Days of our Lives Recap, July 18, 2025: Doug's payoff to the kidnapper falls apart

Here's your Days of our Lives recap for Friday, July 18, 2025, when Rafe interrupted the payoff to the kidnapper, Xander comforted Gabi, and Sophia pretended to be in Chicago in labor.

What happened on Days of our Lives

At Titan, Xander was wrapping up a story for Victoria after a long night of her having been restless. “Gabi was right. We have to start getting to know each other again,” Xander whispered. Xander apologized for the boring surroundings, and he promised to set up a nursery for Victoria once he had full custody. “You are more important than anything else in my life. Now and forever,” Xander said.

Gabi was pacing the Hernandez kitchen when Rafe walked in with news from Shawn. Rafe confirmed that police had opened an investigation and planned to pull the security camera footage from the square. Rafe assured Gabi that Ari would return home again. Gabi asked about Holly’s family, and Rafe suggested that they wait for more information since Nicole and Maggie were both out of town. Gabi countered that they should do the same for Will’s family since they had suffered enough heartache with John’s death.

“But if Ari and Holly don’t turn up soon, we’ll have to tell Will and Sonny,” Gabi said. Rafe advised Gabi to focus on work to distract her. “Nothing is as important to me right now except finding my daughter!” Gabi said. Rafe agreed. With a rueful chuckle, Rafe admitted that he was panicked, too. “But if you’re gonna panic, then maybe you can panic in a more positive way?” Rafe asked. Gabi smiled.

Xander was about to take Victoria out for a walk when Gabi arrived late for her meeting with him. Gabi apologized. “Save your excuses. You can rearrange with my assistant. I’m going to spend the rest of my morning with my daughter,” Xander said. “Oh god,” Gabi gasped. Worried, Xander asked what was wrong. Gabi explained that Ari was missing. Xander gently guided Gabi to a chair, and a surprised Gabi thanked him for his kindness.

“A missing child, that’s a parent’s worst nightmare. I’ve been through it,” Xander said. Gabi told Xander what had happened. “I know I can be a tough boss, but your daughter’s missing. You didn’t have to come in today,” Xander said. Gabi explained that she had wanted to keep busy while the police worked. “That might be good advice if the cops in this town were worth a damn,” Xander said. Gabi nodded in agreement.

“If I were you, I’d be out kicking down doors and demanding answers,” Xander said. “Believe me, it’s taking everything I have inside of me not to charge into that police station. But I trust my brother, and I know that he is determined to find my little girl as I am,” Gabi said. Xander encouraged Gabi to go home, and he promised to offer a reward for Ari’s return. “You’d do that?” Gabi asked. “I’m happy to help. Anything you need, anything I can do, just let me know,” Xander said. With tears in her eyes, Gabi said, “I can’t lose my daughter!” Xander hugged Gabi.

Cat was walking with Felicity when she ran into Chad. “I just dropped Charlotte off at gymnastics camp. And between you and me, she’s a little bit nervous,” Chad said. “It’s okay. I can help her,” Felicity said. While Felicity went inside, Cat offered to give Charlotte a ride home after camp, but Chad declined. Cat’s smile faltered.

“Oh, right. I couldn’t expect you to trust me with your kid,” Cat said. With a shake of his head, Chad clarified that he had said no because he had promised Charlotte that he would pick her up. Chad asked Cat to join him for a cup of coffee.

Shawn called Rafe and told him that the video showed that Ari and Holly had been abducted at gunpoint from the park. “The guy was wearing a mask,” Shawn said. Shawn explained that they were searching traffic camera footage.

In the town square, Tate called Sophia’s phone, but she ignored the call. Tate left a voicemail that explained that he had talked to Amy, and he asked why Sophia had not told him that she had gone to Chicago to meet with a couple that wanted to adopt the baby.

Tate went to the pub, and he gave Doug his savings. “The guy is supposed to be here in ten, and I’m supposed to put the money in a takeout bag and hand it to him outside,” Doug said. “You realize that if you would have asked for help weeks ago, Holly and Ari would never be in danger,” Tat grumbled. Doug said he wished he had handled everything differently. Tate reminded Doug that he needed to leave town after Holly and Ari were released.

