glorious DiMera victory.

Stephanie tells Holly that she’s sorry she hasn’t had much work for her lately. Holly says it’s okay as she enjoyed working on her Anastasia Sands books, but figured when she stopped writing, there wouldn’t be much for her to do. Stephanie admits she lost the muse after everything with Owen which Holly says she gets. Stephanie wondered if Holly had any interest in working on the PR side since she is getting that business up and running again slowly. Holly agrees to try and do anything she needs. Stephanie says that’s perfect, but first she needs to focus on getting better and she doesn’t just mean getting out of the hospital since she knows certain things can leave more than just physical scars and they owe it to themselves to heal from those too.

Kayla asks Brady if he and Sarah had any luck linking EJ to the Coriseal deaths, mentioning that Steve brought her up to speed. Brady says they don’t have any definitive proof yet but they are looking. Kayla responds that she wouldn’t put it past EJ to be involved as she wouldn’t put anything past him. Brady hopes the fallout from Lexie being back will lead to EJ being ousted from the hospital.

EJ tells Xander and Philip that he will leave them to figure out their next career move and jokes that they could be flipping burgers. Alex then arrives and says he thought they were having that emergency meeting, so he questions what EJ is doing there. Philip and Xander explain that EJ was behind their loan buyout and used a shell corporation to make the terms almost impossible to pay off. Alex questions if EJ would then become owner of the company. EJ confirms that’s the idea and comments on how it’s such a shame that the Titan-DiMera merger fell apart and now he will make Titan a corporate footnote. EJ declares that the Titan name will be scrubbed from relevance.

Joy sits with Kelsey at the Pub as Kayla arrives and asks if she’s seen Roman. Joy says she hasn’t, so Kayla decides it’s a good time for them to talk. Kayla knows they don’t know each other well, though she did feel a connection during her tenure on Body and Soul. Kayla adds that now they have a much more important connection since Kelsey is her new step granddaughter. Joy asks if this is about Stephanie. Kayla understands her concerns since having an unsecured firearm in the apartment was not safe for anyone, but Stephanie has now gotten rid of the gun so she has no reason to feel Kelsey is in any danger with Stephanie. Kayla argues that Joy asking Alex to choose between his child or his wife is unfair.

Holly tells Stephanie that she keeps telling herself that she should just get over what Sophia did to her but she can’t move past it. Stephanie relates to what she went through with Owen. Holly says the other day, she convinced herself that Sophia came back from the dead to stalk her. Stephanie relates, saying she did something incredibly stupid because she thought Owen was breaking in to her apartment. Holly asks if she wants to talk about it. Stephanie says she doesn’t and that she should get going. Stephanie tells Holly that she’s always there to listen if she wants to talk. Holly thanks her and says she really appreciates that. Stephanie tells her to feel better as she exits the room.

Brady and Sarah wish they could get the sample results faster. Sarah is praying that there’s Coriseal in the water, otherwise Holly took it herself. Brady talks about getting addiction and Holly having a lot of triggers lately. Sarah knows that Holly’s been through enough to make her relapse.

Philip complains that they should’ve known from the start that EJ was behind this. Alex questions how they fight this. Xander suggests using the money from Gabi’s inheritance. Philip points out it won’t be enough to cover the entire loan while Alex feels it won’t cover any of the loan if EJ is involved. Alex points out that if EJ finds out they are using his family money to fight the takeover, he will do everything in his power to stop Gabi from getting it. Xander declares that’s why they have to make sure EJ never finds out.

EJ returns home to the DiMera Mansion and meets his worker George, who informs EJ that he did as he asked and got a sample of the water from the Horton Cabin on Smith Island and confirmed that it contained both Coriseal and arsenic. EJ concludes that means Holly was poisoned by a product of DiMera Enterprises.

Joy asks Kayla if Stephanie asked her to come fight her battles for her. Kayla says she didn’t and this isn’t a battle, but a child’s life. Joy argues that it’s her child and talks about not telling Alex when she got pregnant and bowing out of Alex’s life to give he and Stephanie a chance. Joy declares that she was happy to raise Kelsey on her own until realizing that Alex might want a chance to get to know his kid, so she will not be made out to be the villain. Kayla questions if she’s implying Stephanie is the villain.

Stephanie joins Tate at the gym for self defense class. She thanks him for doing this on a holiday. Tate says he didn’t have any plans until later anyway when he and Holly plan to watch the fireworks on TV from her hospital room while Stephanie mentions she and Alex plan to watch the fireworks live. Stephanie calls it a special night for them and flashes back to Alex first telling her that he loves her, then calls it a certain anniversary for them. Tate says it is for he and Holly as well. Tate asks if Stephanie went to the parade earlier as he and Holly were going to but obviously weren’t able to. Stephanie says she had to miss it too but notes that Alex went with his daughter and her mom, then remarks that she’s sure they had a great time, just the three of them.

Philip states that keeping the truth from EJ shouldn’t be hard and he doubts Gabi would say anything to him. Xander worries that EJ might wonder where their sudden influx of cash came from and start poking around. Xander suggests taking a page out of EJ’s book and use a shell corporation. Alex thinks they need to call Maggie to let her know what’s going on. Xander calls that a bad idea. Alex thinks Maggie needs to be looped in but Philip agrees with Xander and says that Maggie has enough on her plate right now. Xander declares that with any luck, Gabi’s money will be able to handle the payments and Maggie will never have to know that EJ came after the company.

EJ questions George as to how the hell contaminated Coriseal ended up on Smith Island. George reminds EJ that he had his best fixer get rid of the bad batch and it turns out that he buried it on Smith Island. George guesses the pills dissolved and ended up in the water. EJ argues that the Horton Cabin isn’t the only one. George says they are in the process of testing all the wells but the nearest one came back clean. EJ question why only Holly got sick. George assumes the others didn’t drink as much of the water. George adds that he has some other bad news and reveals to EJ that he wasn’t alone on Smith Island as he shows him a photo he took of Brady in the window. George informs EJ that Brady left with a water sample, leaving EJ frustrated.

Sarah returns to Holly’s hospital room with Brady, who brings her flowers that were delivered at the front desk. Holly opens the card and is shocked to learn they are from Amy Choi.

Joy tells Kayla that she never said Stephanie was the villain. Kayla feels she implied it and argues that Stephanie is a good person who was put in an impossible position. Joy questions if she was supposed to keep Alex from knowing he had a child. Kayla argues that she’s using that to her advantage and brings up Joy calling Alex and letting him think it was an emergency with Kelsey’s health because she knew he’d come running. Joy argues that Alex hung up before she could explain. Kayla suggests Joy make her the one she calls for any hospital related concerns. Kayla then exits, leaving Joy shaking her head.

Stephanie tells Tate that she knew things would get complicated when Joy showed up with Alex’s baby but she didn’t know how complicated. Tate relates to when he thought Sophia was having his baby and he’s sure Alex is also feeling caught in the middle. Stephanie says it’s hard being on the outside, having so many things going on that she can’t control. Stephanie calls that another reason she’s grateful for these sessions. Tate says it will definitely help her feel control. Tate says he should be thanking her since with everything going on with Holly, he’s feeling helpless.

Holly can’t believe and this and complains that first Amy sends the processor after her and now this which Sarah questions. Holly then reveals that Amy is suing her over Sophia’s death which shocks Sarah and Brady as Sarah questions why she didn’t say anything until now. Holly cries that there was so much going on and she’s been feeling so sick that she couldn’t deal with it. Sarah is glad she said something now as she’s going to need a lawyer, so she will get Justin on it. Holly then reveals that she already talked to a lawyer, EJ. Sarah is shocked and questions why she would talk to EJ of all people. Holly reminds her that EJ was there when Amy cornered her in the town square and that he said to call him if she had any more issues with her, so she did. Holly then remembers that Amy first sound the processor out to Smith Island and now sending flowers to the hospital, so she questions if Amy is stalking her like Sophia was.

Alex says he knows Maggie has a lot going on, but he also knows she’s freaking out about losing the Kiriakis Mansion. Alex talks about EJ possibly taking control and how Victor would be turning in his grave. Alex complains that this has gotten out of control. Xander tells him not to panic as they are going to fight this to their last cent. Philip says to their last breath if they have to.

EJ complains that Brady and Sarah love nothing more than to cause him misery. George encourages that it will be several days before Brady gets any results on the water sample while they got theirs quicker because they knew what they were looking for. EJ says that Brady must have gave the sample to Sarah. EJ asks if Holly will recover. George responds that they don’t know they are dealing with arsenic poisoning and based on the symptoms he described, it will likely kill her.

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Days Short Recap Wednesday, July 22, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Sarah went to Holly’s room and saw that she was gone. She went back to Brady and wondered if their argument caused her to get drugs. Holly ran into Gabi at the town square. After they talked, Holly went to the Salem Inn. She ended up passing out in Leo’s arms. Leo realized that she escaped the hospital. Xander found Gabi and wanted to talk. Before he could say anything, Sarah called him so he could help look for Holly. Gabi heard the conversation and told him that Holly was at the Salem Inn. Leo ended up calling for help. Gus and Xander showed up. Xander was the only one who could get Holly back to the hospital. He texted Sarah that Holly was going back to the hospital. Later on, everyone was back at the hospital. Sarah left Xander and Brady to check on Holly. Brady told Xander about the pills. Xander still thought EJ was the one behind it. Brady said they couldn’t deny the proof of the pills and how they were in Holly’s bag. Sarah and Holly argued in the exam room. Gus came in and said his exam didn’t show any signs of drugs. He said Holly was dehydrated. Holly wanted to leave again. Sarah accused her of wanting to meet her dealer. Holly said she wanted another doctor. Sarah agreed to get another doctor if she would stay.

EJ was upset about Gwen taking over the hospital. Rita showed up and asked if he had anything to do with Gwen’s disappearance. EJ said he didn’t have anything to do with it. They talked about money and it wasn’t good. The drug issue was a financial blow. There was good news. The Coriseal was contained at Holly’s expense. EJ was upset about it, but he didn’t have a choice. He said he would be there to help Holly with Amy. He said if the truth ever came out, he would be in prison and that would be the end of DiMera. Leo met up with Gabi to talk about the counterfeit bags. Gabi told him that she accused Xander and Philip of doing it. She told him why she thought they did it. Leo told her it was circumstantial but he would look into it. Sarah told Brady and Xander that Holly didn’t want to talk to her, but she would talk to Xander since he and EJ were the only ones who believed her. Gabi and Leo thought something was wrong with Gwen since neither one of them were able to get in touch with her.

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Days Short Recap Monday, July 20, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Belle showed Chad the microscopic word she found in the insert. It said Viva Verde which meant long live Victor Emanuel who was the King of Italy. Belle said it connected the Celtic knot and several sites in Italy. While they were talking, she said she thought she knew who was leaving the clues. Belle said it was Dr. Rolf. Chad said Rolf was bad news and that it could be his father’s trap. He told her he couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to her. Belle said she needed answers. She wanted to go to Italy and investigate what was going on. Gabi told Rafe that she got her inheritance and was going to use it to pay back a debt and start a trust fund for Arianna. She told him about the counterfeit bags and how she was getting Gwen and Leo’s help. Rafe was shocked that she went to them for help. She told them that they know about the counterfeit world. Brady went to the hospital to check in with Sarah since he heard that Holly was being discharged. Sarah said she was going to keep an eye on Holly. She left to check on a patient. Tate showed up and showed Brady the pills he found in Holly’s bag. EJ was watching them and flashed back to putting the pills in Holly’s bag. Marlena came up from behind EJ and told him that she heard about what was going on with the hospital. EJ let her know that the sale hasn’t gone through. He was sure that Gwen’s buyer would back out.

Sarah went back to Brady and Tate. They told her about the pills in Holly’s bag. She told them she would have the pills tested, but they had to talk to Holly. Brady said he would search around the Kiriakis mansion. Sarah and Tate went to talk to Holly. When they went to Holly’s room, they showed her the pills from her bag. Holly said she didn’t know what they were. Tate told her he found them in her bag. Holly said she never saw the pills before. Sarah said she wanted to get her the help she needed, but she had to admit to the problem. Holly said that the bag was empty for months. She said she wasn’t using drugs again and was sick of being accused of doing something she didn’t do. Sarah left to get something to calm Holly down. Holly yelled at Tate who said he believed her. She let him know that it would have been stupid of her to ask him to look in the bag if the pills were in there. Sarah came back with the sedative. Holly took it and told them to get out of her room. When they left the room, Holly took the pills out of her mouth. Gabi wondered how the companies were getting her designs when the only people who had access to her designs worked for her or were the manufacturers. She said she knew who was behind it. Brady came back to the hospital to let Sarah and Tate know that Holly’s room was clean so the pills were the only ones she had. Sarah said she sent them to the lab. Tate said Holly denied the pills were hers. Holly put her stuff in the bad and snuck out.

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Days Short Recap Tuesday, July 21, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Kristen met with Lexie in the park. She had a suggestion for her. Kristen told her to go to the island in her place so her family wouldn’t watch her die, and she would escape under EJ’s nose. Lexie didn’t think the idea would work because people wouldn’t confuse them. Kristen found out that the people on the island weren’t that loyal to EJ. They are just expecting to see EJ’s sister. The people weren’t told which sister to expect. Kristen said they had to find a way to switch places after she’s kidnapped but before she was put in the container. Lexie thought the idea was brilliant, but she thought the truth would come out soon. Kristen felt like it didn’t matter because they would have time to get far away. She could get away, and Lexie could live her final days in paradise. Lexie didn’t think she would be on the run forever. Kristen wanted to be away long enough to outsmart EJ. Lexie wondered what happened between them to make EJ want to punish her. Kristen let her know that she did something out of anger that she regretted now. Since she didn’t have anything to lose, Lexie agreed to her plan. They hugged each other. Lexie wondered what was next. Kristen just had to figure out when EJ’s plan would take place.

Gabi stormed into Titan and informed Xander and Philip that she was rescinding her offer to save the company. Shocked, Philip reminded her that it was her idea to do it and told her they had a contract. Gabi told her there was a moral clause in the deal and accused them of stealing her designs to make knockoffs of their own. They didn’t know what she was talking about. Xander let her know that she misunderstood what was happening. Gabi informed them that only someone with access to her designs could have taken them. Xander thought one of her employees made the fake copies, but she refused to believe that. Gabi told him that was the first time it happened. The theft started when she started shipping with Titan. Her debt to Titan has been paid. Gabi warned them to say goodbye to Titan, the mansion, and everything they hold dear. Xander reminded her that Arianna was a Kiriakis and that would hurt Sonny. He said that Arianna wouldn’t forgive that. He’s not surprised that her daughter won’t speak to her. Gabi stormed out of the office. Xander and Philip insisted they were innocent.

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Days Update Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Days of Our Lives Update

 

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Update written by Joseph

Lexie sits at home, tearfully thinking back to her meeting with Dr. Rolf and telling him to do whatever he has to do to help her, until Abe comes home.

Javi and Gus talk at home as Gabi comes home and says she just wants to make sure Arianna is in her room and tell her that she will do her best to stay out of her way since she’s still furious with her over the Liam situation. Javi asks what Liam situation so Gabi admits to paying Liam off to leave town, complaining that he’s a criminal who has been sniffing around her daughter for weeks. Gabi argues that what she did was to protect Ari for her own good and that sooner or later, she will realize that and forgive her. Gus informs her that it’s going to be later as he reveals that Ari already moved out.

Kate goes to the Brady Pub and informs Roman that the lawsuit against DiMera has officially been dropped which means Johnny won’t have to go to court or have to worry about paying Titan a huge sum. Kate guesses they’ll just find another way to repay the loan. Roman informs Kate that Arianna is going to be staying at the Pub upstairs after a fight with her mom. Kate argues that they don’t have any available rooms upstairs but Roman reveals it’s the one that Kate had been sleeping in.

Gwen finds Philip in the town square, reading the book she recommended to him. Gwen asks if he’s found it helpful. Philip says no, so Gwen asks what is not landing for him. Philip responds that one of the author’s suggestions is finding a new hobby like rock climbing and mocks that being romantic. Philip declares that he’d rather remain single eternally before signing up for that. Philip adds that signing up for an improv class is another lame suggestion. Gwen says she bought those books as a quick fix but the truth is there is no fix from being betrayed by someone you love and you can’t put yourself out there until your heart is ready.

Leo remains dizzy as he staggers through the hall of the Salem Inn. He then hides behind a bush as he sees Kristen and Xander come out from her room. Kristen asks Xander if they’re on for the same time tomorrow. Xander says he’ll call her. Kristen says he better as they kiss.

Abe joins Lexie and happily goes over the paper that revokes Lexie’s death. Abe declares that she got her life back and they are going to live every minute of it together, side by side.

Kate questions Roman giving Arianna the spare bedroom and asks where she’s going to sleep as she assumes he’s not inviting her back to their bedroom. Roman says not until they work things out, if they ever do.

Gabi can’t believe Arianna actually moved out. Javi guesses they really got in to it over Liam. Gabi says that Ari said she didn’t want to live under the same roof but she didn’t think she meant it. Gabi asks if they have any idea where she went. Gus informs her that she said something about a room above the Pub if Roman was okay with it. Gabi cries that she was just trying to protect her and never meant to hurt her as Javi hugs her.

