Days of our Lives Recap, July 31: Susan the medium declares Stefano lives

Here is your Days of our Lives recap for Thursday, July 31, 2025.

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Rafe ran into Cat while he was walking in Horton Town Square with Tesoro. They made some small talk before Chad approached them. He was surprised to learn that Rafe and Cat knew one another. Cat explained it away, saying they had crossed paths a few times and were now acquaintances. Chad accepted the explanation and walked away.

Once Chad was gone, Cat noted that it was a close call. Cat needed to talk with Rafe, so they took things back to the office. When they got there, they discussed the Tesoro foster family situation for a few minutes. Rafe admitted that Leo had taken the lead, and even Chad felt that Leo was a changed man.

Rafe noted that Chad was a great judge of character. Cat agreed and then worried about what Chad would think if he knew she was an ISA agent trying to take down his brother. "Hey, we are doing this for the greater good," Rafe reminded her. At the moment, they did not think they had hard evidence against EJ. "Which begs the question — what is EJ really up to?" Cat asked.

Talk then turned to the rest of the DiMera siblings before Cat brought up Stefano. "From what I've read, he's had a long history of dodging the grim reaper. Are we really, actually sure that he is dead?" she wondered. Rafe seemed sure that he was, even after the Essence of Stevano ordeal that involved Steve. "But you can never discount anything from happening here in Salem, especially when it comes to the DiMeras," Rafe told Cat.

Before Cat left, Rafe alarmed her by saying, "There was a reason he was always known as the Phoenix. Stefano would rise from the ashes."

EJ was concerned when his mother insisted that she felt Stefano's presence. "Stefano DiMera is alive!" she declared. She told EJ that she wasn't crazy. "Your daddy is the last person I want to see again, but I do feel his presence. I feel it in my bones," she said.

EJ wanted to know why Susan had never felt Stefano before. She told her son that was before she became a medium. Now that she was one, she knew what she was talking about. "I'm a medium in training. I still gotta get my diploma from MIT. Medium Institute of Transcending," she clarified.

EJ was so taken aback by his mother's new calling that he needed a drink. Susan looked up at Stefano's portrait and still insisted she could feel him. When Chad appeared, Susan couldn't wait to tell him that "Stefano DiMera lives! And that is very, very, very bad."

EJ and Susan explained that Susan was now a medium. Susan insisted she could talk to the dead. "I feel Stefano's presence. Not in the body, but in the soul," she said as she walked around the room searching for Stefano's energy.

While Susan did her thing, EJ thanked Chad for being kind about their family when on the witness stand at Johnny's trial. After Chad left, Susan was creeped out by Stefano's portrait staring at her.

Cat and Chad later met up at the hospital, where they proceeded to get stuck in an elevator together.

Steve and Kayla spent time making fresh pizza dough in the kitchen. Kayla could tell that something was bothering Steve. He admitted that he found something while investigating a case that could affect Stephanie. Kayla was quickly alarmed.

Steve couldn't get into the details, but informed Kayla that he found something disturbing when working on a case involving the Kiriakis clan. Kayla guessed that it was about Alex. Steve discovered he Alex had been arrested for multiple crimes several years back.

Steve had spoken to Justin, who said that Alex had been young and stupid, but he knew he had made a mistake. Alex received a slap on the wrist and had reformed himself. Steve was concerned because Stephanie had already been involved with another troubled young man, Jeremy Horton. Kayla didn't think it was the same situation.

Kayla advised Steve to stay out of things because Stephanie had a good head on her shoulders. "I also remember back in the day I did like this bad boy that nobody approved of," Kayla pointed out, talking about Steve.

Stephanie returned home to find Alex in her kitchen cooking while only wearing an apron and boxers. "You're not in the mood for dinner and a show?" Alex asked with a twinkle in his eye. Alex had another surprise in store. He handed her a copy of her digital book galley. Stephanie freaked when she saw a passage she had wanted edited out.

Alex felt horrible because the book was already being printed, but Stephanie didn't blame him. He promised he would fix the situation, so he tried to stop the presses. Stephanie pointed out how much money that would cost. Stephanie admitted that the passage was based on real life between herself and an ex. Alex didn't think this ex was into romance novels, so Stephanie tried to calm down.

The pair settled in for wine and dinner, but Alex had more book talk in mind. He told Stephanie that Kate wondered if Stephanie had any other manuscripts in the works. Stephanie admitted that she had been working on a murder mystery.

Sarah was surprised to see Xander and Victoria at the hospital. Xander told her that Victoria wanted her mother, so he offered for Sarah to take her home. Sarah wondered why Xander was being so nice. "What is it? What's the catch?" she asked.

Xander was offended, so he walked away with the stroller. Sarah stopped him and apologized for questioning Xander's motives. Sarah explained she was under a lot of stress after talking with a patient about a decision they made as a parent. She told him how lucky Victoria was to have two parents to love her before admitting that she still loved Xander.

"I feel the same way. So, where does that leave us?" Xander said. "A decent place, I hope," Sarah replied. Xander then presented her with the separation paperwork from his lawyer. "All you have to do is sign on the dotted line," Xander said hesitantly. So, Sarah did just that.

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