Days of our Lives Recap, July 9, 2025: Xander and Gwen reconnect

On Days of our Lives today, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Bonnie empathizes with Sarah, Leo is haunted by his past, Doug makes a confession to Arianna, and Marlena’s struggles concern Belle.

What Happened on Days of our Lives

At Marlena’s place, a tense Marlena waited up until Belle arrived home. Belle attempted to stave off her mother’s inquisition by claiming she had a late night at work. Marlena wondered if the work issue had anything to do with Johnny. Belle revealed the police had acquired a key piece of evidence but remained vague on the details. Marlena was hopeful the new evidence could clear Johnny, but Belle seemed less certain about the outcome when the evidence was evaluated the next morning.

Belle hated that she’d been put back on Johnny's case. She didn’t want to prosecute Johnny, and she didn’t want to go up against EJ, who always went for “the jugular” in court. Ultimately, though, Belle affirmed that EJ and she wanted the same outcome: for Johnny to be proven innocent. The conversation turned to Marlena’s restlessness and lack of sleep. Belle disclosed she’d often heard Marlena pacing the floors at night.

Marlena acknowledged that her insomnia had become more challenging since John’s death. She had to come to terms with the fact that John would never be sleeping with her in the bed again, and she also felt left behind in her grief as people returned to their normal lives. Belle promised Marlena she was not alone. Marlena decided to turn in for the night but stumbled when she rose up. A worried Belle asked her mom what was wrong.

Marlena updated Belle on her doctor’s visit with Sarah and reassured her daughter everything was fine. Belle suggested Marlena sleep on the couch since she was having trouble falling asleep in bed. Marlena agreed to the suggestion, and Belle decided to sit with her mom until she fell asleep.

At the Brady Pub, Arianna waited outside until Roman closed up shop. Then, she attempted to sneak inside but was busted by Roman. Arianna claimed she had been going upstairs to see her great-grandma Kate, but Roman wasn’t buying it. He asked if Doug was the true reason for Arianna’s late-night visit. Arianna denied anything was going on between Doug and her and made a hasty retreat.

Upstairs at the pub, Doug counted money in his room. He realized his earnings wouldn’t cover the debt and cast a worried look at the threatening note laying on his bed. It read: “It would be a shame if something happened to those pretty faces.”

Later, Doug came back to his room only to find Arianna waiting for him. She explained she’d climbed through the window because she had to see him. Arianna got offended when Doug took her overture as an admission she couldn’t move past his rejection. She told him to get over himself and clarified that she just wanted answers about all his “mixed signals.” Doug hedged but eventually told Arianna that he owed a lot of money to someone.

Doug cautioned Arianna to stay away from him because it wasn’t safe. Arianna declared she liked “bad boys” and suggested Doug and she make use of their alone time. He obliged her with a kiss, and they soon moved their activities to the bed.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Sarah mulled over pictures of Xander and herself when Bonnie came into the room, her hand wrapped in a bandage. Bonnie made a crack about an accident with panty-hose and then got to being admittedly “nosy.” Sarah told Bonnie about her tense dinner with Xander. Bonnie gave Sarah a pep talk and then proclaimed Sarah was well-rid of “kidnapping clowns.”

Sarah expressed surprise that Xander had seemingly fallen out of Bonnie’s good graces again. Bonnie conceded that she had been willing to forgive Xander for what he had done to her, but when she’d found out about Philip’s attack, it had reminded her of when Sarah had feared Xander would do something horrific. Bonnie had a better understanding of why Sarah had initially asked her to go along with the lie that Rex was Victoria’s father.

When Sarah confided she still loved Xander despite it all, Bonnie opened up about her experiences with her first husband. The man had been an abusive drunk who’d always pledged it would never happen again. Bonnie’s wake-up call had come when her daughter Mimi had been forced to kill her own father. Bonnie regretted she’d exposed her kids to that kind of environment for so long. She urged Sarah not to make the same mistake with Victoria.

Sarah sympathized with Bonnie’s ordeal but asserted that her circumstances with Xander were “very different.” Bonnie recognized Xander’s affinity for striking out against people who “crossed” him or got in his way. While she didn’t want to tell Sarah what to do, Bonnie reiterated her belief that Victoria and Sarah were better off without Xander. Sarah wanted to work out a custody arrangement, but after the way Xander “blew up” at her during the dinner, she wasn’t sure it could happen. Bonnie warned that Xander would “fight dirty” and that Sarah needed to “fight fire with fire.”

When Sarah requested clarification, Bonnie advised Sarah to bust Xander for the crime he’d committed against Philip. Sarah didn’t know how she could succeed, given Xander refused to admit his wrong-doing.