Kristen kisses Xander and says until they meet again as she walks away. Leo then staggers out from around the corner. Xander asks if he’s alright. Leo responds that he’s trying to find his room but thinks he’s lost. Xander thinks he’s on the wrong floor and asks if he’s been drinking. Leo says he wishes, but he slipped on slime. Leo says he got scooped up by a hot firefighter who happens to be dating his ex and they must be laughing about what a loser he is. Xander argues that’s negative and encourages that he’s not a loser. Leo brings up what his mother told him which Xander relates to. Xander says it’s time they start focusing on their own truths which Leo says was very like Marlena. Xander notices Leo’s hospital band and questions him being in the hospital. Leo blows it off as just a concussion but then falls in to Xander’s arms. Leo jokes that he’s just as hot as that firefighter. Xander says he will get him to his room and helps him down the hall.

Lexie tells Abe how lucky she feels to be with him and Theo to enjoy every morning. Lexie declares that she’s never felt alive as she has everything she ever wanted and she never wants to let it go as they hug.

Kate asks Roman how they are supposed to work things out if he won’t talk to her. Kate asks where she’s going to sleep. Roman responds that he’s sure she’ll figure something out as she always does. Kate tells him not to be vague and to just tell her if they are done.

Gabi walks through the town square and comes across Philip. Gabi sees that he’s reading “So Long, Soulmate”. Philip insists that it’s not about her as they were not soulmates and more like a slow motion car crash. Gabi responds that she’s not over him either and probably never will be.

Gus and Javi are no longer hungry as they feel so bad for Gabi and Arianna. Javi says he gets that Liam is bad news, but he feels for Arianna as well. Javi talks about how his mother didn’t accept his sexuality, so he never felt like he could be himself around her. Javi argues that if he had been comfortable enough in Texas, he and Gus could’ve been together a long time ago and maybe he never would’ve come to Salem. Gus points out that would also mean never meeting Leo.

Xander is helping Leo to his room as Gwen comes home and questions what happened. Xander explains that Leo fell and got a concussion while he found him on the wrong floor. Gwen is surprised they would discharge him in this condition. Leo admits they didn’t and that Sarah was taking forever, so he just left and took a rideshare. Gwen says he looks awful so she wants to rush him back to the hospital straight away. Leo refuses, Xander suggests listening, but Leo insists he’s fine. Gwen asks Xander to get Leo in his room and then she’ll take it from there and see Xander later. Xander feels Gwen will probably have his hands full, so he suggests they take a rain check.

Javi tells Gus that he doesn’t regret meeting Leo. Javi says he hates that Leo hurt him but it wasn’t all bad. Javi adds that being with Leo led him back to Gus and helped him remember how amazing he is. Javi says he regrets leaving Texas while Gus understands he wasn’t ready. Javi talks about knowing he wasn’t the son that his mother wanted, so he hid and denied himself and even let his mother set him up with girls. Javi says he doesn’t regret his relationship with Sylvia because they had a daughter. Gus says he’s sorry as he knows how heartbreaking it was to lose his daughter. Javi says he still wouldn’t give up their short time together for anything or his time with Leo and Trey. Javi states that all of those experiences led him to where he is today, where he can be fully honest about who he is and what he wants which is Gus.

Gwen helps Leo onto his bed and asks if he wants to listen to music or watch TV. Leo says he appreciates her but she can be on her way. Gwen argues that he has a concussion so he shouldn’t be alone. Leo vaguely remembers Sarah saying that. Gwen decides she’s not going anywhere and sits next to him on the bed. Leo says that’s so sweet and he doesn’t deserve it as he cuddles with her.

Xander goes to Titan and talks on the phone about not being able to find out any information on ARO Wealth Management. Xander gets frustrated and says he’ll call them back on Monday.

Philip tells Gabi that he’s actually glad he ran in to her to talk about the peace offering she made to Titan. Philip states that he’s not happy that Xander accepted taking her inheritance, but since they did, he asks her not to say anything to EJ. Gabi says she doesn’t speak to EJ, but she is looking forward to rubbing it in Tony’s face after he double crossed her. Philip then reveals that it wasn’t Tony who told him what she did, it was Anna. Gabi is shocked as she thought Tony and Theo were the only ones who knew. Philip tells her that she was wrong, so there’s nothing to rub in Tony’s face. Gabi swears not to say anything to EJ. Kristen then comes over and asks if she heard her brother’s name. Kristen declares that if they are having an EJ trashfest, she wants in. Philip says that would be his cue. Gabi tells him that he doesn’t have to leave but Philip says he’s not getting in the middle of a DiMera family feud as he has enough of that in his own family. Gabi says that makes three of them as Philip walks away. Kristen then asks what Gabi was saying about EJ. Gabi says it’s what everyone says about him. Kristen calls EJ an evil bastard, so Gabi asks what nefariou deeds he’s up to now. Kristen invites Gabi for a drink but Gabi says she’s heading to the Pub to see Ari if she will see her. Kristen asks if she’s having mother-daughter troubles. Gabi admits that she messed up big time and she has to fix this as she wants her daughter back.

Lexie asks Abe how his visit with Chanel was. Abe responds that she’s a trooper, staying so strong and positive, but he wishes he could make it easier. Lexie encourages that Abe showed up and let them know he’s there for them like they were when she was gone which she’s grateful for.

Kate asks Roman if they are done. Roman responds that she broke his trust and then made it worse by lying about it. Kate argues that she’s facing what she did and taking responsibility for it. Roman says there’s not much else she can do. Kate points out that he didn’t answer the question of if they are done. Roman thinks the best thing to do is take some time apart. Kate says fine and that she’s going to pack her things as she heads upstairs.

Leo tells Gwen about waiting for the ambulance at the Pub and he thought maybe Javi would be the paramedic dispatched to the scene to be his EMT in shining armor, but it was his hunky boyfriend Gus. Leo cries that he just wants to crawl in a hole and never come out. Gwen argues that Leo has survived worse. Leo starts to say only Gus and his partner saw him in that state but then realizes, Roman, Chad, and Chad’s kids also saw him. Gwen encourages that he’s going to be okay. Leo wishes he hit his head hard enough to get amnesia and forget everything with Javi.

Gus tells Javi that it was so nice how he and Leo took care of Trey. Gus adds that he knows Javi ran in to Leo at the Pub while getting soup for Chanel. Javi can’t believe Leo got a concussion from slipping on slime and says he hopes he’s okay since he had a pretty severe head injury not too long ago. Javi wonders if he should go check on Leo and make sure he’s not alone but Gus informs him that Leo told him at the hospital that he had someone taking him home and that it was a he.

Philip joins Xander at Titan. Xander questions where he’s been and says he hasn’t found anything more about the company that bought their loan. Philip questions if Xander was busy on a booty call. Xander says there was some business involved. Philip assumes it was with Gwen, then realizes it wasn’t because he was with Gwen at the book store and guesses Xander’s been with someone else.

Abe tells Lexie that he’s surprised as he thought she didn’t like the idea of him being around Paulina and her family. Lexie says ever since he told her that Paulina was a big part of her second chance, she did some soul searching and realized she should be grateful to Paulina for taking care of him and Theo. Lexie understands that Abe thought she was gone forever so it’d be small and selfish to think he should be alone forever. Lexie declares you can never have too many people loving you. Lexie tells Abe that she loves him very much as they kiss.

Kate returns downstairs with her bags packed and tells Roman that she will send for the rest of her things tomorrow as she exits the Pub.

Gus tells Javi that Leo could’ve just been picked up by a friend. Javi is sure he’s being well taken care of then by his friend. Gus remarks that he sounds jealous. Javi asks why he would be jealous if Leo is seeing someone. Javi says he’s moved on, so Leo has every right to do the same.

Gwen tells Leo that she knows what he means as there’s a few memories she wishes she could scrub clean as well. Leo says he will resist the urge to bring the conversation back to himself and practice empathy which he’s learned in therapy. Leo then asks Gwen how she is and if she’s getting any more harassing texts from Dimitri. Gwen says she thankfully hasn’t, so perhaps he’s found something else to distract him other than revenge on her. Leo hopes EJ has been leaving her alone. Gwen says for the moment, he has. Leo then asks if there’s anything new with Xander. Gwen says sadly no as he won’t reciprocate her feelings for him and that he probably noticed the way he rushed off earlier. Gwen wishes she had more self respect but complains that the sex is so good. Gwen adds that it’s not like she has lots of other options.

Kristen tells Gabi that she’s sorry and really hopes things work out with her and Ari. Gabi thanks her and calls motherhood the toughest job they’ll ever have. Gabi asks about Rachel. Kristen says she’s doing a little better and the doctors felt she was strong enough for her and Brady to tell her about Sophia’s death. They relate over wishing nothing could ever hurt their daughters. Gabi complains that Arianna would probably hate her more, but if she could seal her away from harm forever, she would. Kristen agrees that she would do anything for Rachel.

Xander tells Philip that his personal life is none of his concern. Philip says he’s just surprised he could tear himself away from Titan for some afternoon delight. Xander repeats there was some business involved. Philip asks who the business was with. Philip then gets a call from Kate. He tells her it’s not a good time so Kate says she’ll make it quick and that she’s coming over. Philip says he’s not at the house while Kate clarifies that she’s moving back in. Philip responds that it’s good that Maggie is out of town because he’s not going to like this. Kate doesn’t give a damn what Maggie thinks and says she’s in the trenches doing everything she can to preserve Victor’s legacy, so she will see him at the damn house and hangs up. A man then enters with a delivery for Philip and Xander to sign. Xander opens it and sees it’s from their new lender, ARO and is shocked by what it says.

Lexie tells Abe that there is one thing he could do to make her really feel alive. Lexie says she’s never been more sure and that she’ll see him in the bedroom. After Lexie heads to the bedroom, Abe looks down and removes his wedding ring.

Gus asks Javi if he has no reason to be jealous of Leo and how worried he should be. Javi tells Gus that he will show him as he kisses him and then they head to their bedroom.

Leo argues that Gwen has plenty of options besides Xander. Gwen complains that all the men tend to be toxic, married, imagined, or in love with another woman. Leo praises Gwen and argues that she should be out there looking for someone who appreciates her. Gwen asks why he’s telling her this now. Leo thinks back to seeing Xander kissing Kristen. Leo then brings up that Gwen told him that EJ told her that Xander and Kristen were sleeping together. Gwen calls that a stupid attempt at retaliation from EJ and that Kristen is one of the only true friends she has. Leo says he’s only telling her because he loves her and she deserves to know that it is true.

Kristen remains in the town square and talks on the phone to EJ’s daughter Sydney. Kristen says when they talked before, Sydney said she had no big summer plans. Kristen adds that she was thinking about a week in Paris and invites Sydney to join her.

Kate sits outside the Pub, making a call to have the rest of her things picked up tomorrow. Gabi walks by so Kate remarks that a bad day just got worse. Kate tells Gabi that Arianna isn’t here and she doesn’t know where she is. Gabi questions if Kate is going somewhere. Kate informs Gabi that she’s moving back to the Kiriakis Mansion. Kate comments on Gabi’s fallout from screwing over Philip and Arianna being furious with her to move out. Gabi guesses that Kate thinks she deserves it. Kate responds that when it comes to paying Liam to leave town for sniffing around her daughter, she would’ve done the same thing as she then walks away.

Xander tells Philip that this is outrageous as ARO has tripled the payment rate and want payments every two weeks instead of the once a month they were paying. Philip says this can’t be happening as there’s no way they can meet those terms. Philip asks what they are going to do. Xander says he doesn’t know but they need to figure it out fast or else they’re going to lose everything.

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Days Update Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Days of Our Lives Update

 

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Update written by Joseph

Leo goes to the Brady Pub and sees Javi (now played by Jacob Martinez) sitting at the bar, texting. Leo guesses Javi is texting his boyfriend but admits it’s none of his business. Roman comes out to take their order and they both end up ordering the same chicken soup.

Chad brings Thomas and Charlotte to the book store and tells them to pick out whatever they want while Julie talks about being happy to stay open for them. Julie says they can’t go away for the whole summer without something to read and asks when they leave. Chad informs her that the kids are going with Jack tomorrow morning to Boston. Julie encourages them to have fun and admits they will be missed but they will video chat every day. Julie then directs the kids to get books. Julie tells Chad that she knows it will be hard on him to go all summer without his kids around. Chad says it’s not like he has a choice. Julie comments on on Chad, Jack, and Jennifer working through the custody dispute and notes that she thinks it’s important for the kids to know their grandparents as it’s what Abigail would’ve wanted. Chad says not like this.

Tate sits at Holly’s side in the hospital as Arianna arrives to ask how she’s doing. Tate says there’s still no change and that Sarah still has no idea what’s going on with her. They talk about if Holly possibly ate something that’s interacting with her meds.

Brady brings Sarah a sandwich and espresso at the hospital. Sarah thanks him as she can’t remember the last time she ate which Brady notes is not good. Sarah says she can’t bring herself to take a break until she figures out what’s going on with Holly. Brady asks how she’s doing. Sarah responds that she’s not getting any worse, but not getting any better. Sarah wants to assures Holly that she’s fine but she won’t make promises that she doesn’t know she can keep.

Roman goes to get Leo and Javi’s orders and tells them to help themselves to coffee. Leo comments on Javi not feeling well since he always ordered chicken soup when he was coming down with something. Javi clarifies that he’s getting it for Chanel since she started chemo today. Leo says that great minds think alike as he was also ordering for Chanel and picked up some groceries for them which Javi acknowledges is good of him. Javi talks about visiting Tesoro and they talk about how much he’s grown. Leo hopes to babysit while Johnny and Chanel are busy. Javi mentions that he’s offered too. Leo suggests coordinating their child care schedules so they don’t end up at the apartment at the same time.

Brady knows Sarah is scared for Holly and frustrated because she can’t find answers, but asks her to go easy on herself since she’s doing everything she can. Sarah says all she has is a gut feeling that Destiny and her sister’s death were related to Coriseal and now it’s in Holly’s system. Brady points out that none of Holly’s side effects are tied to Coriseal. Sarah calls it a medical mystery that they are no closer to solving.

Tate tells Arianna that Holly got sick before they had dinner, so the only things she ate were the snacks that they all ate. Ari points out that Holly was only drinking water all weekend which Tate questions. They realize that Holly drank from the tap which could be the only thing she had that they didn’t. Tate decides he has to tell Sarah because it could be the one thing that helps, so he rushes out of the room.

Chad tells Julie that it’s not that he doesn’t want the kids spending time with their grandparents, but he hates being away from them for months. Julie talks about when Jennifer and Hope went to sleepaway camp when they were little and had to write letters home while Chad has modern technology to see and talk to Thomas and Charlotte anytime. Chad guesses he has to be grateful for that. Julie suggests he make some fun plans for himself this summer and asks if he has any ideas. Chad then asks if Julie has any books on Verdi.

Arianna goes home to pack her bags. Javi’s boyfriend Gus questions her really moving out. Ari responds that there’s no way she’s living there after what Gabi pulled.

Leo asks Javi how work is going. Javi says it’s fine and he’s finally off probation after disobeying protocol. Leo is glad Johnny survived and Javi wasn’t hurt. Leo asks how Gus is. Javi responds that he’s loving life in Salem and fitting in well at the fire department. Leo says that’s great and asks if it’s not too close for comfort to be living together and working together. Javi says it’s actually going great. Roman brings them their chicken soups. Leo decides to pay for both and says it’s his treat for Chanel. Javi thanks him and tells him to take care as he exits the Pub.

Brady tells Sarah that when John was stuck on a case, he would throw out the theories and speculation and just look at the facts, so he thinks they should think about what they really know as the facts. Sarah states that four teenagers went on a getaway and they know sometimes teenagers experiment with alcohol. Brady calls that a theory while what they know is that all the kids said Holly did not drink or take anything but her prescription meds. Sarah adds that all that showed up in her blood work was Coriseal and the antidepressants she was taking. Brady asks if there was any way the meds could’ve been swapped out with Coriseal. Sarah says that the lab confirmed they were not and she wants to believe Holly, but brings up her past. Sarah admits she went through Holly’s purse while she was sleeping but didn’t find anything. Tate then comes running over and announces that he thinks he’s figured out why Holly is so sick.

Julie is surprised Chad is interested in Verdi and says she’s thrilled that he has any interest in classical music. Thomas and Charlotte come back with books. Julie says she’ll go get the Verdi book but Chad says he can get that later. Chad says they were going to the Pub for milkshakes and invites Julie to come. Julie says she’d love to but she was going to visit Holly at the hospital. Chad asks about her getting sick at the lake. Julie tells him that nobody knows what’s causing it. Julie then encourages that Holly is young and strong with great doctors, so she’s sure she will be just fine.

Tate explains that it dawned on he and Ari that Holly was the only one who drank the tap water and asks if that could mean something. Sarah responds that it could. Brady points out that it wouldn’t be tested like water from the lake, so it could’ve been contaminated. Brady decides he will head to the cabin to get a sample and leaves the hospital.

