Kristen Renton (Morgan Hollingsworth) leaves Salem this week. The show's decision to scrap her on-screen alter ego caught the actress by surprise.

"I did not see it coming," Renton told Soap Opera Digest. "It came as quite a shock. I actually found out when I received a script [...] and realized, 'Wow, they're sending me to Chicago."

Renton joined the Days of our Lives cast in September 2007 in a role that was supposed to last only a few weeks. The show's executives were impressed with Renton's work and saw potential in her character. Renton's castmates were likewise won over. The actress was pre-nominated for an Outstanding Younger Actress Daytime Emmy by her Days of our Lives co-workers after a little less than four months with the show.

Before long, Renton was offered an extended contract with the show -- a four-year deal. A quick math check shows that Renton was nowhere near the end of her contract. Soaps have the right, in many cases, to release a performer during certain intervals within a contract. Typically, these "outs," as they are called, come every 13 weeks.

Due to Days of our Lives' taping schedule, Renton received no forewarning of her impending dismissal. The show was on hiatus in the weeks prior to Renton's final tape date. When the actors returned to work, Renton was given a script that announced that her time with the show had come to an end.

Renton hints that she has been in contact with a few other soaps to see if there might be a place for her on their rosters.

Renton last airs on October 3rd.