In Horton Town Square, Leo hopefully asked Gwen if she had come back to Salem to make amends with him. Gwen smirked and declared she had far more important business than the likes of “Matty.” Leo gasped when he noticed Gwen stroking Julie’s necklace. He called the necklace “stolen property,” but Gwen took offense at Leo’s outrage and reminded him that he’d taken something from her “far more precious” than stolen jewelry. A confused Javi asked what Gwen meant.

Gwen ignored Javi and hissed “I hate you, Matty Cooper” to Leo. She vowed that she would make him sorry for what he had done to her. Leo tried to apologize and thought Gwen would take comfort in the fact that Dimitri had left him for someone else. Gwen said she didn’t care, as she was too busy living the high life on Dimitri’s money since Dimitri had never divorced her. When she baited Leo with the news of her wealth, he claimed he had found something more important than money.

As Gwen continued her back-and-forth with Leo, she got angry again and exclaimed Leo was “lying, backstabbing, and vindictive.” Then, she noticed Javi and gave him a demeaning pat on the cheek, calling him a “poor, poor little baby.” Gwen left Javi with the warning that he’d find out what he’d gotten himself into with Leo “soon enough.” After Gwen sauntered off, Javi demanded answers from Leo.

Leo filled Javi in on the dirty details of his affair with Dimitri. Javi was taken aback. Even though he knew Leo had done sketchy things in his past, Javi hadn’t believed Leo could be so “disloyal” toward a friend. Leo asked if Javi was implying that he didn’t know Leo as well as he’d thought. Javi admitted that was his exact thought.

Leo expressed deep remorse for what he’d done to Gwen, whom he called his “BFF” and “ride or die.” He talked up Gwen’s amazing attributes and blamed himself for throwing it all away for a man. Leo thought Dimitri dumping him had been “karmic retribution.” He would understand if losing Javi would be another form of karma because Leo didn’t believe he deserved Javi.

Javi softened and assured Leo that neither of them were saints. Leo balked, since Javi was a firefighter while Leo committed “arson” to people’s hearts. Javi insisted he’d done many things he wished he could take back and whispered one of them to Leo. And, as he gazed lovingly at Leo, Javi said there were things he’d never take back. The couple turned their attention to the baby, whom Leo admitted had made “this dancing queen hang up her heels.”

Javi and Leo envisioned a future where they had kids. Leo shook off the sentimental moment and announced he could never be a good father after the example his parents had set. Judging by Leo’s interactions with the baby, Javi countered that Leo would make a great dad. Javi suggested they return home, put the baby to bed, and then proceed to making some of their own fireworks. Leo smiled and confirmed the plan with a kiss.

At the Bistro, Xander drowned his sorrows while thinking back on a happier Fourth of July with Sarah. As he ordered another round of drinks, a voice said, “Make that two.” Xander, head in his hands, started to tell the visitor to get lost. When he looked up, though, he was stunned to see Gwen taking a seat across from him. Gwen said she’d heard about Sarah and gave her sincere sympathies to Xander.

While Gwen hadn’t always been the biggest fan of Xander and Sarah, she had believed they were in it for keeps. Xander lamented that he’d believed the same thing. Gwen admitted she’d always been insecure about the “great love” and “undeniable spark” between the couple. That insecurity had driven her to keep the truth about Kristen’s abduction of Sarah a secret and had perpetuated her “toxic relationship with the truth.” Gwen often pondered what would have happened if she’d told Xander the truth earlier, and she confessed she often thought about the “what ifs” with Xander.

Xander admired Gwen’s expensive necklace, and Gwen boasted she could buy anything her heart desired because of Dimitri. Xander and she toasted to Gwen getting the best of the “Eurotrash.” Gwen mentioned Xander’s own newly acquired fortune, which he’d been denied because of the woman whose name Gwen couldn’t remember. Xander and Gwen commiserated over the days when they’d been living under constant threat of being kicked out of the Salem Inn. Gwen suggested Xander walk her back to the inn after they shared another drink, and Xander took her up on the offer.

Later, Xander and Gwen drunkenly stumbled through the square as Xander regaled Gwen with funny stories. Gwen tried to walk it back when she called Xander “the one who got away,” but Xander challenged her on if she thought they had another chance. Gwen responded by kissing him outside the Salem Inn. Xander pulled away and said he should go.

“You should go…up to my room,” Gwen replied. She took Xander’s hand and pulled him through the hotel’s doors. From a distance, Leo and Javi gaped at the exchange.

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