Arianna packs her bags in her car as she prepares to leave. Gus tells her that Javi had to run an errand and is sorry he wasn’t there to see her off. Ari tells Gus that she’s really happy they are together as she sees how happy he makes Javi. Gus says he’s loved getting to know the family. Ari asks if he’s sure since he’s been caught up in all of the drama going on now. Gus says he’s just said that she and Gabi aren’t getting along and that she won’t be living there anymore. Gus hopes they can work it out but Ari doesn’t know how she can forgive Gabi for going behind her back and betraying her the way she did. Gus responds that he gets that the people you care about most can hurt you the most.

Julie visits Holly in the hospital and asks how she’s really doing. Holly admits she’s not great and the worst part is that they can’t figure out why she’s sick which is scaring her. Julie encourages that Sarah is a terrific doctor and that everyone is trying to figure out what’s wrong, so when they do, she will get better. Julie says she brought Holly a book to read and wishes she could do more. Julie sends love from Maggie and adds that she’s here anytime Holly needs to talk about anything. Holly thanks her as Tate returns to the room with news. Tate says he’s not sure yet and doesn’t want to get her hopes up but explains that he and Ari realized that Holly is the only one who drank the tap water at the cabin, so Brady and Sarah think the water could be contaminated. Julie says that she has it tested at the beginning of every season but it’s possible it could’ve missed something. Tate says they don’t know for sure but Brady is up there now getting a sample, so it could be a clue as to what’s going on with her.

Leo sits alone at the Pub, looking at photos of he and Javi on his phone. Chad then arrives with Thomas and Charlotte, who excitedly greet Leo. Charlotte mentions getting slime which Chad tells her not to open until they get home. Chad sends the kids to a play table and asks Leo about his assignment. Leo promises to have a draft for him later but for now he’s going to deliver chicken soup to Chanel. The kids come running by and Leo ends up slipping on the slime toy. Roman calls 911 while Leo tries to claim he’s fine but then complains of dizziness when he tries to stand up. Roman gets a call and has to step away so Chad says he will watch Leo. Charlotte comes over to apologize. Leo says it’s fine and jokes that maybe it will be the perfect end to his day as some handsome EMT will come whisk him away, but it turns out to be Javi’s boyfriend Gus arriving at the Pub.

Holly comments on the gift Ari brought her while Sarah comes in to the room and says there’s no update yet. Julie asks about the water at the cabin which Sarah confirms Brady is looking in to now. Julie says she will get her a copy of the last official test run on the water. Julie tells Holly to take care and that she loves her as she exits. Tate asks Sarah what their next steps are. Sarah says she will run more tests to rule out anything else while they wait for Brady to come back with the water sample. Sarah mentions that Brady texted her that he made the last ferry, so he should be there now.

Brady arrives at the Horton Cabin on Smith Island to get a sample of the water from the sink. Someone appears outside the window and watches him.

Chad tells Roman that he’s sorry about all that. Roman says it happens. Chad asks how Roman is doing. Roman says he’s been better and guesses he talked to Kate. Chad confirms he did and hates seeing them at odds since they are so good together. Roman says that’s what makes this so hard. Roman says he really loves Kate, but her lies didn’t just hurt him, they hurt his grandson. Arianna arrives with her bag packed and announces she’s moving in to the Pub.

Javi finds Gus at the hospital and asks how his shift went. Gus calls it eventful as always and asks if he got the chicken soup to Chanel. Javi confirms that he did and he got to spend some time with Trey, while now he gets time with Gus so he’s having a damn good night. Gus says he knows how to make it even better as soon as the coast is clear. Javi jokes that he can be patient.

Holly tells Tate that she can’t really concentrate. Tate encourages her about all the amazing and fun things they will do when she’s out of the hospital, suggesting a road trip before she goes back to school. Holly tells Tate that she’s feeling really weird, her heart is beating fast and she can’t breathe as Tate calls for help.

Sarah checks on Leo at the hospital. Sarah is concerned that this is his second concussion in less than three months and the long term effects of serious head injuries, so he has to be more careful. Leo insists it’s not that bad and that he needs to go check on Johnny and Chanel. Sarah responds that she can’t discharge him until he has someone to pick him up and take him home, to make sure he doesn’t fall asleep in the next few hours. Sarah then gets paged and orders Leo to stay put as she will be back in a few minutes as she hurries out. Leo goes ahead and leaves the room, calling Sarah to tell her that he thinks she forgot about him and that he’s going to leave. Leo remarks that heh as places to be and people to see as he then looks ahead and sees Javi and Gus kissing, which Leo comments to himself that he wishes he didn’t see. Leo then gets dizzy and stumbles, prompting Gus to come over and asks if he’s okay. Leo says he’s fine. Gus comments that it’s good to see him back on his feet. Javi asks what he means. Gus then informs Javi that he had to bring Leo in earlier. Javi questions if he’s alright. Leo says it was just an unfortunate incident with some slime. Javi gets a text that his partner is ready to get back on the road, so he’ll see Gus back at home and exits. Leo claims to Gus that the doctors gave him the all clear. Gus offers him a ride home but Leo declines, saying he has a friend coming to pick him up. Gus tells Leo to take care of himself and walks away.

Sarah checks on Holly and says the machine went off because her heart was beating at an irregular rhythm. Holly asks if it will happen again. Sarah says it could but she ordered medication to help regulate it. Sarah encourage Holly to try to get some rest as she exits. Tate decides to resume talking about the fun things they will do when she gets better. Holly tells Tate that she loves him. Tate promises her that they will make a ton of fun memories when this is over.

Arianna tells Roman and Chad that she needs space from her mother as they wouldn’t survive being under the same roof all summer. Roman jokes that Chad’s in for a lot of drama when his kids grow up. Chad decides to get the kids home, so they exit. Roman gives Arianna a room key. She thanks him for letting her stay. Roman assures that he’ll always have a place for her and an ear to listen. Ari asks if he doesn’t think she’s overreacting. Roman says it’s not his place and he doesn’t need to know what happened between her and Gabi. Ari feels he deserves to know since he’s giving her a place to stay. Ari then informs Roman that Gabi dug up dirt on Liam and paid him to leave town. Ari declares that she doesn’t know how she can ever trust her again after she betrayed her like that. Roman responds that he knows the feeling.

Brady returns to the hospital and gives Sarah the water sample, which she says she will get to the lab right away. Sarah says she will put a rush on it since the usual turnaround time is 3-5 days but if Holly isn’t getting better, they might not have that kind of time.

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Days Short Recap Friday, July 17, 2026

Daytime Soap Opera Short Recaps

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Rita gave EJ an envelope while he was at work. He got his inheritance just as Rita gave him the letter. EJ wouldn’t get any money from the drug since it didn’t work. He said that Lexie only had days left to live. EJ went to the reception area and ran into Sarah. She yelled at him and told him to stay away from Holly. He got tired of her mouth and tried to fire her in front of everyone. Xander was the first to defend Sarah and then Kayla stepped up to defend her. Kayla told EJ that he wasn’t the owner anymore and had 90 days to vacate the hospital. She told him once the buyout was complete that he would be out, and Gwen would be the new owner. After her conversation with EJ was done, Sarah noticed that Xander her Holly’s bag. She wanted to know why he had it. Sarah realized that Holly was ready to leave the hospital. EJ lingered around while Sarah talked to Xander about the arsenic and Coriseal. Xander let her know that she believed Holly. He thought it was EJ’s fault. Xander left Holly’s bag unattended when he showed Sarah a video of Victoria.

Alex arrived home and found Theo in his apartment, and Stephanie hungover. She was stumbling in the apartment. Theo woke up and wanted to leave, but Stephanie said he could stay. Alex threw his clothes at Theo and demanded to know what was going on. They told him what happened. Alex wasn’t happy about what happened between them. Stephanie thanked Theo for being a good listener. Theo left nervously. Alex and Stephanie started arguing. He told her that Joy wouldn’t drive a wedge between them unless she let it happen. Stephanie apologized for everything.

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Days Short Recap Thursday, July 16, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Lexie tried to reach out to Kristen, but she only got her voicemail. She collapsed on a chair and tried to hide it when Abe approached her. Abe wanted to find Theo, but she didn’t know where he was. She talked to him about needing space. Lexie wanted to see her mother without him. Abe thought he would lose more time with Lexie. Kristen called her back so Lexie had to leave. Lexie met with Kristen to warn her about EJ’s plan, but she collapsed before she could tell her anything. Kristen was about to call the police when Lexie stopped her. She didn’t want her family to know that she’s dying again. Lexie made Kristen promise her that she wouldn’t say anything. She didn’t want them to watch her die again. Lexie planned to disappear so they wouldn’t see her die again. Kristen got chocked up and apologized for telling Theo about Stefano’s involvement in Lexie getting cancer. Lexie told her that she had something else to tell her. Brady and Marlena talked about Rachel coming home and Kristen being afraid of EJ. Kristen wouldn’t tell them about her concerns about EJ so they shrugged it off. They didn’t care as long as Rachel wasn’t involved. Brady and Marlena chose to talk about the arsenic poisoning. He was still convinced that DiMera Pharmaceuticals was behind it. Brady thought it was possible that Holly was back on drugs too. He went back to the Horton cabin to get another water sample because he knew that EJ would have tampered with the original sample. They wondered if EJ had a heart or not. Marlena wanted to call someone to help him out.

Holly was worried about Amy’s lawsuit. Sarah came to her room and Holly became upset. Holly was upset that her mother went back to Paris. The only person she had left in her life was an aunt who thought she was a drug addict. Holly was thankful that she saved her life, but if she didn’t believe her, she didn’t want her in her life. Brady and Marlena arrived at the hospital. Marlena spotted Cat and wanted to talk to her about EJ. She thought it would be relevant to her investigation. Marlena discussed the Coriseal and arsenic situation with her. Sarah ran into Brady at the hospital. She told him what happened with Holly. He said they had to wait for the results from the water sample he had sent to ISA. The results arrived a few minutes later. Unfortunately for Sarah and Brady, there wasn’t any Coriseal or arsenic in the water. EJ went to Holly’s room with flowers. She was happy to see him. Holly was even happier when he told her that he could get her case with Amy dismissed. He was determined to have her back. Holly opened up to him about her situation. She didn’t feel like she had any family left because Sarah didn’t believe that she wasn’t doing drugs. EJ reminded her that he was her family too and that he believed her. Sarah wasn’t happy to find EJ in Holly’s room. She threw him out of Holly’s room. Holly was upset that she threw him out of her room. Sarah told her that she didn’t need his help. Holly became enraged and threw her out of her room. Sarah met up with Brady, and he told her that Julie had to the water decontaminated at the Horton cabin so there was nothing left to test.

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Days Update Monday, June 29, 2026

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Update written by Joseph

At Titan, Philip and Xander wonder how the loan could’ve been paid off and who would’ve done that.

Gwen goes to the DiMera Mansion where Kristen tells her that EJ isn’t there and if he was, he wouldn’t be alive. Gwen asks what EJ has done now. Kristen responds that he went behind her back and saw Rachel. Gwen questions why that’s a problem. Kristen thinks back to EJ accusing her of trying to have Johnny killed and threatening her over it. Kristen then tells Gwen that EJ knows the easiest way to get to her is through her daughter and that’s why it’s a problem.

Lexie cleans up at home and picks up a framed photo of her and Abe, but her hand starts shaking. Abe comes in and greets her. Lexie asks where Theo is. Abe informs her that Theo stopped at the hospital on his way home. Lexie asks if something is wrong. Abe reveals to her that Chanel is starting chemo today. Lexie is surprised to learn that Paulina’s daughter has cancer.

Chanel, Johnny, and Paulina sit together at the hospital with a nurse, preparing Chanel for chemo. Johnny goes to get Chanel some juice while Paulina encourages that she’s staying with her. Chanel argues that Paulina has so much to do as mayor but Paulina says nothing is more important than this. Chanel talks about everybody else going overboard in being too sweet when she wants to be treated like she’s still herself. Paulina encourages that everyone knows how strong she is as she comforts her.

Johnny runs in to EJ at the hospital. EJ says he needs a word. Johnny says it’s not a good time as Chanel is starting chemo, but EJ insists that what he has to say cannot wait.

Philip and Xander continue trying to figure out how the loan got paid off. Philip suggests maybe Xander could’ve kept some of Victor’s secret businesses going but Xander assures he had nothing to do with the payment. Xander argues that no one could’ve moved that amount of money, then questions if it was Philip.

Gwen asks Kristen how EJ can hurt her through Rachel. Kristen says that he can badmouth her and fill her head with lies. Gwen remarks that she knows all about EJ’s lies as he’s deceived her and screwed her in a business deal. Gwen adds that she’s returned the favor by putting in an offer to buy the hospital, so the board will push EJ out. Kristen calls that delightful news. Gwen notes that there is a catch, as if she is successful, she will be ashes. Kristen tells her to join the club.

Lexie talks to Abe about the fear and uncertainty when she was first diagnosed, so she’s sure that must be difficult for Chanel as well. Abe encourages that Lexie is back now. Lexie remarks that’s thanks to EJ. Abe says it’s not only EJ and that there’s something she should know about Paulina. Abe knows how Lexie feels about Paulina and their years as husband and wife, but reveals that Lexie wouldn’t have this second chance if it wasn’t for Paulina.

Chanel and Paulina joke about possible wigs until the nurse comes back to check on Chanel. Chanel says she’s feeling good and hopes she’ll be one of the lucky ones to not suffer bad side effects.

EJ takes Johnny in to a waiting room and says he’ll make this fast. EJ questions why Johnny has been asking about Coriseal and if Sarah put him up to it. Johnny says no and that even if she had, he’s not getting in to this with him right now. EJ asks what if he told him that Holly’s life might depend on it.

Gwen tells Kristen that she’s sorry about her misunderstanding with her and Xander at the Salem Inn the other day. Kristen says they are all adults while Gwen feels like a fool for being manipulated by EJ. Kristen says they know that EJ is always looking to make trouble. Gwen says that they won’t let him get away with stirring the pot anymore as it’s gone on too long. Kristen and Gwen agree to have each other’s back. Gwen suggests they have drinks soon which Kristen says she would love. Gwen then exits the mansion.

Philip tells Xander that he’s insulted that he would think he’s just pretending to be surprised by the loan being paid off. Xander brings up the forged letter which makes Philip bring up Xander nearly beating him to death. They agree not to do this and get back to focusing. Philip swear he had nothing to do with the loan getting paid off. Xander then gets a call, revealing that the bank sold the loan to a company called ARO Wealth Management. Philip says he’s never heard of it while Xander declares they will find out exactly who they are.

Lexie doesn’t understand what Paulina has to do with her recovery. Abe explains that Paulina thought EJ was doing something illegal, so she investigated and discovered his secret experiments. Abe adds that EJ dared Paulina to shut down his project, but she couldn’t and wouldn’t because she realized EJ’s experiments could bring Lexie back to him and Theo. Lexie questions why he’s telling her this now. Abe responds that with what Chanel is going through now, it would be wrong of him not to be there for her. Lexie agrees that he should be and needs to be there for Chanel. Lexie tells Abe that she loves him for wanting to support Chanel and she’s so grateful for every moment she’s had with him as they hug.

Chanel asks Paulina what the deal is with her and Lexie since Lexie seemed hostile towards her at the Juneteenth celebration. Paulina states that she’s obviously uncomfortable around her because she’s still technically married to Abe. Chanel argues that Lexie has nothing to complain about since Paulina moved out and didn’t put up a fight which Paulina says was the right thing to do. Chanel asks what happens next. Paulina says she doesn’t know and calls it a complete mess. Paulina doesn’t want Chanel to worry about any of it and assures she’ll be fine. Chanel reminds her that she’s there for her too. Chanel wonders what’s keeping Johnny.

Johnny questions what EJ did. EJ warns Johnny that he can’t repeat this to anyone as he explains that years ago, DiMera Pharmaceuticals produced a batch of Coriseal that became contaminated in production and as soon as quality control caught it, it was disposed of but the employee who did it didn’t go through the appropriate channels. EJ states that he simply told the head of the division to handle it. Johnny asks what the batch was contaminated with. EJ reveals that it was arsenic.

Philip and Xander look up ARO Wealth Management, finding out that they profit by coming to collect. Xander says so much for it being paid off and instructs Philip to find out whatever he can about them. Xander adds that he has something he needs to handle as he exits the office.

Lexie goes to the DiMera Mansion and tells Kristen that she was looking for EJ. Kristen guesses she came to see Dr. Rolf and says she doesn’t have to hide anything from her. Kristen asks if everything is okay. Lexie claims she’s fine and just a little tired from pushing herself too much. Kristen remarks that DiMeras don’t lack drive, ambition, or charm. Kristen tells Lexie not to worry as she won’t say anything to anyone as she then exits the room. Lexie then heads towards the tunnels.

Paulina tells Chanel that she will see if she can track down Johnny, but Abe arrives and greets them . Abe says he stopped by to offer Chanel his support and brought her tea. They thank him as Abe asks how Chanel is doing. Chanel says so far, so good which Abe says he’s glad to hear. Paulina says they appreciate him stopping by. Abe hopes he’s not overstepping, but he wanted them to know he’s been thinking about them. Chanel says they appreciate it. Paulina says she’ll give them a moment to catch up while she goes to track down Johnny.

