Days of our Lives Recap, July 16, 2025: Rafe and Cat plot to take down EJ

On Days of our Lives today, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, Gwen ruffles feathers at the mansion, Xander and Gabi bond over parenthood, and Kayla’s revelation surprises Stephanie.

What Happened on Days of our Lives

At Stephanie’s apartment, Stephanie weighed the pros and the cons of quitting her job and going full-time as a romance writer. In an attempt to convince her to take the plunge, Alex showed Stephanie a mock-up of her novel cover. Stephanie admired the pseudonym she had chosen, Anastasia Sands, because it was a combination of names in her Grandma Jo's favorite romance novels. Stephanie also marveled at the idea that she would soon be a published author. As Alex and Stephanie "celebrated" on the couch, they were interrupted by a knock at the door: it was Kayla.

Kayla came inside bearing pies from a baking spree. Alex excused himself to give mother and daughter time alone. Stephanie hesitantly brought up an imminent meeting with EJ, during which she believed EJ would be offering her a PR job with the hospital. Kayla conceded that Stephanie would be an asset to the hospital, but she ultimately didn’t think Stephanie should accept the position. Kayla made the case that EJ “prized profit over patient care,” which would lead to many sticky situations for Stephanie to spin – some possibly illegal.

Stephanie argued she would never compromise her integrity. Further, she could be a check on EJ’s possible impulse to fire Kayla. The conversation reached an impasse as Alex came back into the room. Kayla excused herself and got up to leave, but knocked into the tablet that displayed the One Stormy Night cover. “What’s this?” Kayla asked.

Alex quickly interjected that it was a manuscript for a novel Titan was publishing. To Stephanie’s restrained mortification, Kayla started singing the praises of the book, boasting how everyone at the hospital had read it, including her. She believed One Steamy Night would be a more appropriate moniker. Kayla congratulated Alex on his “best-seller” and left.

As soon as Kayla was gone, Stephanie fretted to Alex about her mom – and possibly her dad – reading the book. Alex talked her down, and the couple soon picked up where they left off. But as things heated up again, Stephanie still wore a worried expression.

At Rafe’s house, Rafe chatted with Gabi before they went to work. Gabi tried unsuccessfully to get information about Rafe's morning meeting, then gave up and mentioned Arianna hadn’t texted her. Gabi assumed her daughter’s lack of communication meant Arianna was “having the time of her life.”

At Titan-DiMera, Xander spent his morning balancing work with caring for Victoria. He got frazzled as Victoria got fussier. When Gabi arrived and offered her help, Xander balked at first, but eventually gladly allowed Gabi to soothe the crying girl. Xander was amazed after Gabi easily put his daughter to sleep. He feared Victoria had forgotten him since he’d been separated from her for a month. Gabi assured him that Victoria and he just needed time to get “reacquainted,” but Xander bemoaned how “difficult” the process was proving.

Gabi could understand Xander’s frustration since she was also getting to know her daughter again. The two sat down for a work meeting, which began with Xander grousing about Johnny’s lack of progress in doing his job. Gabi thought Xander should give Johnny a break, but Xander affirmed there were no breaks to be had if the stocks kept plummeting. He made a crack about Gabi’s newly discovered “Zen” approach.

Gabi urged Xander to be grateful for what he had. When she had been away from Arianna, she had comforted herself with the idea of having another child one day, but that chance was taken away. Xander, on the other hand, had everything he could possibly want. “Everything…except Sarah,” Xander said.

At the park, Chad and Thomas ran into Cat. Thomas invited Cat to join in a game of catch. Cat lightly bantered with Thomas about favorite baseball teams but ultimately declined the invitation, claiming she had to be somewhere. The comment prompted Chad to remember seeing a text from someone on Cat’s phone requesting a meeting. He watched Cat leave with seeming disappointment.

At the DiMera mansion, EJ told Gwen she wouldn’t be moving into the corner suite yet because of renovations. Gwen let him know she’d be making herself at home on Dimitri’s dime. EJ noted the expensive necklace around Gwen’s neck and recognized it as the Horton stolen heirloom. He wondered when Gwen would be returning the necklace to its “rightful owner.” Gwen smirked and replied, “When Hell freezes over.”

Gwen readily admitted she’d had animosity for the Hortons ever since “that hag Laura” had sent her mother away years ago. From the moment Gwen had arrived in Salem, she believed the entire family had treated her horribly. EJ reminded her there were “two sides to every story.” Before the rant could continue, Chad and Thomas showed up. Gwen put on a smile and greeted the new arrivals, who had come to retrieve some of Thomas' toys.

Thomas caught his aunt off-guard, however, when he asked Gwen why she had Julie’s necklace…and why she wouldn’t return it. Chad grinned and backed up his son’s question. Miffed, Gwen called her possession of the necklace a “disagreement” over ownership. EJ added it would soon be sorted out. “It better be,” Chad warned.

As Chad sent Thomas upstairs, EJ settled on the couch to enjoy the show. Chad immediately ordered Gwen to finish up her business and leave town. He wanted her as far away from his family as possible. Gwen icily reminded Chad that she was part of his family, as both Thomas’ aunt and a DiMera. She fully intended to take advantage of the latter status by moving into the family home.

In Rafe’s office, Cat met with Rafe for their first strategizing session. They confirmed they’d be referring to each other as “Kelly” and “James” in their written correspondences. Cat handed Rafe a flash drive with information about EJ’s finances; she had presumed a large part of their mission to take down the DiMeras would involve “following the money.” Cat was curious about Rafe’s personal involvement with the family, and Rafe cautioned that it was a long story.

When Rafe told her the whole sordid tale about his past with EJ, Cat was horrified and mystified that the “supervillain” could appear so normal. Rafe attributed it to EJ being “a textbook sociopath.” Cat confided she had personal reasons for taking the case, too: namely, her debt of gratitude to the hospital for saving her sister Felicity’s life. Cat did express reservations about targeting a man who was close with someone she knew.

Rafe correctly guessed Cat was referring to Chad. He assured Cat that Chad was the “good DiMera,” and Chad would understand if his brother was held accountable for his many crimes. Cat confessed that she also worried about the effects of her job on her younger siblings. Rafe related to being the oldest in the family and the protective instincts that went with the designation. Cat asked how his siblings felt about Rafe’s job, and Rafe said they knew how dedicated he was to his work.

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Rafe considered his work a “calling,” just as he believed Cat did. Cat conveyed concern about her level of preparedness for the job, especially parts that would involve being out in the field. Rafe pledged he had her back, and he even offered to show her self-defense moves. Later, Rafe and Cat looked over her files on the computer. They agreed they needed to uncover the identity of EJ’s secret partner.

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