“I said I would,” Doug said. Doug asked Tate to leave for the drop, but Tate refused. Tate sat at a table and watched the door. The loan shark nodded through the window at Doug. Doug went outside to meet him. Doug told the man that he would hand him the money once he had proof that Ari and Holly had been freed. The man refused to do anything until Doug gave him the money. Reluctantly, Doug handed the man the bag. “Let me count it and then maybe, just maybe,” the man said. Rafe called out to Doug, and he asked to talk. “I said no police,” the man hissed at Doug before he ran off. “Stop that guy! He’s got Holly and Ari!” Tate yelled as he ran out of the pub. Tate and Rafe took off after the loan shark.

When Rafe caught the guy, he took him down to the station. Rafe yelled at Doug for having trusted that the loan shark would have turned over Ari and Holly after payment. “If you’d have just been honest with us in the first place and told us that he was threatening people, or better yet, if you’d have stayed away from Ari and Holly to begin with, none of this would have ever happened,” Rafe said. “I’m sorry,” Doug whispered. Rafe scoffed. Doug showed Rafe the photo on his phone that the kidnapper had sent to him.

At the cafe in the square, Cat told Chad about teaching Felicity how to drive. Leo called Chad and told him that he had been called for jury duty. As Chad told Cat about the phone call, her cell phone rang. Chad saw that the call was from James Smith. Cat stepped away to take the call. Rafe asked Cat for help with a photo. Cat asked Chad if he could pick up Felicity for her, and she left.

In the interrogation room at the Salem PD, Shawn informed the kidnapper that there was video of him having taken Ari and Holly. “Tell us where the girls are,” Shawn said. The man refused, so Shawn walked out to the bullpen to update Rafe. Rafe wanted to confront the man, but Shawn held Rafe back. Tate argued they could not wait, and Rafe snapped that Tate should have told the police about the payoff so that they could have set a trap.

“He said no cops. You’re FBI. I didn’t want the girls to get hurt, you know that,” Tate countered. Rafe took a deep breath, and then instructed Tate to go home. After Tate left, Shawn told Doug that he needed him to give a statement. Cat called Rafe back, and she said she had a possible location for the origin of the photo.

After Chad picked up Felicity and Charlotte from camp, he took them to the square. While Felicity headed into the bakery for work, Chad took Charlotte to get frozen yogurt. Tate was walking through the square when Felicity ran out of the bakery to stop him. Felicity told Tate that she had found Holly’s class ring.

In Chicago, Sophia told Melinda that she was not sure she could go through with their plan. “If you want to go home and tell Tate and your family the truth about leaving your baby in the fire station, we can totally do that. Whatever you want to do, honey, I fully support you,” Melinda said. Sophia admitted that she had run into Leo and her son in the square. “And all I wanted to do was hold him. And something, like, deep inside of me just kept saying, take him back. He’s yours,” Sophia said through tears. Melinda hugged her.

“I understand how confusing this situation can be,” Melinda said. Melinda told Sophia that after she had given up Haley, she had obsessed over her daughter’s life. “I was also eventually able to shut down the longing, to stop feeling the heartache and get on with my life,” Melinda said. “How long was it?” Sophia asked. Melinda told Sophia that she was a resilient person and that she would be okay. When Melinda reminded Sophia that she had time to change her mind, Sophia refused.

“If Tate and my mom find out about the baby now, they’re going to be first in line to take him back from Leo and Javi. And then I’m going to have no choice but to raise him. And Melinda, I’m just not ready for that. And my baby deserves to have parents that are,” Sophia said. Choking back tears, Sophia confessed that she had not known how hard it would be to walk away from her baby a second time.

“You have done nothing wrong, and you can’t let anyone make you think otherwise,” Melinda said. Melinda promised to support Sophia. Melinda told Sophia that she wished someone had been there to help her after her pregnancy. “And if I can be that for you, that would do my heart a lot of good,” Melinda said. Sophia called Tate and left a voicemail saying that she was in labor in Chicago.

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