Johnny argues that arsenic is a deadly poison. EJ says it depends on the amount and that it’s in nature. Johnny questions if he’s justifying it and argues that two women are dead. Johnny then asks what this has to do with Holly. EJ responds that he doesn’t know for sure yet, but he just learned that the contaminated batch was disposed of on Smith Island and Holly got ill after staying there. Johnny asks if he’s saying that Holly is sick and it’s his fault.

Xander joins Kristen in her room at the Salem Inn. Kristen asks about his hasty exit before. Xander tells her that it was because Holly is sick and mentions running in to EJ at the hospital. Xander adds that EJ delighted in telling Sarah that they are a thing. Kristen jokes about putting it out that she’s gotten her claws in him and that soon the whole town will be clutching their pearls as she kisses him.

EJ tells Johnny that he just learned the contaminated pills were buried on Smith Island. Johnny asks about Holly being poisoned by them. EJ says they don’t know that for sure. Johnny asks what the prognosis is if she is suffering from arsenic poisoning. EJ responds that if it goes untreated, it could be fatal after a few days. Johnny angrily shouts that he cannot believe this. EJ insists that he cares about Holly too and will do everything in his power to save her, but he just hopes it’s not too late.

Abe tells Chanel that he didn’t mean to upset Paulina. Chanel says they have a lot to work through. Abe knows Chanel has a lot to think about. Chanel says she’s happy to think about anything other than the chemicals going through her body right now. Abe is sorry this is all happening at the same time. Chanel says she’s sorry too, especially for Paulina.

Lexie visits Dr. Rolf and asks why her symptoms are back and worse than before. Dr. Rolf says they were hoping for more from the first dose. Lexie worries that her coordination is off and admits she’s scared.

Chanel acknowledges that Lexie’s return was a miracle for Abe and Theo and she loves them, so there is no right side, but it doesn’t make it any easier for any of them.

Dr. Rolf tells Lexie that anyone would be frightened by what she’s going through, but says it’s important to stay positive as they are still learning the limits of the drug. Lexie urges him to push the limits no matter what it takes. Lexie declares that she was given her life back and she’s not about to let it go now.

Philip bumps in to Gwen at the book store. Gwen brings up hearing about Philip and Gabi’s difficult break up. Philip questions what Gabi said about it. Gwen says that Gabi admitted it was her fault and that she deeply regrets whatever she did. Gwen adds that she empathizes with Philip because she knows what it’s like to be betrayed by someone you love. Gwen offers to help him find a book to deal with a broken heart.

Kristen questions why Xander is so grumpy and asks so what if Sarah knows about them since they aren’t married anymore. Kristen tells Xander that it’s not a crime to have sex as she kisses him but Xander pulls away and says they need to finish their conversation about DiMera Pharmaceuticals and EJ because he’s more determined than ever to take down EJ. Kristen says she is too for Rachel’s sake. Xander asks what Rachel has to do with it. Kristen thinks EJ is targeting Rachel to hurt her. Xander comments on EJ sinking lower. Kristen declares that she will never let EJ mess with her daughter again.

EJ tells Johnny that he told him all of this because he needs his help. Johnny questions what he’s supposed to do. EJ asks Johnny to tell Sarah and whoever else he’s working with that their suspicions are unfounded. Johnny questions EJ wanting him to lie for him. EJ says it’s for the family, the company, and for Holly. EJ declares that Johnny will do whatever it takes to assuage their suspicion for now, until he can figure out how to fix this. Johnny questions if he has any idea what he’s asking him to do here. EJ says of course and that he may need his help again in the future depending on how this plays out. Johnny tells EJ that he can’t, especially not now, and that he needs to get back to Chanel. Johnny then walks out of the room, leaving EJ frustrated.

Abe tells Chanel that he has to get going. Chanel thanks him again for coming. Abe says he’d like to come again if that’s okay. Chanel tells him that he’s always welcome. Johnny then returns and greets them. Paulina asks where he’s been. Johnny claims he was getting juice for Chanel and overheard some nurses talking about Holly, so he went to check on her. Chanel mentions that they heard she was admitted. Abe asks if he knows what’s wrong with her. Johnny claims he doesn’t and doesn’t think anyone knows. Johnny asks if Chanel is feeling okay as she looks a little uncomfortable. Chanel says she’s just a little queasy, so Johnny asks Abe and Paulina to give them a couple minutes. Abe tells Chanel to take care and that he’ll see her soon as they exit.

Dr. Rolf asks Lexie squeeze his hand as hard as she can. Dr. Rolf worries that the first dose worked immediately while the second dose is having no effect. Lexie cries that this means the treatment isn’t working. Lexie talks about her research and adding injections to increase the drug. Dr. Rolf says he’s already tried on rats and the results are short lived. Lexie argues that they have to try. Lexie breaks down crying that she can’t lose her second chance.

Gwen gives Philip a book titled “So Long, Soulmate” and says it’s one that really helped her. Gwen notes that it won’t solve his problems overnight but it can help him see things differently and change his headspace as it has lots of good tips. Philip questions why she knows so much about this kind of stuff when she doesn’t strike him as the hearts and flowers type. Gwen responds that she tends to be drawn to the wrong men. Philip asks if that includes Xander. Gwen says the jury is still out on him.

Kristen tells Xander that she was thinking about what he said about the missing files and Coriseal is highly regulated, so a batch can’t just disappear unless there was no record of them to begin with. Xander calls her a genius as they kiss. Xander decides it’d be a shame to let the room go to waste as they move onto the bed.

Chanel compares the chemo to morning sickness and how she wants to have a baby and get her life back. Chanel declares that she’s going to beat this and that the cancer doesn’t stand a chance as Johnny hugs her.

Abe catches up to Paulina at the hospital. Paulina tells him that she’d rather not talk right now as she appreciates him being there for Chanel, but her family needs space like he did when Lexie came back. Paulina then walks away.

Lexie returns home and sits down. She picks up an envelope addressed to Abe which is a certification revoking her death. Lexie looks up at a photo of Abe and Theo and tearfully declares that she can’t leave them again.

EJ visits Dr. Rolf and says this better be good news. Dr. Rolf says he’s afraid not as he just saw Lexie and the drug is no longer having the desired effect. EJ orders him to try something else then but Dr. Rolf says he’s exhausted every formula, adjusted every variable, and nothing is working. Dr. Rolf fears that Lexie’s time left with them is short. EJ asks how long they have. Dr. Rolf says it would be months at most but it could be much less than that.

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Days Short Recap Wednesday, July 15, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Joy, Kelsey, and Alex went to the pub. When Joy had trouble going upstairs, Alex helped her. Joy said she had to figure it out on her own. Alex checked her into the Salem Inn and hired a nurse. Since the nurse wasn’t starting until the next day, he was going to stay with her. Stephanie ran into Theo at Small Bar and joined him. They were drinking until Theo asked Stephanie what was going on. Stephanie told her about Joy and how she wasn’t trustworthy. While she was talking, Alex called her to let her know that he was staying with Joy. Stephanie couldn’t believe what Alex said. He explained why he was staying with Joy. Stephanie sarcastically said Joy was helpless and hung up the phone. Theo told her it was time to go. He offered to walk her home since she was drunk. When Theo got Stephanie home, he told her his problem with his father. He said he didn’t want to go home. Stephanie suggested that he stay with her.

Gabi and Gwen were at the Hernandez house. They tried to figure out how the Gabi Chic knockoff happened. Gwen said she found other sites selling the knockoffs. They decided to work together to figure out what was going on. Gwen told Gabi about the fight she had with Kristen over Xander. Chad and Belle looked at the program they were given. Belle thought someone drew on it. Chad said the drawing looked intentional. They realized Stefano was playing the game in real time. There was someone watching them. Chad said it was dangerous. Belle refused to back down. They looked over the underlined parts in the program. Chad wanted to get a UV flashlight to look at the invisible ink on the lira. Theo hesitated at first but decided to stay with Stephanie. When Stephanie got him covers, she saw him in his underwear. Belle had one of John’s blacklights and they saw a symbol on the lira. They saw a Celtic cross.

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Days Short Recap Monday, July 13, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

EJ was in Rachel’s room at Bayview. Kristen was horrified when she showed up. She made Rachel leave the room so she could yell at EJ. He let Kristen know that her punishment would be her own. Kristen tried to defend herself, but EJ didn’t want to hear it. He said he was done with her. EJ warned her that the fall out would be merciless and quick. He walked out of the room. Rachel came back in the room. Kristen asked her what she talked about with EJ. Rachel said they didn’t talk about much. She asked Kristen what she and EJ talked about. Kristen lied to her about what they talked about. Lexie went to see Marlena to tell her that she was dying. Marlena was shocked that Lexie didn’t want to tell Abe and Theo. Lexie said she couldn’t let Abe and Theo watch her die again. She said she didn’t want them by her side when she died. Marlena said that wasn’t a good idea. Lexie said she was angry at EJ for doing this, but she would do it again. Stephanie told Kayla that she deleted Joy’s message from Alex’s phone. Kayla thought it was wrong, but she understood why Stephanie did it. Alex went to the hospital and saw Kelsey’s bassinet empty. He asked Joy where Kelsey was. Joy told him Kelsey was getting X-Rays for a bruise. Kayla showed up with Kelsey and told Alex and Joy that she suffered a bruised clavicle. She said they could take the baby home. When Kayla left the room, Stephanie questioned whether or not Joy caused the accident. She wondered if Joy still loved Alex. Kayla told Stephanie that she couldn’t control it and that she and Alex would work things out. Alex blamed himself for Joy’s accident since the spare tire he put on burst. He didn’t want to push the issue in case Stephanie got mad. Joy told him about the voicemail she left him.

Marlena showed up at Bayview to see Rachel, but Kristen was there. Kristen told Marlena that she needed help. She told Marlena that EJ was out to get her. Kristen asked Marlena to be there for Rachel if something happened to her. Marlena asked if EJ threatened her. Kristen said he did threaten her. Marlena said EJ threatened people all the time but didn’t follow through with it. Kristen thought EJ was serious this time. When EJ went home, he talked to Sydney. He found out she was going on a trip with Kristen. He noticed Lexie on the floor and rushed to her. EJ called out to Rolf, but Rita said he was gone. She said the heat was too much for him and he couldn’t do anything else to help Lexie. EJ wanted to take Lexie to the hospital, but Rita told him they couldn’t help her. Rita said this was part of the process. Alex went to the reception area and called out Stephanie for deleting the message. Stephanie wanted Alex to listen to her. She said she only saw the beginning of the message and thought that there wasn’t any car trouble and that Joy was looking for attention. Alex wanted to know what was wrong with her. He accused her of being jealous and said they couldn’t go on like this. Alex wanted her to leave the hospital. EJ told Rita there was one more thing they had to do. He wanted to get the private island ready for Kristen. EJ said Kristen was going to live the rest of her life far away from Salem. He said no one would be the wiser. Lexie woke up just as they were talking.

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Days Short Recap Tuesday, July 14, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Chanel was thinking about the arsenic poisoning giving her cancer when Paulina showed up. Paulina had a gift for Trey. Johnny had to rush out of the apartment. Paulina took out more toys for Trey when Chanel noticed that she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. She talked to Chanel about what happened with Lexie. Paulina told her that her marriage to Abe wasn’t valid. She changed the subject back to Chanel. Chanel admitted that she’s trying to stop herself from lashing out at Johnny. She said that he was acting like he was afraid to touch her. Paulina became uncomfortable when she talked about making love to Johnny. She gave Chanel suggestions to make him interested. Theo wanted to talk to Abe about Johnny. He felt like Johnny was hiding something from him. Abe thought that he might be hiding something. He thought it might be because of EJ. Abe told him that he never wanted him to be CEO of DiMera Enterprises. He said Johnny acted without his father’s permission. Abe decided to come clean about his secret with EJ. Theo was upset when he heard the truth. He walked away from Abe.

EJ told Rita to get the private island ready and prepare the staff. Lexie woke up while EJ was talking to Rita. She wanted to know what happened. Lexie realized that Dr. Rolf was gone. She got upset about what EJ and Dr. Rolf did to her. EJ said he was caught up in her being back. Lexie had to figure out what she would do next. He reminded her that she was a DiMera. Lexie left the mansion when Johnny showed up. Johnny yelled at EJ because Chanel drank the water at the Horton cabin. He told him that Chanel lost the baby and got cancer. EJ told him that Paulina was responsible for what happened to Chanel. He reminded Johnny that there were so many people who went to the cabin before and after Chanel, and they didn’t get cancer. Johnny said that Holly got sick and now he has to lie to everyone. EJ snapped at him and reminded him that he would have to deal with tough things as the CEO. Lexie met with Abe at the pub. He told her what happened with Theo. Abe got worried when Lexie looked like she was about to pass out. She told him that she was feeling dehydrated. Lexie was more worried about Theo.

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Days Update Friday, June 26, 2026

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Update written by Joseph

At the DiMera Mansion, EJ is on the phone with Rita. EJ says he hasn’t spoken to Johnny yet but he can’t keep asking about Coriseal, declaring that what was buried on Smith Island needs to stay buried. EJ then hangs up as Chad arrives. EJ greets him and asks what brings him by. Chad says he just came to get one of Stefano’s books and repeats that he doesn’t want to get in the middle of whatever’s going on between EJ and Kristen. Chad asks if everything is okay between them. EJ thinks back to confronting Kristen over trying to kill Johnny. EJ then tells Chad that everything is far from okay.

Kristen meets Brady at Bayview where they wait for Rachel to return from her snack time. Brady says he met with Dr. Gregory and that they should have plenty of time to tell Rachel about Sophia. Kristen explains that she was going to bring Rachel a stuffed animal that she had Lani get from the aquarium, but she and the staff couldn’t find it anywhere which is why she was late. Rachel then enters the room, holding the stuffed animal from the aquarium.

Xander arrives at the hospital and asks Sarah if Holly is okay. Sarah responds that she’s stable for now. Xander is sure she’ll be alright if Sarah is taking care of her. Xander then asks if Sarah is alright. Sarah starts to cry as Xander hugs her. Sarah thanks him for coming. Xander says that Holly will always be his niece and asks if she’s going to make a full recovery. Sarah admits she doesn’t know and she keeps thinking about what happened with Destiny. Xander is glad he was there with her. Sarah admits he was a comfort. Xander calls that a terrible tragedy and insists this situation with Holly is completely different. Xander encourages that she has the most dedicated doctor and tells Sarah that he has faith in her.

Alex goes to Titan and asks Philip if he’s got a minute. Philip says sure and asks how Stephanie is doing. Alex admits she’s not great and still in deep with the PTSD from the kidnapping along with throwing in his surprise daughter. Philip is sure that complicates things and asks if he can help. Alex wishes he could but says it’s just a rough patch they need to get through, hopefully together.

Belle goes to see Stephanie at home and says she has something to talk to her about which she thought would be better to do in person. Stephanie guesses that she is going to charge her for shooting at Joy. Belle assures that she has not changed her mind and no charges will be filed for the discharge of her gun. Belle hopes that lessens the sting of what she’s going to say next. Belle then informs Stephanie that the judge has decided Owen Kent is unfit to stand trial which means she won’t be able to testify against him. Stephanie worries about him getting out but Belle assures that Owen will be sent to a high security hospital and will be going away for a long time.

Philip encourages Alex that he and Stephanie will get through this as they love each other and there wasn’t any betrayal or deception. Alex tells him he’s sorry about what happened with he and Gabi. Alex asks if there’s any way of making that work. Philip responds that he’ll never get past what Gabi did to their family, pointing out they could still lose everything. Alex says he knows but that Gabi is trying to make amends since Xander told him that she offered a chunk of Stefan’s inheritance which he notes could help Titan out a lot. Philip says he’s not wild about taking anything from Gabi, but Xander convinced him not to let his pride get in the way of saving the company, so he’s going along with it. Philip adds that shit will hit the fan if EJ finds out that his dad’s money is going to prop up his chief rival. Alex declares that’s why they have to make sure EJ never finds out.

Chad asks EJ if this is a new thing with Kristen. EJ responds that she’s blaming him for Rachel’s emotional struggles when he was the one shot by her. EJ calls Rachel her demon seed which Chad finds a bit harsh. EJ points out that Kristen didn’t raise Rachel, but groomed an accomplice, so it’s hardly surprising that she’s unstable. EJ argues that if Kristen wants to know why her daughter is in Bayview, she should look in the mirror. Chad admits that’s never been Kristen’s strong suit but he thinks she tries hard to be a good mother. EJ says Chad may not want to admit that Kristen is a manipulative bitch and adds that he’s dealing with other stress, so he’s not feeling forgiving. Chad asks about the other stress. EJ says they aren’t worth discussing as a few of them won’t be a problem much longer.

Rachel excitedly greets Brady and Kristen. Kristen asks about the stuffed animal which Rachel reveals that EJ brought to her last night, leaving Kristen shocked.

Sarah appreciates Xander’s faith in her and agrees to try to think positive about Holly’s condition. Sarah asks if he’s made any headway in to the investigation in to DiMera and Coriseal. Xander says he hasn’t which makes him more suspicious since the records from that time period is missing. Xander feels it’s no coincidence but he’s working on finding a way to recover them as he has someone on the inside. Xander knows it’s important to Sarah but says she needs to lie low so she’s not in EJ’s crosshairs. Sarah points out that he’s putting himself out there. Xander says he can handle EJ and if he’s responsible for people dying, they need to stop him. Sarah just hopes they stop him in time.

