Days of our Lives Recap, July 2, 2025: Sophia makes a desperate decision

On Days of our Lives today, Wednesday, July 2, 2025, Tate and Holly reunite, Julie’s missing necklace case takes a turn, the walls close in on Doug, and Sarah and Maggie have a heart-to-heart discussion.

What Happened on Days of our Lives

At the Horton house, Steve stopped by and explained his involvement in the missing necklace case to Julie. He announced he had a lead on the buyer. With the help of Bo, Hope, and Austin – who had forensic accounting experience – Steve believed he could trace the purchase back to a specific bank and then find out the identity of the person who had made the transaction. Julie was encouraged by the news.

Julie didn’t know the necklace's actual value because she had been more focused on its sentimental value. When Julie brought up Doug III, Steve mentioned the trouble he'd found at Doug's age. He hoped Doug could learn from his mistakes. Julie acknowledged she’d been no angel either, but the difference – and what she couldn’t forgive – was that Doug III had betrayed his own family.

Later, in Horton Town Square, Steve got an update from Austin about the case. When he ended the call with Austin, he phoned Bo. “You’re not going to believe this,” Steve exclaimed. Afterwards, Steve went to the hospital and brought Kayla up to speed. He credited his new partners for the help and again expressed hope that Doug III had learned a valuable lesson.

In the park, a menacing guy approached Doug, who recoiled when the man threatened him if Doug didn’t cough up the money he owed. The man demanded full payment, no more excuses…or else. When the man invoked the “cute rich girl” Doug had been hanging around, Doug cautioned the man to leave Holly out of it. With a pat on Doug’s cheek, the man retorted that if he didn’t get the money, he’d be “paying a visit” to Holly and all of Doug’s friends.

Later, Doug called Leo for an update on the search for the necklace. His hopes were promptly deflated by Leo’s lack of progress. Leo gave Doug a pep talk about things getting better. “Or worse,” Doug muttered after he hung up.

Back in Horton Town Square, Julie was elated when Bo called her and declared that the necklace was on its way back to Salem. Her demeanor soured when she ran into Doug III, who pleaded to speak with her. Julie begrudgingly heard Doug out while he explained that he couldn’t locate the necklace and apologized again for what he had done. “I’m sorry, too,” Julie icily replied. Julie was sorry she had welcomed Doug into her home, that she had trusted him, and – most of all – that he carried Doug’s name, as he didn’t have the character to deserve it.

A chastised Doug revealed he was thinking of leaving town. “Then get a bus ticket and just go,” was Julie’s hostile response. Before she stormed off, she let Doug know that she would be getting the necklace back, “no thanks to you.”

At the hospital, Sarah had a testy exchange with Xander over the phone about him visiting Victoria.

Meanwhile, at the Kiriakis mansion, Maggie gushed over photographs of Holly's graduation. She told Holly that Holly's dad would be proud. Holly took the opportunity to inform Maggie she’d been accepted to the University of Paris. When Maggie questioned what had changed Holly’s mind about staying local for college, Holly admitted she was worried about her mom and Eric. Maggie urged Holly to do what was best for her.

Holly countered that Paris had a lot of benefits, but her main reason for wanting to go was Nicole. Maggie reminded her granddaughter that the only two people who could fix a broken relationship were the couple in the relationship. “And even then, sometimes it’s not worth it,” an arriving Sarah noted. She quickly apologized for bringing down the mood and asked Holly about her summer plans. Holly revealed she’d be volunteering at a shelter and going on a lake trip.

Holly then excused herself to meet up with a friend. Out in the corridor, Holly texted Doug and proposed another tutoring session. When Doug texted back that he’d decided not to get his GED, Holly was puzzled.

Back in the main room, Sarah confided in Maggie about her still-conflicted feelings regarding Xander. She “despised” him and didn’t know if she could share custody, but he still had a “pull” with her. Maggie comforted her daughter and encouraged Sarah to do what was best for Victoria. Maggie believed Sarah had changed Xander for the better, but Sarah didn’t think her or Victoria’s influence had been enough. She couldn’t live with Xander’s “anger and judgment.”

