FULL EPISODE SPOILERS DAYS OF OUR LIVES:EJ THROW KRISTEN&XANDER UNDER BUS,STEPHANI PULL TRIGGER

The drama in Salem never takes a day off, and picking up right where we left off, the timing could not have been more devastatingly perfect. EJ and Gabby had just finished their latest round of verbal sparring — that familiar dance of accusation and denial that defines their every interaction — when their eyes landed on something that stopped the scene cold. There, in plain sight, was Kristen DiMera, slipping a key card into Xander Kiriakis’s pocket with the kind of casual intimacy that spoke volumes.

EJ, ever the observer, seemed almost amused. He watched the exchange with a knowing smirk, apparently assuming that everyone involved was simply enjoying some kind of open, no-strings-attached arrangement. In his mind, it was probably just another game of musical beds in a town where nearly everyone has traded partners at least once.

But Gabby saw it completely differently. For her, this was not just another Salem scandal. It was not just two people sneaking around for a bit of fun. This was a betrayal — and not the kind you brush off with a shrug. To Gabby, the affair between Kristen and Xander represented a fundamental violation of trust, a knife twisted into the back of Gwen’s friendship with Kristen.

And yet, for all her horror, Gabby made a conscious decision. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with this mess. As far as she was concerned, this was not her circus, and those were not her monkeys. Gwen would find out the truth eventually — that much was inevitable. The secrets in Salem always have a way of surfacing, usually at the worst possible moment. So Gabby did the smartest thing she could have done: she removed herself from the chaos entirely, stepping back before the shrapnel started flying.

Meanwhile, across town at the pub, Leo had stumbled into an unexpected encounter with Joy, who was desperately searching for Kelsey’s missing stuffed elephant. It was the kind of mundane, almost childlike problem that seemed laughably out of place against the backdrop of all the scheming and backstabbing happening elsewhere in Salem. But in a town like this, even the smallest lost treasure can become part of a much larger puzzle.

Outside, Gwen’s already precarious mood took a nosedive. She had received yet another message from Dimitri, and his words were like poison seeping through her phone screen. He promised her, with the cold certainty of someone holding all the cards, that he was getting closer to uncovering the truth. And once he had proof, he warned, she would be finished.

Inside the pub, Leo nearly crushed the breath out of Gwen with a hug of pure, overwhelming relief. He was genuinely thrilled that she was still alive — a sentiment that, in Salem, is never something you can take for granted. But his relief quickly curdled into worry as his mind turned to what EJ might do next. Because in this town, when one scheme collapses, three more rise to take its place.

Gwen, however, was not in the mood for fear. She had a plan, and she was proud of it. She intended to buy University Hospital — right out from under EJ DiMera’s nose. Not because she had any burning passion for healthcare administration, and certainly not because she wanted to spend her days managing budgets and board meetings. No, her motivation was far simpler, far more delicious: revenge. Pure, unadulterated revenge. The satisfaction of snatching something valuable away from a man who had wronged her. And beyond that, there was the appeal of looking important while the Bradies and Hortons — those ever-present Salem dynasties — handled all the actual work. It was the perfect plan, as far as Gwen was concerned.

Leo, ever the pragmatist, pointed out that the move would also score significant points with Jack. And in Salem, winning over the influential players is never a bad strategy.

But even as Gwen basked in her scheming, Dimitri’s relentless taunting continued to hover over her like a storm cloud that refused to pass. She insisted, with perhaps a little too much force, that she had done nothing wrong. And then, before the conversation could go any deeper, she rushed off — a woman on a mission, or perhaps a woman fleeing her own demons.

Back in the square, Gwen confronted EJ head-on. He played it masterfully, insisting that they were allies, that they were on the same side. He committed to acting completely clueless about why she might possibly want revenge, and the performance was frankly impressive. He wore innocence like a tailored suit, every word dripping with manufactured sincerity.

But Gwen was not buying it. She reminded him, in no uncertain terms, that if Dimitri ever produced evidence of their involvement in his kidnapping, both of