Belle can tell Stephanie is still worried. Stephanie worries about Owen finding a way to escape or be released. Belle assures that her office will be keeping tabs on him and she’s already filed a permanent restraining order so there will be legal repercussions. Stephanie thanks Belle for telling her and for everything she’s done. Belle acknowledges that Stephanie has gone through a horrible ordeal but she’s a fighter who survived Owen Kent twice. Belle encourages Stephanie to get her power back and to stop letting Owen Kent control her life.

Xander assures Sarah that he’s all in for whatever she needs. Sarah appreciates that and says she wants to prevent a possible resurgence of this drug. Xander talks about being eager to take down EJ. Sarah reminds him that she didn’t get him involved to settle the score as this is about protecting people. Xander assures that he understands. Sarah tells him to just be careful because Victoria needs him.

Brady asks Rachel if EJ has ever come to visit her before. Rachel confirms last night was the first time and said he wanted to tell her that he forgives her for shooting him. Kristen asks if EJ said anything else. Rachel admits that EJ told her about Johnny.

Philip agrees with Alex that if EJ doesn’t already know, they should stop him from finding out. Alex asks if Gabi is on board with that. Philip says he’ll have someone talk to her. They agree that the money can help them out a lot. Alex asks Philip if he knew about Xander and Kate setting Johnny up. Philip assures that he didn’t but it didn’t shock him. Alex is glad that Xander is dropping the lawsuit and that Johnny seems to be letting it go. Philip responds that Johnny doesn’t strike him as the vindictive type, unlike his father.

Chad informs EJ that he’s looking for Stefano’s old chess book that he used to put notes in because he’s helping Belle solve a mystery. EJ guesses it’s the chess set that Stefano left for Marlena which Chad confirms. EJ thought she wanted no part of it. Chad says that’s still true but Belle thinks there’s more to it. EJ asks like what, but Chad says it’s none of his business. EJ argues that it was a bequest from their father. Chad points out it wasn’t to him and walks out while EJ remarks that it wasn’t to Chad either.

Kristen asks Rachel what EJ told her about Johnny. Rachel says that EJ told her that Johnny said hi and that he’s sorry for not visiting as there was a fire at his apartment, but nobody got hurt. Rachel questions why they look like something bad happened. Kristen informs her that not everyone is okay and that’s why they are here. Rachel asks what’s wrong. Brady tells Rachel that they’ve got some sad news and were waiting for the right time to tell her. Brady adds that Dr. Gregory says she’s ready to hear it.

Chad meets Belle at the book store and asks if she and Paul made any headway on the Italian Lire. Belle says as far as they can tell, there’s nothing special about it. Chad guesses that’s good news but admits he hoped it would be something fun and exciting. Belle says it was apparently just in general circulation. Chad looks it over and wonders what it means.

Alex tells Philip that EJ is getting it from all sides as he’s under immense scrutiny from the authorities over the whole Lexie situation, so hopefully that will prevent him from going on the defensive. Philip suggests putting Stephanie back on the payroll for PR in case EJ does try to strike against Titan, if she’s up for it. Alex agrees to talk to her about it because she might want something else to focus on other than Joy and Owen Kent.

Stephanie reads an article on her laptop with an interview with Jeremy about their kidnapping, where Jeremy said that Stephanie and her strength is what inspired him to survive. Stephanie declares that Owen is a monster and she’s done being his victim, so he’s out of her head and out of her life.

EJ approaches Xander and Sarah at the hospital. Xander calls him a disciple of the devil while Sarah asks if they can do this another time. EJ asks Xander if he’s a disciple of the devil because he told Gwen about his sordid affair with Kristen, then jokes that he bets he didn’t want Sarah to know about that. Xander tries to explain to Sarah but she says she should get to a patient and rushes off. Xander then asks EJ what the hell is wrong with him. EJ points out that he and Sarah aren’t together anymore, so he questions why she should care if he’s sleeping with two other women. Xander says he told EJ to stay the hell out of his life. EJ remarks that he did him a favor since Sarah’s already moved on with Brady, yet Xander is here pining like a teenager. Xander warns that he will regret this. Xander walks away as EJ points out that he already said that.

Chad and Belle continue to go over the Italian Lire. Chad bets Stefano wanted John and Marlena to spend that somewhere very special and suggests they fly to Rome. Belle points out that it’s no longer in circulation and her research said it’s worth about five bucks these days. Chad decides they can get a slice of pizza then.

Philip tells Alex that he knows he should feel some relief that Gabi’s money is coming in, but he won’t relax until it’s actually in the account, especially since they could lose everything if they miss a loan payment. Alex asks what if they just sell the Kiriakis Mansion. Philip argues that it meant everything to Victor. Alex asks what Victor would choose to save, the mansion or Titan? Philip hopes they never have to answer that question.

Rachel asks what the sad news is. Kristen asks what exactly EJ told her about the fire in Johnny’s apartment. Rachel says he just said it was an accident. Brady informs her that wasn’t exactly true. Kristen then reveals to Rachel that the fire was set by Sophia as she wanted to hurt Johnny. Rachel asks if Sophia is in jail or coming back to Bayview. Brady brings up Sophia having mental health problems and says the doctors weren’t able to heal her and she just wanted to end the pain. Rachel asks what he’s saying and how she ended it. Brady then reveals that she jumped off the bridge into the Salem River. Rachel asks if she’s alright. Kristen responds that she’s not. Kristen adds that she knows they were friends, but Sophia didn’t make it out of the river and she died.

Xander returns to Titan and tells Philip that he needs to talk to him. Philip responds that he’s trying to figure something about for their next loan payment. Xander asks if they won’t have Gabi’s money by then. Philip then comes across something on his laptop.

Rachel can’t believe Sophia is dead. Kristen knows she’s sad because they were friends. Rachel worries that the doctors won’t be able to help her if they couldn’t help Sophia. Brady encourages that her problems are different and she will be fine. Rachel asks why Sophia jumped off the bridge. Brady thinks she was in so much pain that she lost hope. Kristen encourages Rachel that there’s always hope. Brady says Rachel is in Bayview to learn to deal with the things that upset her. Kristen talks about Rachel’s progress and doing so much better, so hopefully she’ll be coming home soon. Rachel cries that Sophia can never come home. Kristen wants her to know that no matter what, they are always here for her and there’s no problem too big to fix and they both love her. Rachel says she loves them too as they hug her.

Alex goes home to find Stephanie taking the extra dead bolts off of the door. Alex thought they made her feel safe. Stephanie responds that she thought having a gun would make her feel safe too but it didn’t. Stephanie argues that feeling safe doesn’t come from dead bolts, guns, or the people she loves. Stephanie declares that the only way to feel safe and secure is coming from within herself.

Belle is sorry to drag Chad down this rabbit hole instead of being with his kids before they go to Boston. Chad assures that they are with their friends now and wouldn’t want him hovering. Chad adds that the kids will have a great summer with Jack and Jennifer in Boston, so he’ll have more free time the next few months and he looks forward to spending that with her, trying to solve this mystery. Belle hopes that’s not all he means.

Sarah comes back over to EJ and asks if he got off on gossiping like a high school mean girl over Xander’s love life and asks if he was trying to hurt Xander or her. EJ asks who says he wanted to hurt anyone. Sarah argues that he gets off on hurting people which makes him owning a hospital even more disgusting. EJ warns her to watch herself. Sarah responds that she’s not afraid of him. EJ says she might want to rethink that since it’s not a given that he’s going anywhere which means he is still her boss and warns that she does not want to make an enemy of him. Sarah responds that she could say the same thing.

Chad shows Belle the old chess book of Stefano’s where he left all kinds of notes, so he figured something in it might could help them. Chad asks if she’s sure she still wants to do this. Belle talks about Marlena’s worries, but says if things get sticky then Paul and the ISA are just a phone call away.

Philip tells Xander that he can’t believe it, but the loan shows a zero balance, questioning how it’s possible that it could’ve been paid off.

Stephanie informs Alex that Owen isn’t going to prison and isn’t even going to stand trial. Alex says it seems like she’s made some type of breakthrough. Stephanie tells Alex about reading Jeremy’s quotes about surviving because of her and Belle telling her that she’s a survivor. Alex says he’s always known that. Stephanie says she hasn’t felt that in a long time, but she knows the only way to stop feeling like a victim is to choose to stop feeling that way. Stephanie declares this is her choosing. Alex tells her that she has no idea how proud he is of her and kisses her.

Kristen goes home to the DiMera Mansion, on the phone with Dr. Gregory, questioning where she was as she couldn’t find her before leaving Bayview. Kristen complains about Rachel just finding out a friend took her own life. Kristen assures that she and Brady are in agreement on this. Kristen thinks back to EJ warning that she will pay for what she’s done. Kristen tells Dr. Gregory that EJ must be added to the banned visitors list because he is a very dangerous man and she doesn’t want him going anywhere near her daughter.

Brady goes to the hospital and hugs Sarah. Sarah asks how it went with Rachel. Brady says she was upset and they tried to comfort her, then she went right to her therapy appointment. Sarah hopes that will help her process everything. Brady says she’s been through a lot and asks how Holly is. Sarah says she’s the same and remarks that it’s been a day. Brady asks if she’s okay. Sarah informs him that she just had a run-in with EJ who was trying to push her buttons as usual. EJ hides around the corner as Sarah tells Brady how much she wanted to ask him about Coriseal and a possible contamination. Sarah comments on whatever was going on with DiMera Pharmaceuticals two years ago being the cause of Holly’s symptoms and how she just wants answers like how it got in to Holly’s system and what Holly could’ve caught on Smith Island as EJ looks on concerned from around the corner.

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Days Update Thursday, June 25, 2026

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Update written by Joseph

Liam tells Arianna that he didn’t want to leave Salem but he had no choice. Ari asks if he got a better job or something. Liam says that an opportunity came up that he couldn’t turn down as it’s what he had to do for he and his son. Ari gets that but says what he did to her was pretty rude. Liam says she’s right and he’s really sorry about that. Ari guesses this is it then. Liam admits he’d like to give her a proper goodbye and kisses her. Aaron then walks by with the iced coffee and stops in disappointment as he sees Ari and Liam kissing. Gabi then walks in to the town square and stops in disbelief when she sees Ari kissing Liam. Aaron watches on as Gabi then interrupts them and questions what the hell Liam is thinking coming back to Salem, let alone kissing her daughter. Arianna asks what Gabi is talking about and why Liam shouldn’t be in Salem.

Xander sits at his desk at Titan and thinks back to Sarah asking him to look in to DiMera Pharmaceuticals. Kristen then arrives as Xander says she’s just the person he wanted to see. Kristen says when she got his call, she wasn’t expecting an office visit. Kristen says it’s been awhile since she’s done it on a desk and asks Xander if he wants to give it a whirl. Xander responds that he’s sorry but his desk is strictly for business, which is why he needs her help.

Rita goes to the DiMera Mansion where EJ is pouring a drink. Rita remarks that she never drinks during a crisis. EJ questions how she knew there was a crisis. Rita says that his tone on the phone had the unmistakable sound of urgency. EJ reveals that he found out that Kristen almost certainly enlisted Sophia to try and kill his son, adding that if the fire department hadn’t shown up, she would’ve gotten her wish. EJ questions Rita not reacting. Rita says it takes a lot to shock her, but asks EJ if he is sure. EJ says he is quite.

At the hospital, Sarah tells Brady and Tate that Holly is stable. Tate is relieved while Sarah says she needs him to be honest as she asks if they took anything at the cabin. Tate assures that Holly would never take drugs after what happened. Brady asks about the test results. Sarah looks at them, which reveal she tested positive for Coriseal, but then declares that she needs to talk to Holly and walks away.

Kristen questions Xander wanting to talk about work. Xander responds that he just needs some information on DiMera Enterprises and it’s about EJ as he knows she hates him and wants him brought to his knees. Kristen then asks how she can help.

Rita tells EJ that Kristen has committed questionable activities over the years, but trying to murder his son seems a bridge too far even for a DiMera. Rita starts to cry and says she can’t imagine why anyone would try to hurt Johnny, let alone his own aunt. EJ explains that Kristen wanted revenge for what she believes he’d done to her daughter. Rita thought Rachel was safely tucked away in Bayview. EJ responds that Kristen doesn’t see Bayview as safe, but as a hellhole and she blames him for putting her there, so she decided to retaliate by killing his son. Rita is thankful that she failed, then asks EJ what he’s going to do about it. EJ corrects that it’s what they are going to do about it.

Sarah enters Holly’s hosptial room to check on her. Holly says she’s feeling horrible and asks what happened. Sarah reveals that she had a seizure, but she’s stable now and she got her blood work back. Holly asks what’s wrong with her. Sarah responds that they are still working on it, but the results showed that she had a narcotic in her system. Holly calls that impossible. Sarah knows she doesn’t want to get in trouble and says all that is important is her health, so she needs her to tell her what she took.

Aaron watches on as Gabi tells Arianna that she just heard that Liam moved away, so she didn’t expect him. Arianna argues that Gabi questioned him coming back like it’s something he shouldn’t have done. Arianna then guesses that Liam left town because of Gabi.

Xander explains to Kristen that he’s been looking in to a drug manufactured by DiMera Pharmaceuticals a couple years ago and there might be an issue with it. Kristen questions why he cares about a drug, then realizes it has something to do with Sarah. Kristen asks why they are doing this to impress his ex. Xander calls it the right thing to do with lives at stake, but he thought the prospect of bringing EJ down might appeal to Kristen. Kristen hopes she’s not that predictable but says she’s all ears.

Rita assumes EJ will want to act quickly against Kristen. EJ says he’s decided to make her sweat by putting her on notice and that he made it clear the hammer will come down. Rita calls the element of surprise one of her favorites but says hammering Kristen may have to wait, because they have an urgent matter to deal with that also involves Johnny. EJ asks what now. Rita responds that she’s afraid naming Johnny as CEO of DiMera might not have been the wisest decision after all.

Holly swears to Sarah that she did not take anything and no one gave her drugs as she’s only been taking the meds that Dr. Fuller prescribed her. Sarah says the lab results also showed a narcotic. Sarah tells Holly to get some rest while they get to the bottom of this. Sarah says she’ll call Holly’s mom to update her but Holly says she will call her. Sarah adds that she will question Tate and Brady as well. Holly says she really needs to see Tate, so Sarah agrees to send him in.

Arianna says she knew it was Gabi’s fault that Liam left town and questions what she did. Gabi reluctantly admits that she gave Liam a lot of money to leave Salem so that her daughter wouldn’t have a criminal in her life and she stands by the decision. Arianna complains about Gabi acting like she didn’t know why Liam left Salem and lying to her face. Liam tells Ari not to be mad at Gabi because in a way, she did him a favor and she did the same for her.

Sarah goes back to Tate and Brady. Sarah says Holly is better and she needs to update them on her condition. Sarah explains that something came up in Holly’s toxicology report that she said she doesn’t remember taking. Sarah asks Tate if there’s any way that Holly could’ve accidentally come in to contact with a prescription narcotic which she reveals is Coriseal. Tate questions what is going on.

Xander asks Kristen if she still has access to DiMera records from two years ago to find out what happened to the drug. Kristen says maybe, so Xander asks what she wants in return.

Gabi questions Liam coming back and breaking their agreement if she did him such a favor. Ari tells Gabi that she’s not going to attack Liam when he came back because he was worried about her and thought she was in the hospital. Gabi questions why he would think that. Ari explains that Holly got sick at the cabin. Gabi asks if she’s okay. Aaron comes over and says he thought that Ari texted Gabi, but Gabi reveals she did not. Aaron tells Gabi that they just thought it was a stomach bug. Gabi asks if there’s any chance they caught it. Ari angrily tells Gabi not to change the subject. Gabi admits what she did was wrong and says they can go home to talk about it, but Ari declares she doesn’t want to be under the same roof as her or anywhere near her.

Tate questions what Coriseal is. Sarah repeats that it’s a narcotic. Tate argues that he sees how Sarah and Brady are looking at each other, so there’s obviously more to it. Brady explains that Sarah recently treated someone else, who died after taking Coriseal. Sarah adds that Holly said she had no idea how it ended up in her system. Tate asks if the other patient overdosed or what. Sarah states they believe she took some pills from a tainted batch, but it’s a very common drug so there’s no reason to think the same here. Tate argues that there’s no way Holly is using again. Brady says they want to believe that, but points out that she was able to hide it from him last time. Tate argues that Sarah has been seeing her this time and she hasn’t been secretive. Sarah talks about any possibility of an accident while Tate argues that they were in a cabin in the woods. Tate insists that after taking laced drugs and Sophia poisoning her, she would never mix anything and that all Holly has wanted is to be in control of her mind and her life again. Sarah calls it mystifying to her as well.

EJ questions Rita as to why it would be a mistake to name Johnny as CEO. Rita reveals that she received a call from the head of DiMera Pharmaceuticals, who said that Johnny has been snooping around the manufacturing arm and asking questions about a bad batch of Coriseal and why there are files missing. EJ is annoyed as they realize it was the batch they destroyed because it was contaminated with arsenic.