“You can’t live with him, and you can’t live without him,” Maggie surmised. Maggie understood Sarah’s turmoil because she had felt the same way about Victor. She sat Sarah down and opened up about her struggle to reconcile Victor’s loving nature with his cutthroat and ruthless side. While Sarah admired Maggie’s ability to look beyond Victor’s darkness, she wasn't confident she could do the same with Victor’s son.

Sarah thanked Maggie for the support. She needed to find a way forward, whether the path ended in divorce or not.

At Marlena’s place, Tate called Sophia and left a message reassuring her about the adoption lawyer. Tate’s mood improved considerably after he got a text from Holly requesting a visit.

Later, Holly arrived, and Tate greeted her nervously yet happily. Holly had wanted to see how Tate was doing after John’s funeral and had also tried to tell him about her acceptance to the university. Tate was excited for Holly, then realized she might be leaving Salem. Holly hedged and said she still had the option of attending Salem University. She wanted to be fully honest with Tate and confessed that she hadn’t been able to get over him.

Holly conceded she’d been angry about Tate busting Doug with Julie, and Tate admitted it had been a “punk move.” Tate hesitantly broached the subject of Holly’s feelings for Doug. Holly said she’d thought about it, but she’d concluded that nothing would ever happen – and affirmed that nothing had ever happened – with Doug. Tate was the only person Holly couldn’t stop thinking about. Tate joyously returned the sentiment, and the laughing teens sealed their seeming reunion with a kiss.

Holly pulled back and conveyed her reservations about Sophia. Tate assured Holly, “You’re the only girl I care about.” Sophia hadn’t gotten back to Tate, so he assumed she must be asleep. The newly reunited couple admitted how much they had missed each other and basked in their happiness.

In Sophia’s bedroom, an upset Sophia pushed blankets into a trash bag. The sound of crying suddenly came from the bed. Sophia walked over to the bundle and held it to her. “It’s OK, baby boy,” she soothed. She settled with her baby and rocked him, telling him she was sorry for not having parents for him yet.

Tearfully, Sophia lamented that her mom would force her to keep the baby, and the baby’s dad wouldn’t want to give up his son either. “I can’t let anyone see you, or I’ll never get my life back,” Sophia cried. Later, she put on a dark hoodie and picked up her sleeping baby. “I’m so sorry to have to do this to you, but I don’t have another choice,” Sophia sobbed. She left the room with the baby in one arm and the trash bag in the other.

Later, Sophia returned alone to her room. She sank onto the bed and cradled a stuffed teddy bear to her, while crying “I’m sorry” over and over. Sophia calmed slightly until she listened to Tate’s phone message. “It’s too late,” she said with despair. Sophia eventually composed herself and called someone for help.

At Rafe’s house, Leo jokingly expressed his frustration at being unable to track down Julie’s necklace. His attention was soon distracted by Javi, who posed in his new firefighter/paramedic uniform. Leo approached and began flirting, but Javi reluctantly put an end to the interaction by declaring he had to get to work. He left Leo with a kiss and a promise to resume fulfilling Leo’s fantasies when he returned home.

Later, Javi brought a patient into the ER and had a brief chat with Kayla about his busy night. The night soon got even busier after Javi came back with a baby in his arms. He explained to Kayla that someone had left the child in the fire department’s Safe Haven box. Javi’s captain had ordered him to bring the boy to the hospital.

Kayla took the baby for tests and later returned to report that the infant was an almost full-term, healthy newborn. She told Javi and Steve that the mother had 14 days to reclaim the baby, but until then, the child would go into foster care. Steve piped in, “Don’t do that.” He reminded Kayla of his struggles in the foster system, and he didn’t want the same fate for the baby.

Steve suggested that Kayla and he foster the baby, as they had done before. Kayla stressed the challenges fostering would bring, given both Kayla's and Steve’s hectic schedules. Javi spoke up and said, “I have an idea.”

Later, Javi returned home to Leo, who was preparing for a romantic night. Javi had a different surprise for his boyfriend, however. When Leo spotted the baby carrier in Javi’s possession, he asked, “Who’s baby is that?” Javi grinned and responded, “For now, he’s ours.”

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