Gabi asks Arianna to be reasonable. Ari responds that she is being very reasonable as she tells Gabi and Liam both to get out of her face as she then walks away with Aaron. Gabi calls Liam an ungrateful idiot and yells at him that this is all his fault.

Xander questions what exactly Kristen wants in exchange for this information. Kristen reminds Xander that she asked him to take care of EJ and he refused. Xander questions thinking murdering EJ is a fair trade. Kristen clarifies that she doesn’t want him to kill EJ even though it would solve her problem because EJ wants to get rid of her, but she plans to bring EJ down first and get him before he gets her. Xander says if they work together, they can put EJ behind bars eventually. Kristen argues that eventually is not an option and they need to bring him down now as she can’t afford to wait. Xander guesses that Kristen is really scared, which she admits.

EJ doesn’t understand where this is coming from as he never heard any reports that the contaminated pills harmed anyone and there’s been no investigations, so he asks why Johnny is asking questions about this now.

Sarah appreciates Tate and Brady being concerned about Holly and promises they will get to the bottom of it. Tate goes to see Holly in her hospital room. Sarah tells Brady that she wishes she understood what’s happening and she feels terrible for not having answers. Brady asks her not to blame herself. Sarah argues that it’s her job to make it make sense, but she’s starting to question her ability to do it. Sarah complains that she let Destiny walk out and an hour later, she was dead while she can’t figure out what’s going on with her niece and it took her months to diagnose Marlena. Brady blames that on EJ’s budget cuts at the hospital so it wasn’t on her. Brady adds that Marlena made a full recovery because Sarah came through for her and he’s really confident that she will do the same for Holly.

Tate visits Holly and says she looks much better. Holly insists that she didn’t take some drug and that it feels exactly like when Sophia switched her meds. Holly calls it terrifying as she doesn’t understand why this is happening. Tate says that history is not repeating itself since Sophia is dead. Holly then asks what if she’s not.

Arianna and Aaron walk past the Brady Pub. Ari says she can’t believe her mother. Aaron says he’s not entirely sure what he just walked in on apart from her kissing Liam. Ari explains that it was her finding out that Gabi paid Liam off to leave Salem because she can’t stand the idea of her being happy. Aaron asks if that’s really why she did it. Ari argues that Gabi is trying to control her life and it pisses her off. Aaron points out that at least she cares about her and loves her.

Xander asks Kristen if EJ made a serious threat. Kristen calls it serious enough. Xander then gets interrupted by a call from Philip. Xander thanks him for letting him know and hangs up. Xander tells Kristen that he has to go and he’ll be in touch as he races out of the office.

Tate questions Holly not thinking Sophia is dead. Holly points out that they never found her body and asks what if she floated down the river and climbed out on Smith Island. Holly starts insisting that she knows it’s Sophia and she can’t believe this is happening again.

Sarah thanks Brady and goes to check in while Brady gets a call from Steve. Brady asks if the ISA had any luck tracking down the source of Liam’s windfall. Steve informs him that he received a cashier’s check from Gabi, so Brady realizes it had nothing to do with Destiny’s death. Brady guesses it must connect to DiMera Pharmaceuticals and declares that the one guy they need answers from now is EJ.

EJ asks Rita if she has any idea why Johnny would suddenly be interested in Coriseal. Rita says she doesn’t as Johnny wouldn’t say. EJ questions if they have anything to worry about since he was assured the contaminated batch was gotten rid of with no blowback. They admit they don’t like this being stirred up again while EJ assures that he intends to put a stop to it.

Gabi questions what Liam is still doing here. Liam says he just stopped by to say hi to Julie and pick up books for his son. Gabi complains that he completely blew up their deal. Liam argues that he never said he would never come back to Salem. Gabi argues that she paid him to leave Salem for good, not temporarily. Gabi adds that she also told him to never make contact with Arianna again. Liam responds that he didn’t say anything to her and if she just kept her mouth shut, none of this would’ve happened. Gabi remarks that he doesn’t have to suffer the consequences as her daughter will probably never speak to her again. Liam says that’s not his problem and walks away as Gabi screams at him to stay the hell away from her daughter. As Liam walks away, Kristen walks in to the town square and comments that he looks familiar.

Arianna says she knows Aaron is trying to help but asks him not to defend her mother, so he apologizes. Aaron says he would give anything to have his mother overstep boundaries and annoy the hell out of him, just to have her back. Ari didn’t mean to be insensitive as she knows his mom being sick has been hard, but it doesn’t make her any less mad at her mom. Aaron says he understands as they agree to go check on Holly.

Kristen approaches Gabi and asks who that was as he looked familiar. Gabi responds that he helped arrange for her family to spend the holidays in the Crypt and did Peter’s dirty work. Kristen remembers his picture from the paper and says maybe she’ll take a crack at him. Gabi says she already did for her. Kristen doesn’t blame her if he’s hanging around Arianna and remarks that Ari must be grateful that she’s so protective. Gabi wishes she could make Ari understand what she does is for her. Kristen responds that she knows exactly how she feels.

Sarah returns to Brady and tells him that Tate’s still with Holly, so they could grab coffee while they wait. Brady says he’d love to but he has to go as Rachel’s doctors think she’s ready to hear the news about Sophia, so he’s going to meet Kristen at Bayview to somehow break it to her. Sarah wishes him luck and hopes that goes well as Brady then exits. Xander then arrives and asks if Holly is okay. Sarah responds that she’s stable for now. Xander is sure she’ll be alright if Sarah is taking care of her. Xander then asks if Sarah is alright. Sarah starts to cry as Xander hugs her.

Tate tells Holly that she’s right that Sophia’s body was never found but the police dragged the river and if there was any chance or hope, they wouldn’t have called off the search. Tate promises there’s no way that Sophia could’ve done this. Tate tells Holly to get some rest. Holly argues that she’s not crazy. Tate says he didn’t say she was but she’s in recovery, so he encourages her to get better and they’ll worry about the rest. Tate brings up when Holly overdosed and he almost lost her, he thought it was as scared as he’s ever been. Tate declares he can’t let that ever happen again.

Rita asks EJ what she can do to help. EJ says he needs time to formulate a plan but it’s the worst possible time. Rita wonders if she shouldn’t have brought it to his attention yet. EJ is glad she did but his plate is full. EJ says it’s been a couple of years since he thought about the contaminated batch of pills, so he thought that problem was buried for good. Rita then reveals that the pills were actually buried on Smith Island.

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Days Short Recap Friday, July 10, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Leo ran into Javi at the pub. He was moved that Javi seemed like he was concerned about him. Javi didn’t want him to make a big deal about it. Leo suddenly got a headache and became dizzy. Javi became concerned about him until he realized that Leo was playing games with him. He suggested that Leo get over him by taking off his wedding band. Alex wasn’t sure it was a good idea for Xander and Philip to rely on Gabi’s inheritance to save Titan. They wondered if he had a better idea. Alex said he did have one. He said they were the reason the company was in trouble. Alex felt like he should be in charge of the company. He said that the investors respected him more than them. Xander left to meet Sarah. Philip told Alex he would help with Joy if he needed it. He agreed to watch out for Joy while Chloe was gone. Philip realized that Alex could be a great asset to the company. Later Stephanie saw Alex’s phone and picked it up when it started ringing. She saw that Joy called and texted him about being stuck on the road. Stephanie deleted Joy’s messages. Steve showed up to apologize to Stephanie for her traumatized childhood. She didn’t blame him for what happened during her childhood. Alex returned home and noticed he left his phone there. Joy called him again looking for help. Sarah admitted to Brady that she didn’t like the way Holly reacted to her when she asked her about taking drugs. She said that Destiny’s bloodwork showed that she had Coricil in her system and not arsenic. Brady wondered if the toxicology report could be wrong. He thought that EJ would be able to alter the results since he owned the hospital. Brady thought they had to get Johnny to get the DiMera files.

Brady met with Johnny, and Sarah met with Xander. Xander told Sarah that Kristen told him that the only way drugs could be accounted for is if they had two sets of books. Sarah was okay with him getting information any way he could get it, but she wouldn’t approve of him using violence to get what he wanted. Johnny told Brady that EJ would never do what he accused him of doing. Stephanie went to the pub and ran into Leo. She found out that Joy’s spare tire blew, and she had an accident with Kelsey in the backseat. Stephanie asked her if they were okay, but Leo didn’t believe she cared. Steve told Brady that he checked the footage at the hospital and there was a blind spot. He thought someone knew how to avoid the camera. After his conversation with Steve, Brady met with Sarah and Xander. They realized that Johnny could be covering for his father. Johnny told Chanel about the arsenic being in the water at the Horton cabin. Chanel put two and two together and realized that her cancer could be because of the arsenic.

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Days Short Recap Thursday, July 9, 2026

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Recap written by Michele and Cheryl

Abe went to see Paulina’s office to let her know that Lexie’s death certificate was revoke so their marriage certificate wold be too. Paulina wasn’t happy about that news. She told Abe to get out of her office and be with the woman he loved. Theo wanted answers from Lexie about Stefano’s role in her brain tumor. He realized that everyone was right about Stefano being a monster. Lexie calmed him down and explained that it happened a long time ago. She managed to forgive her father for what happened to her. Lexie regretted not telling him and let him know that she had to tell him something else when Abe walked in the house. Theo wanted to know why Abe didn’t tell him that his grandfather was evil. Abe apologized and assured him that there weren’t any more secrets. Sarah and Brady investigated the water from the Horton cabin, but they couldn’t find any traces of Coricil. They realized that the arsenic might not be connected to the water. Sarah and Brady thought Holly took it on her own. She went into Holly’s room to ask her if she was taking drugs again. Holly assured her that she wasn’t taking drugs and got upset when Sarah didn’t believe her. She threw Sarah out of her room.

Rafe met with Cat at his place to let him know that he wasn’t happy with her getting close to EJ. He was tired of what was going on between them. Andrew let her trap EJ so Rafe was stopping the investigation. Cat laughed at him and reminded him that she didn’t work for him. She thought he was jealous of her interaction with EJ. Rafe was upset that she assumed that he was jealous. EJ celebrated clearing DiMera Enterprises of the contaminated drugs. He made sure that the water looked like it was contaminated on its own. Rita wasn’t happy about that. She wondered about the Coricil in Holly’s bloodstream. EJ said that she was a drug addict. He cared about her and thought it would be a good idea for her to go to rehab.

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Days Update Wednesday, June 24, 2026

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Update written by Joseph

Gabi goes to see Theo in his office at DiMera Enterprises. Theo thought he made it clear he didn’t want to see her. Gabi responds that she’ll make it quick but she came to say congratulations, thanks, and that she’s sorry.

Sarah and Brady find Liam at a park in Brookville. Liam questions what they are doing there. Sarah responds that they came to ask him some questions.

Holly sleeps on the couch at the Horton Cabin on Smith Island as Tate watches over her. Arianna and Aaron come in and asks how she is. Tate says last night was rough but she insists that she doesn’t want to leave the island and that it’s just a side effect of her new medication, adding that she still hasn’t eaten anything. Ari hopes the worst is behind them and she’ll wake up feeling good as new. Ari and Aaron don’t think it’s Holly’s meds. Tate wonders if she could’ve had food poisoning from before they got there. Aaron suggests it could be a stomach flu and hopes it’s not contagious. Tate states that he just wants Holly to feel better.

Sarah informs Liam that his brother Charlie told her they could find him here. Liam questions her knowing Charlie. Sarah explains that her sister Melissa used to be his stepmom which Liam remembers. Sarah introduces Liam to Brady. Sarah asks about his son Gage. Liam says he’s doing okay and playing with some new friends at the park. Liam asks if there’s a problem or if he owes money for a doctor visit. Sarah says it’s nothing like that but he left Salem so quickly and asks if everything is okay. Liam claims everything is fine and that after the whole DiMera crypt situation, he needed a reset and it’s going well as he got a part time job and the district attorney is letting him finish his literacy courses with Julie virtually. Sarah admits that there’s another reason they came to talk to him as they wanted to talk about Gage’s mother, Clea and how she died.

Theo questions what Gabi is congratulating him for. Gabi says she heard that he’s returning to DiMera as co-CEO which is good since Johnny is going through a lot right now. Gabi says she also wanted to thank him for accepting her as Stefan’s widow and heir. Gabi adds that she is sorry for believing that he violated her confidence. Theo says she already apologized that. Gabi argues that he walked away before she could finish explaining. Theo tells her that he’s busy while Gabi pleads with him to listen. Gabi admits she leapt to a conclusion and if she had just stopped to think, she would’ve known he would never have thrown her under the bus with Philip. Theo points out that she didn’t think and assumed the worst of her. Gabi responds that she regrets it more than he knows, but she will be on her way. Gabi stops to add that she does have one question. Theo declares they are done talking about this. Gabi says the question is about Stefano’s estate and asks if he has any idea how long until it is settled. Theo guesses her apology was just a way back in to asking when she’ll get her money. Gabi insists that her apology was sincere. Theo tells her that Stefano’s estate is huge so it’s going to take awhile but the cash payouts should be relatively soon. Theo questions what her hurry is. Gabi responds that she doesn’t personally need the money, but as part of her redemption tour, she decided to make a donation to a needy cause. Theo asks what charity. Gabi clarifies that it’s not exactly a charity as she’s given a portion of inheritance to Titan. Theo questions why the hell she would do that. Gabi felt she owed it to Philip. Theo argues that she can’t be serious. Gabi argues that she’s the reason the merger was undone and now everything Philip’s father built is on the line, so she has to make it right. Theo finds it hard to believe that Philip would accept anything from her after what she did to him. Gabi admits he won’t, but Xander will without a problem. Theo argues that he has a problem with it but points out that she didn’t think of how it would affect him. Theo complains that he supported her claim from the beginning and this is how she repays him. Theo argues that he used his power as executor of Stefano’s estate to give her millions of dollars and went against his entire family, but she went behind his back to give it to the enemy because she feels bad for betraying her boyfriend. Gabi states that she just wanted to be honest with him. Theo calls it too late for that. Theo declares that she may be legally Stefan’s widow, but she’s not a DiMera, she’s a traitor and he’s never letting her take advantage of him again.

Sarah clarifies that Liam isn’t being accused of doing anything wrong and explains that Clea’s sister Destiny recently died under similar circumstances which surprises Liam, who notes that he lost touch with Clea’s family after she died. Liam says he always thought they would blame him since he was in a gang. Sarah asks if being involved in that life led Clea to using drugs. Liam says no one led her to anything as she made her own choices but not all of them were good. Liam adds that he tried his best to help her, but in the end he couldn’t. Sarah says she’s sorry for his loss. Sarah asks if he knows anything about the pills that she took before she died, like where she got them or the name of a dealer. Brady adds that he’s not under any suspicion as they were just trying to figure out what happened. Liam asks what he means since Clea died of an overdose. Sarah responds that they aren’t sure that she did.

Holly wakes up and says she’s feeling better. She apologizes for ruining their time at the cabin but Tate insists that she’s not. Tate asks if she wants to go home but Holly says she’s fine. Tate asks if she wants to call her doctor. Holly talks about adjusting her new meds. Tate says his gut is telling him that they need to get her back to Salem. Holly insists that she’s fine, but then she collapses.

Liam questions if they think Clea’s death might have been an accident. Sarah says they are just trying to connect the dots to figure out if Clea and Destiny’s deaths are related. Brady adds that if nothing else, it could provide answers for their parents. Sarah asks if Liam will help them. Liam agrees to tell them what he knows but says it’s not much. Liam recalls Clea really struggling on the night she died as she had been trying to get clean but it never stuck. Liam says that night, he could tell she might use so he suggested she go to a meeting or call a sponsor, but she said no. Liam says he kept pushing it, so she insisted on walking there but she scored some pills in the parking lot of a convenience store and she didn’t just get high, she got sick. Sarah asks about her symptoms. Liam recalls she was light headed and nauseous where it seemed like a stomach bug, then all of a sudden she was dead.

Aaron sends Arianna to get his first aid kit and then using smelling salts to get Holly to regain consciousness. Tate declares that they need Holly back to Salem and to the hospital. Arianna questions how they are going to get her back on the ferry. They mention calling 911 but Holly worries that Sarah will be upset to find out that Tate and Aaron were at the cabin. Ari argues that she’d be more upset to find out she didn’t get help when she needed it, so she makes the call.

Sarah asks if Liam can tell them anything about the pills that Clea took. Liam questions if they know who is responsible for his son losing his mom. Sarah says not yet, while Brady adds that they intend to find out. Sarah then gets a call from Arianna, who tells her about what happened. Sarah orders her to stay where she is and says she’ll send an ambulance and will meet her at the hospital.

Gabi apologizes to Theo for coming here and guesses she read the room wrong. Theo questions what she expected. Gabi says maybe that he’d understand or respect that she’s trying to fix things between them. Gabi wanted to show him that she’s genuinely trying to be better because their friendship matters to her. Theo responds that they don’t have a friendship and apparently never did. Gabi questions how he can say that. Theo recalls how she reacted when Tony offered him the CEO job. Gabi argues that she was angry because she risked everything to give Tony back DiMera and he screwed he over. Theo argues that what Tony did was pick him over her and that Gabi’s reaction showed her true colors as he feels Gabi thought Tony was joking about making him CEO because he’s autistic. Gabi argues that they had been over that her reaction had nothing to do with his autism. Theo says she can keep telling herself. Gabi states that she didn’t think he had enough experience to run a multi-national corporation but she was wrong. Theo says that he was the one that was wrong because Gabi showed him who she was in that moment and declares that Gabi doesn’t value him and has no use for him at all, unless it involves getting what she wants like money. Theo calls this a reminder that the person who reacted to Tony’s decision with contempt and ugliness is the same person she is now, who is out of his life for good. Gabi is sorry he feels that way. Theo calls that a bogus apology. Gabi apologizes for making him feel bad but says there obviously is no changing his mind. Theo confirms there’s not and asks if they are done here. Gabi says not quite. Gabi tells Theo that he should know that because of her donation to Titan, she is going to be on their board and when it comes to business, she doesn’t plan on playing nice. Gabi says she will play fair when it comes to Theo and his feelings because he’s very special to her and she does care about him whether he believes it or not.

Brady and Sarah rush to the hospital to meet Tate, Aaron, and Arianna. Sarah asks where Holly is. Tate says she’s in with the doctor now, so Sarah goes to see what she can find out. Brady says he’s glad they called for help. Arianna worries that Sarah is going to flip when she finds out they invited boys to the cabin. Brady thinks Sarah is only worried about one thing right now.

Sarah checks on Holly in her hospital room and goes over her chart as she asks what’s going on. Holly asks Sarah not to be mad at her because she knows she really messed up.

Arianna suggests she and Aaron go get iced coffee while they wait for word on Holly. Liam then appears hiding around the corner and Ari spots him, so she decides to tell Aaron to go ahead while she’s going to text her mom. Aaron says he’ll see her later then and exits while Arianna goes to find Liam. Brady asks how Tate’s doing. Tate admits he’s not good.

Sarah sits with Holly and assures that she’s not mad at her. Holly promises she was going to tell her about inviting Tate and Aaron when they got back. Sarah admits that she and Maggie would prefer to know who she invites to the cabin so she hopes she keeps that in mind in the future, but right now she just wants to focus on her health. Sarah asks Holly to tell her what’s going on. Holly wishes she knew. Sarah goes over Holly feeling sick yesterday. Holly swears she was not drinking and brings up nausea being a possible side effect of her meds and wonders if that could be what this is. Sarah says it’s possible but her symptoms are too severe for that so there’s probably more going on. Sarah says her blood work should tell them more and that it’s probably just a stomach bug. Holly asks what if it’s not. Sarah insists that they will find out what it is and treat it, so she doesn’t have to worry as they are going to figure this out.

Liam walks through the town square, on the phone with his mom and says it looks like the friend he was worried about is going to be okay, so he’ll be back to pick up Gage soon. Arianna catches up to him and questions what he was doing at the hospital.

Sarah informs Brady and Tate that Holly is resting comfortably and once when they get her test results back, they should have more answers. Tate then goes to see Holly. Sarah guesses that Brady knew Tate was at the cabin with Holly. Brady confirms that he did and says he’s very sorry for not telling her when he should have. Sarah says it’s okay and that she’s not mad nor is she surprised that Tate was at the cabin. Sarah adds that moving forward, she needs everyone to tell her the whole story. Brady gives his word. Sarah brings up the girls being kidnapped at gunpoint last year so she’s glad somebody was with them. Brady asks if anyone has contacted Nicole and Eric. Sarah says she’s waiting until after they have the test results. Brady agrees that it would be good to have some answers. Brady wishes they would’ve gotten more out of Liam. Sarah feels that was all he knew. Brady says he believes Liam, but he didn’t want to press him on how he came in to all that money so he thinks there’s definitely something he’s not telling them.

Ari questions what Liam is doing in Salem. Liam claims he came to visit a friend. Ari presses him on that and says to stop lying and tell her why he’s here. Liam then admits he was with Sarah when Ari called which Ari questions. Liam explains that she tracked him down to ask questions about a patient. Ari asks why but Liam says it doesn’t matter. Liam says he heard Sarah ask what was wrong and then said she was sending an ambulance, so he needed to make sure she was alright as he was worried about her. Liam says she’s obviously fine. Ari explains that the ambulance was for her friend Holly, who is Sarah’s niece. Ari says she will be okay and that she came to get iced coffee for everyone. Ari asks if Liam wants one too. Liam says he has to bounce but Ari stops him to ask if he can at least tell her why he stopped replying to her messages and totally ghosted her. Liam repeats that he really has to go, but Ari says he really has to tell her why he left without saying goodbye.

Theo tells Gabi that he doesn’t want her to care about him because her version of caring is selfish, deceptive, and not real. Theo adds that Gabi reminds him of his ex, Claire, who was having an affair while they were engaged and lied to him every single day about loving him while she was actually in love with someone else. Theo declares that he’s not going to let another woman hurt him that way, including her. Gabi argues that she made a mistake and asks if they can’t get past this. Theo tells Gabi to just leave and stay the hell away, so Gabi walks out of the office.

Tate sits at Holly’s side, thankful they got her to the hospital as he never would’ve forgiven himself if something happened to her at the cabin. Holly apologizes for putting up a fight. Tate jokes that he brought out her fighting spirit at the gym the other day. Tate says he’s just very grateful that she’s safe. Holly says she’s grateful that he, Aaron, and Ari were there to take care of her. Holly then suddenly starts having a seizure, causing Tate to worry.

Sarah tells Brady that Liam might have been dodgy about the money and leaving town, but she doesn’t think that’s related to Destiny and Clea’s deaths. Brady agrees that she’s probably right and they’ll see what Steve says. Tate then comes running out of Holly’s room, calling for help from a doctor.

Liam tells Arianna that he didn’t want to leave Salem but he had no choice. Ari asks if he got a better job or something. Liam says that an opportunity came up that he couldn’t turn down as it’s what he had to do for he and his son. Ari gets that but says what he did to her was pretty rude. Liam says she’s right and he’s really sorry about that. Ari gueses this is it then. Liam admits he’d like to give her a proper goodbye and kisses her. Aaron then walks by with the iced coffee and stops in disappointment as he sees Ari and Liam kissing. Gabi then walks in to the town square and stops in disbelief when she sees Ari kissing Liam.

Theo opens the gift that Gabi left for him which is a new journal. He opens the first page which includes the quote “To be great is to be misunderstood” and Gabi wrote that he really is an exceptional friend.

Brady encourages Tate that Sarah will make sure Holly is alright. Tate flashes back to when Holly overdosed a couple years ago and tells Brady that he can’t stop thinking about that. Brady insists this is not the same thing and that Sarah is there to make sure Holly gets better. Tate says he hopes so.

Sarah watches over Holly and says she’s so sorry this is happening but she’s going to find out why it is and promises to get the answers they need.

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Days Update Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Days of Our Lives Update

 

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Update written by Joseph

Xander goes to Johnny and Chanel’s apartment with flowers, telling Johnny that he heard about Chanel’s diagnosis and hopes this would brighten her day. Johnny responds that he doesn’t think she needs flowers from the guy who baited him and set him up for a lawsuit to brighten the day. Xander thought Johnny had forgiven him. Johnny responds that he has, but Chanel has not.

Brady and Steve sit together at the Brady Pub. Steve tells Brady about temporarily losing his luggage and how he had to improvise his outfit for Tripp and Wendy’s wedding. Brady points out that at least he was there and that it was a beautiful wedding. Steve praises Tripp being lucky. Steve asks Brady about his status with Black Patch and if he finished his training courses. Brady announces he passed with flying colors so Steve declares he’s officially putting the Black back in Black Patch and welcomes him to the agency. Brady thanks him and says he’s grateful for the opportunity. Steve says now it’s time to get him on a case. Brady then reveals that he’s kind of already on one, unofficially, as he’s helping Sarah. Steve asks him what he’s got. Brady says he dug up some information, but will need Steve to fill in the blanks of the bigger picture.

At the hospital, Sarah thanks Kayla for going to a conference with her. Kayla knows how disturbed Sarah has been since the sudden loss of a patient and points out that everyone agreed Sarah followed protocol and did everything she was supposed to. Sarah admits she feels more at peace after hearing it from a team of experts. Sarah hopes the mystery of Destiny’s death will be solved soon as she wants to know why this young woman just died suddenly. Sarah knows she’s been told she’s not responsible, but it’s eating away at her. Sarah declares that she wants answers and she’s not going to stop until she gets them.

Alex is patching up the wall from the bullet hole at home as Stephanie gets up and greets him. Stephanie thanks him for letting her sleep in and says she’s feeling better. Stephanie thanks Alex for patching the wall so she doesn’t have to look it and notes that she’ll never forget. Alex calls it a process that she’s working through. Alex then gets a call from Joy, who says she’s at the hospital with Kelsey, so Alex immediately says he’s on his way.

Kayla tells Sarah that she knows what happened to Destiny is personal to her. Sarah compares it to when Holly overdosed a few years ago on New Year’s Eve and wonders if something similar happened to Destiny. Kayla points out that her blood work showed no lethal amounts of drugs. Sarah brings up it being the same as Destiny’s sister and she doesn’t believe in coincidences. Sarah says she reached out and found out there was a cluster of unexplained deaths around the time of Destiny’s sister dying with non lethal amounts of Coriseal in their system. Sarah then reveals to Kayla that Brady found out one of the companies behind a generic version of Coriseal is DiMera Pharmaceuticals. Kayla then says she is joining her in that this is not a coincidence and wonders what’s going on. Sarah says whatever these cases have in common is not routinely tested for in autopsies or it would’ve been discovered by now. Kayla agrees they need to do something. Sarah informs her that Brady is talking to Steve now, so they are on it. Sarah says it was obviously a pattern in the past and wonders if history is repeating itself.

Steve agrees with Brady that it’s hard to buy this is all a coincidence and decides he will use his ISA resources to see if he can find out more about Liam Selejko’s sudden influx of cash. Steve suggests Brady and Sarah talk to Liam about his ex girlfriend’s death. Steve adds that his money is on the DiMera connection and credits Brady for finding that. Brady points out there are plenty of other companies that manufacture the drug while Steve notes they don’t have the same connections as DiMera. Brady asks what their next move is. Steve suggests going straight to the source. Brady says EJ won’t talk to them, but Steve says that’s not who he meant.

Xander tells Johnny that he’s sorry to hear Chanel is angry with him. Johnny tells him that she’ll get over it as she obviously has bigger things to worry about. Johnny says that Chanel is resting right now, but he’ll make sure she gets the flowers. Xander says he’s just so sorry they are facing this cancer battle, but if anyone can fight it, it’s Chanel. Johnny says they are trying to stay positive and thanks him, joking that he sometimes forgets he has a heart. Johnny adds that he’ll let Chanel know he stopped by as Xander then exits.

Stephanie asks Alex what’s wrong. Alex responds that all he knows is that Joy is at the hospital with Kelsey, so he has to go. Alex thanks Stephanie for understanding and rushes out before she can finish telling him to call her when he knows what’s going on. Kayla then comes over with scones from the bakery and asks if Alex already left for work. Stephanie informs her that he’s at the hospital with Joy and Kelsey. Kayla asks why. Stephanie responds that all she knows is that Joy called and Alex went running like a bat out of Hell. Kayla decides she will call the hospital to find out what’s going on.

Alex goes to the hospital and asks Joy what’s wrong with Kelsey. Joy informs him that she just got her shots and it freaked her out. Joy clarifies that she wasn’t calling him because something was wrong and he just hung up so quickly before she could explain. Joy tells Alex that Kelsey is fine, but she is not.

Brady and Steve go to see Johnny and thank him for meeting with them. Steve asks how Chanel is doing. Johnny says she’s doing okay as nobody is stronger and braver than her. Johnny says he welcomes the distraction and asks what’s going on. Steve explains that he and Brady have a few questions about a case they are working on and they hope Johnny can help.

Sarah goes to see Xander at Titan and says she wanted to ask him for a personal favor.

Kayla finishes a call with a nurse at the hospital and informs Stephanie that it was just a routine visit and Kelsey is fine. Stephanie calls that a relief, but wonders why Alex reacted like it was a major emergency and remarks that it would be on brand for Joy to have manipulated the situation. Kayla suggests it may have just been a misunderstanding that Alex will explain when he gets home. Stephanie tells Kayla that she doesn’t need to come up with excuses to come check on her. Kayla assures that she wasn’t but confesses that she does have another reason for stopping by. Kayla brings up that they never got to talk about Stephanie’s session with Marlena. Stephanie says she told her it was helpful and she doesn’t want to elaborate now. Kayla notes that she seems kind of upset that she even brought it up and questions why. Stephanie responds that it’s because she doesn’t want to hurt her.

Alex asks Joy why she’s not okay. Joy explains that she was told that she owes $620 for this visit and her last visit. Alex questions insurance not covering it. Joy says that since she moved states, her old policy is no longer of use. Joy adds that in New York, she never had to pay because her dad was a doctor and covered it all. Joy says she called him first but it went to voicemail, so she panicked and called Alex when she should’ve just taken Kelsey to the free clinic. Alex says he’s all for the free clinic but they can afford to take her here. Alex explains that Justin has all the legal proceedings working and once his name is added to the birth certificate, Kelsey can be added to his insurance which Joy admits would be amazing. Alex says in the meantime, he will take care of whatever medical bills come in. Joy thanks him and says it means more to her than he knows.

Brady tells Johnny that what they are going to tell him will be difficult to hear while Steve explains that they would’ve gone to another source if they thought they could, but they trust Johnny and think he can help them. Brady explains that they are looking in to some unusual deaths that may or may not be tied to a drug manufactured by DiMera Pharmaceuticals. Steve says specifically to when EJ was CEO two years ago. Johnny is surprised but questions why they are talking to him instead of EJ. Brady explains that they knew EJ would stonewall them while Johnny would actually care. Steve points out that if the tainted drug is still out there, it could be a public health crisis. Brady adds that they are looking in to a death that just happened a couple of weeks ago at University Hospital. Johnny asks what he can do to help.

Xander asks what Sarah’s personal favor entails. Sarah says she hasn’t been able to update him on recent events about the patient she lost in the town square, Destiny. Sarah says she’s been looking in to her death and she thinks that DiMera Pharmaceuticals may have had something to do with it. Xander calls that quite the accusation. Sarah brings up Titan acquiring DiMera in the merger. Xander stops her and questions if she’s accusing him of having something to do with this.

Stephanie explains to Kayla that Marlena thinks she may be suffering trauma stemming from abandonment issues after being kidnapped as a baby and losing Steve for a time. Stephanie assures that she’s not blaming them as they are wonderful parents and did nothing wrong. Stephanie says that talking to Marlena about it has given her a new perspective on how she’s feeling and why she acts in certain ways all these years later. Kayla hopes that’s helping her. Stephanie says that is, but that’s why she was reluctant to tell her. Stephanie feels she can tell that Kayla is upset. Kayla responds that she’s only upset because it breaks her heart that she’s been in pain for so long. Stephanie reiterates that it’s not her fault and that she told Marlena that she has the best parents in the world and nothing could change her mind about that.

Joy tells Alex that she is beyond grateful to him and really impressed with what a great dad he’s been in spite of the tension it’s caused between he and Stephanie. Alex says they will work it out. Joy hopes he does and wishes she felt more comfortable with Stephanie being around their daughter. Alex says it’s fine. Joy asks when and where he wants to have his next visit with Kelsey. Alex responds that he’ll have to check with Stephanie. Joy reminds him that Stephanie won’t be there. Alex says he still wants to schedule it at a time when she has other plans. Joy repeats that she’s grateful and sorry to bother him. Alex assures that it’s no bother as he told her he would always be there for her and Kelsey. Alex tells Kelsey to be good for Joy and then tells Joy to call him if she needs anything else. Alex adds that he doesn’t ever want Joy to feel like she and Kelsey are alone as he then exits the hospital.

Steve asks Johnny how much he knew about DiMera Enterprises when EJ was at the helm. Johnny admits not a whole lot since he was more focused on his film career at the time. Johnny admits there was a dark side to the company, but in his time as CEO, he and Theo have not seen anything illegal as they would’ve shut it down immediately. Brady asks what about when EJ was running the company. Johnny says things were different then and questions what they are trying to tell him. Steve explains that a young woman and her sister died under similar circumstances and the drug they took may have been from DiMera operatives. Brady adds that they need to know if the pills were laced with anything or if they are still out there. Johnny gets they are doing their jobs, but argues that EJ would never. Brady thinks Johnny would be the last person to say something like that.

Sarah clarifies that she’s not accusing Xander of anything and that whatever happened with that batch of drugs happened a few years ago when EJ was CEO. Sarah states that her question is would Titan have retained records from DiMera Pharmaceuticals when they obtained the company. Xander responds that all files were scrubbed but given the history between Titan and DiMera. Sarah asks if he’s saying he still has copies of the files. Xander tells her to just tell him what she needs.

Johnny tells Brady and Steve that he and EJ have had a volatile relationship and even though things are on an upswing now, he still doesn’t think EJ would share with him if he had anything to do with this. Brady reveals they’re asking him to do some digging of his own without telling EJ anything. Steve knows it’s a big ask but says the information he gives them could end up helping EJ if it proves DiMera had no wrongdoing. Steve says all Johnny would have to do is look through records and sales on that particular batch of drugs and they’ll take it from there. Brady knows Johnny is going through a lot right now so the timing isn’t great, but there are lives that could be depending on him. Steve asks if he’d prefer they go to Theo. Johnny says this isn’t Theo’s problem and agrees to look in to the information to see what he can find.

Sarah tells Xander that she appreciates this. Xander says he’s happy to help but reminds Sarah that this isn’t totally legit, so it has to be off the books and if she has to call about it, she should use a burner phone. Xander says not to thank him yet as he hates the idea of her snooping around in EJ’s business. Xander warns her to never confront EJ directly and if a confrontation is warranted, to come to him. Sarah assures that she understands and hopes it won’t come to that. Sarah promises to be careful. Xander says she better be for their daughter and admits he still cares and worries about her. Sarah tells him he doesn’t have to worry as she’s just looking for information. Xander agrees to see what he can find and let her know. Sarah thanks him and says she’ll see him at home as she exits.

Alex goes home and tells Stephanie that it was a false alarm and Kelsey is doing fine. Stephanie says she knows since Kayla was there and called the hospital. Stephanie questions what the emergency was when Joy called. Alex explains that there was an insurance snafu and Joy panicked. Stephanie question why Joy didn’t say that when she called so Alex didn’t run out like someone was dying and why Alex didn’t call to tell her that. Alex apologizes and says he just wanted to handle the problem as quickly as possible so he could come home to her. Alex tells Stephanie that he’s trying really hard to be there for her and for Kelsey and Joy. Alex adds that he can’t exactly ignore the mother of his child. Stephanie responds that she’d never ask him to do that and that she loves him for being a good dad, but admits she also hates it.

Kayla and Steve sit together at the Brady Pub where Steve fills her in on how they got Johnny involved in their case. They hope that Sarah gets the answers she needs but they know it won’t be easy with DiMera Pharmaceuticals involved. Joy then enters the Pub with Kelsey so they go over to greet her and Kayla introduces Joy to Steve. Kayla asks how Joy is doing. Joy says she’s okay. Kayla hopes she knows that Stephanie is so sorry about what happened. Steve adds that they understand she wants to protect Kelsey, but questions Stephanie not being allowed to see Alex’s daughter. Joy cuts him off and says she should get upstairs but it was nice seeing them as she quickly walks away.

Alex questions Stephanie saying she hates that he’s trying to be a good dad. Stephanie apologizes and says she shouldn’t have said that. Stephanie notes that Marlena has been urging her to express her feelings but she shouldn’t have been so blunt. Alex is glad she did and says at least now they can talk about it. Stephanie thanks him for understanding, especially since it’s her fault that she’s being frozen out of he and Joy’s visiting arrangement for Kelsey. Alex notes he was forced in to that arrangement which Stephanie insists was because of her. Stephanie states that when Alex rushed off earlier, it made her realize that the three of them are going to be together a lot. Alex says it wasn’t exactly a great time. Stephanie understands and says if things were different, she could’ve been there with him and supporting him, but instead she was worrying about them and feeling useless. Stephanie adds that she’s the only one to blame for being shut out of his daughter’s life, so she has to accept that he’s going to be spending time with Kelsey and her mother and it won’t always be serious, they will be doing fun things too and making memories without her. Stephanie asks how Alex sees this working in the long term. Alex responds that he’s taking it one step at a time. Stephanie says that’s not what she asked, but Alex says that’s the only answer he has right now.

Sarah meets Brady in the town square and tells him that she’s so grateful and impressed that he and Steve were able to get Johnny to help. Brady explains that Johnny was reluctant at first, but he’s a good kid and understood that lives were at stake here so he came around. Sarah responds that she actually has good news too as she asked Xander if he could find anything out which surprises Brady. Sarah says she’s not happy about it, but he does have ways of getting information. Brady argues that Xander can’t be trusted and will either see money to spin this or try to stick it to EJ. Sarah knows that’s possible but argues that Xander was there when Destiny collapsed in the town square and he was just as shaken as she was, so she thinks he’s on the side of the good guys this time. Sarah repeats that Xander can get information on DiMera that they don’t have access to. Brady questions if she really thinks Xander is better positioned to get the information than Johnny DiMera. Sarah convinces Brady that it doesn’t hurt to try every other avenue. Sarah adds that they should try to find Liam, so they leave together.

Xander makes a call, instructing them to ask around on the streets about the DiMera drug and if anyone recalls having any trouble with it in that time period. Xander adds that they can resurrect the backup DiMera files as he needs to see everything on DiMera Pharmaceuticals from two years ago.

Johnny uses his laptop to look up DiMera Pharmaceuticauls Coriseal from two years ago but is shocked to find file not found.

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Days Update Monday, June 22, 2026

Days of Our Lives Update

 

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Update written by Joseph

Cat goes to her and Rafe’s office and is startled when she turns on the light to find Andrew Donovan at the desk. Cat says he scared her, to which Andrew says now they are even because what she’s doing with EJ scares the hell out of him.

Belle joins Chad at the Brady Pub. Chad reveals that Theo found a key inside and he found the keyhole, but he was waiting to open it since it belongs to Marlena and it’s her family’s mystery, so he wasn’t going to open it without her. Chad then asks Belle to do the honors

Marlena sits at home with a family photo album. She picks up the gold coin from the table and cries that she misses John so much. John’s son Paul then shows up at her door to surprise her as they hug.

EJ storms in to the DiMera Mansion and confronts Kristen, ordering her to stop right there as she’s not going anywhere. Kristen tells EJ to get the hell out of her way but EJ says he knows exactly what she did and shouts that she tried to murder his son.

Belle uses the key on the chess board and opens it up to find an old Italian 1000 Lire bill banknote.

Marlena tells Paul that it’s so good to see him but she can’t imagine he came just to see her. Paul says he kind of did as Andrew is doing some case work in town, so he’s just tagging along and he missed his family. Marlena asks about being a newlywed. Paul says it’s a lot of travel but they’re doing it together. Paul sees the family photo album and asks if he caught Marlena on a trip down memory lane. Marlena informs Paul that it’s been 50 years since she came to Salem. Paul says he can’t imagine staying put that long and adds that he never heard what brought her to Salem. Marlena informs him that it was a career move as she came to work with her mentor, Laura Horton. Marlena flashes back to first coming to Salem and tells Paul that Salem has been her home ever since.

Belle question what this means and what it could have to do with her parents. Chad says Stefano left it for John and Marlena so he’d be expecting them to follow the clues. Belle mentions Marlena not wanting anything to do with it and she can’t ask John. Chad talks about how names, dates, pictures, or anything could be a clue. Belle wishes she knew where to start. Chad acknowledges that Belle has gotten hurt by Stefano’s games and asks if she’s sure she wants to keep doing this.

Kristen tells EJ that’s enough of his paranoid delusion. EJ yells at her not to try to gaslight him as he just saw Johnny, who told him that Sophia knew that Johnny would be alone the night she tried to kill him and that Chanel and Lani would be in Chicago. EJ questions who would’ve told Sophia about the aquarium. Kristen claims she has no idea. EJ says that Lani wouldn’t have told Sophia as she didn’t even know her, but she would tell her best friend. Kristen argues that he has no idea. EJ says he heard when Lani said Kristen asked her to get the stuffed animal at the gift shop. EJ questions how the hell Sophia would get her hands on a completely untraceable gun. Kristen repeats that she had no idea. EJ says either Sophia had underworld ties even beyond his knowledge which makes no sense or she got it from Kristen. Kristen claims that makes no sense either. EJ states that Kristen was maternal at first, comforting a poor lost girl and gave her the guidance of the devil incarnate. Kristen claims she did nothing of the sort. EJ accuses Kristen of driving Sophia to try and kill his son. EJ calls Kristen filth and a disgrace to this family. EJ declares that he damns her to the darkest corner of Hell.

Cat tells Andrew that this is their best chance as a personal relationship with EJ gets them inside his head. Andrew warns that EJ is the most dangerous man in Salem and brings up the guidelines and risk of her safety. Cat says she’s willing to risk it but Andrew says he won’t let her and declares this operation is not moving forward on his watch.

Kristen tells EJ that he’s making wild accusations based on zero evidence. EJ responds that he has all the evidence he needs and it all points to her. Kristen complains that whenever crap is rolling down the hill in this town, EJ is always at the top with a shovel. Kristen argues that Sophia was dealing with mental health issues and was volatile and explosive. Kristen claims that she was just as horrified as he was when Sophia tried to kill Johnny and that Sophia would tell him that if she could. EJ points out that she’s conveniently dead. Kristen tells EJ to go jump in the river and fish out her body then, so he can get Dr. Rolf to pump her body full of that revitalizing serum. Kristen mocks that he can get his mother to talk to Sophia for him.

Cat tells Andrew that she doesn’t think he’s thought this through. Cat argues that EJ’s drug brought Lexie back from the dead and has the power to change life as they know it. Cat says they can’t risk the drug getting in to the wrong hands. Andrew says he knows the risks, but she knows what EJ did to his cousin Sami. Andrew calls EJ a predator and he will not let Cat become his next prey. Cat thinks that should be up to her. Andrew argues that Cat is an analyst, not an agent, and she doesn’t have the skills so he’s not letting her do this. Cat asks what if she’s already started.

Belle tells Chad that there’s no way she is stopping now. Belle says she needs to make sure whatever this game is isn’t going to hurt Marlena, especially since John’s not there to protect her. Belle wishes she understood the banknote and would research but she doesn’t know where to start. Belle tells Chad that he doesn’t have to see her through this but Chad assures she’s not getting rid of him that easily.

Marlena and Paul look through the family photo album. Marlena tells Paul about her twin sister Samantha and flashes back to an argument they had years ago. Marlena tells Paul that she loved her sister fiercely and how they always had each other, until they didn’t. Marlena then flashes back to Samantha’s death. Marlena cries that she still misses her sister and then goes to get some tea for her and Paul. Paul looks through the album at photos of John.

Belle and Chad research the Italian Lire but don’t find anything useful. They joke with each other and end up kissing. Belle then gets an idea and calls Paul to pick his brain about something. Paul reveals that he’s actually with Marlena and invites her over to pick away. Belle is excited that he’s in town and says that’s great, but asks him not to tell Marlena that she called. Belle says she’ll see him soon as she hangs up and tells Chad that it was meant to be.

Marlena and Paul look more through the family photo album. They come across a photo of Marlena’s first son DJ, who they lost as an infant, and she flashes back to that time. Paul apologizes for bringing up painful memories. Marlena says it’s so important to keep the memories alive of the people they loved. Belle comes home and greets them. Paul jokes about every Cubs fan seeing her kissing Chad on TV. Belle says she’s so surprised to see Paul in Salem. Marlena says he just showed up, so they’ve been taking a stroll down memory lane which Belle says she will join.

Andrew argues against Cat making sexual advances on a target without letting the agency know first. Cat talks about her memories from Italy and how Andrew told her that she and EJ were there at the same time. Andrew questions if she’s remembering a relationship. Cat says all she remembers is that at some point, she was reading to EJ and he remembers it too, so they both feel a connection that they don’t understand. Cat thinks Andrew could fill in the blanks for them.

EJ tells Kristen that they’re not in court so he doesn’t need proof, but he knows she did this. Kristen tells him that he’s wrong and asks why she would want to hurt her own nephew. EJ thinks back to Kristen warning him that Rachel’s suffering would not go unanswered. EJ then brings up that Kristen thinks it’s his fault that Rachel was taken away from him, so she tried to make him suffer the same pain. Kristen calls it the same speculative theory and heinous accusations he hurled at her last time. EJ assures that this time is very different because then he was only warning her about what he had begun to believe because he thought there was a slim chance she’d do something so vile, but now he has no doubt in his mind.

Belle sits with Marlena and Paul to ask where they were in Marlena’s amazing story. Marlena tells her that she was just telling Paul about her first husband Don Craig and their marriage not surviving. Marlena says she thought she would never find love again, but then she met Roman. Marlena talks about having Carrie after losing her baby and she loves being her mom. Marlena adds that having Carrie prepared her for having twins when Eric and Sami came along, sparking more flashbacks. Marlena states that nothing can prepare you for the love you have for your children as she hugs Belle.

Andrew asks Cat what he’s supposed to fill in since she wasn’t on an assignment after the accident. Cat questions what brought her to EJ’s bedside, arguing that he was in a coma and wrapped in bandages but she was still drawn to him. Cat mentions that she possibly might have kissed EJ as well but he doesn’t remember it. Cat adds that EJ wanted her to do hypnosis but she was scared. Andrew assures that Marlena has worked with their agents before so anything she told her would be confidential. Andrew decides it’s actually not a bad idea, so if she really wants to know what happened in Italy, he thinks she should think about hypnosis. Cat had no idea that Marlena was connected to the ISA. Andrew states that she didn’t need to know until now. Cat agrees to schedule an appointment then and thanks him. Cat says that still leaves them with EJ and his feelings about her. Andrew tells her no way. Cat argues that EJ trusts her and he’s already started telling him things, like the fact that he works remotely with Dr. Rolf which means he knows where he is. Cat says EJ has let his guard down and they need the intel. Andrew acknowledges that Cat has gotten closer than anyone else has. Cat insists that she can do this and asks Andrew to let her do this job. Cat argues that they pressured her in to returning to the ISA when she was out and didn’t need this, but they know she doesn’t give up on a case. Cat complains that they shouldn’t have brought her back just to rip her away when she’s making headway. Andrew reluctantly gives in but warns her not to cross any boundaries. Andrew orders that Cat is not to have sexual relations with EJ and if he does anything to make her uncomfortable, she gets out. Cat says she understands.

Paul brings up when Marlena met John, which they all agree is the reason they believe in fate. Marlena believes that she went through everything she went through so she would know how lucky she was to have John. Paul says she had been through it all. Marlena states that she’s had some unbelievable experiences and flashes back to when she was possessed by the Devil. Paul says he had no idea she meant she had been to Hell and back literally. Marlena responds that she could not have gotten through it without John. Belle calls it her favorite love story of all time, sparking more flashbacks including Marlena and John getting married. Paul calls them the gold standard and talks about the love John gave to his kids, including him which Paul says he still feels as always with him.

EJ warns Kristen that he won’t let a hair be harmed on Johnny’s head as he grabs her. EJ says the one thing they have in common is not letting anyone come after their children. Chad then walks in and asks if everything is okay.

Paul thanks Marlena and says he’s heard a lot of stories from John about their lives, but he’s always interested in hearing more. Belle is glad she got to join in and notes there a still a lot of stores she hasn’t heard. Marlena says they will continue sharing stores. Marlena tells Paul that as John’s son, he is part of their family and they always want him with them. Paul says he’ll be there. Belle jokes that he’s stuck with them. Marlena then steps out of the room. Paul then asks Belle why he wasn’t supposed to tell Marlena that she called and what this big mystery is about. Belle says it’s about the chess set that Stefano left for Marlena. Belle explains that she and Chad found something that could be a major clue but Marlena and Brady don’t want anything to do with it. Paul asks what the clue is so Belle shows him a picture on her phone of the 1000 Lire. Paul asks what it means. Belle says that’s what she was hoping he would tell her. Paul tells her to send him the photo and he’ll see what he can do as Marlena comes back in and questions what he can do about what. Marlena then guesses they are talking about the chess board. Belle admits that Paul is going to help her with the mystery and says she’s sorry because she knows she hates it. Marlena responds that she doesn’t want anyone to get hurt, but admits she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t curious. Marlena says she just gets so scared of Stefano’s games, but she’s glad that Belle has an ISA agent on her team to help out and maybe uncover some answers. Marlena has Paul promise he will bail out if things start to go awry. Paul then says he has to get going to meet Andrew in the town square. Paul tells Marlena it was great seeing her and thanks her for everything, adding that he hopes to hear more stories next time he visits. Belle jokes not to start without her next time as they hug.

Chad asks if he’s interrupting. EJ says yes while Kristen says no. Chad decides he’ll come back whenever this is over and exits the room. EJ grabs Kristen by the arm and warns her that the clock is winding down and she won’t see it coming, but she will pay for what she has done. Kristen responds that he is very wrong about her. EJ tells her to get out of his sight as she then storms out of the mansion.

Paul meets Andrew in the town square and asks how it went. Andrew reveals that he gave Cat the green light and knows it wasn’t the safe choice, but it’s the choice he made. Andrew asks how Marlena is. Paul says he seems really good considering. Paul adds that Marlena told him that she’s been in Salem for 50 years which they had no idea of. Paul adds that Marlena has amazing stories and remarks that he’s not sure Salem would be the same without her.

Marlena and Belle continue going through the family photo album. Marlena says her very best times are in this book, but not all of them because they have so many more memories to make. Belle agrees, pointing out how Marlena is important to everybody in town and brings them strength and comfort and they are blessed to have her in their life. Marlena feels she is the one who is blessed. Marlena states that she never planned to make a life in Salem. Belle is glad she did and calls her the heart of Salem. They agree to more memories and stories to be told as they hug.

Happy 50th Anniversary, Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans)!

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