Days of our Lives recap for April 1, 2025: Jada tells Rafe about her affair, Orpheus pulls a gun

In Jada’s office at the police station, she quietly asked Rafe to take a seat so that she could tell him something. “What is it?” Rafe asked. Rafe reminded Jada that she could say anything to him. “I’m not so sure you’ll agree once you hear this. I slept with another man,” Jada said. “You slept with another man?” Rafe stammered. Jada apologized. Confused, Rafe started to ask how, and then he gasped.

“If Feniger laid a finger on you, I swear--,” Rafe started. Jada interrupted to stress that Arnold had not touched her. “It was when you were gone. I thought it was you that left me at the altar. I was told that you slept with a stripper. I was hurt, and it just happened,” Jada said. Rafe asked who. Jada reminded Rafe that EJ was the one to blame.

“So obviously, it wasn’t just some random guy at a bar, or you would have told me,” Rafe said. After a moment, Jada admitted that she had slept with Shawn. “You have to understand. I thought I was going to marry you, but instead, you, the Arnold guy, he left me at the altar,” Jada pleaded. “That wasn’t me!” Rafe bellowed as he stood up and shoved his chair back. Jada reminded Rafe that she had not known that Rafe had been replaced, and she had been shattered by what Arnold had done to her.

“And Shawn, he was there to help me get out of that terrible, terrible place. And he was in a bad way too. And he was hurt from his breakup with Belle. And we just found comfort in each other,” Jada said. “He was my friend, my colleague, your subordinate,” Rafe said. Jada nodded yes. Rafe accused Shawn of having used Jada to get back at Belle. “No! It wasn’t like that!” Jada countered. Rafe asked Jada why she was defending Shawn.

“I”m not! Okay, see, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. You didn’t need to know who he was,” Jada argued. “I didn’t need to know any of this, apparently, did I? I’ve been home for weeks, Jada. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Rafe asked. Jada explained that Rafe had been traumatized and needed time to recover.

“It was never going to be the right time, was it?” Rafe said. Rafe argued that he did not think he could ever trust her again. “I’m telling you now, aren’t I?” Jada said. Rafe asked why Jada had changed her mind. Jada told Rafe that she wanted to tell him the whole truth because she loved him. “And you deserve to hear what happened,” Jada said. Jada asked Rafe to put himself in her shoes. “I saw our lives together forever. And then you humiliated me in front of the entire town. You got me fired, and then you slept with a stripper,” Jada said. “It wasn’t me!” Rafe screamed. “I know that now!” Jada yelled back. Rafe argued that Jada should have known that Arnold was not him.

“How could you have not known that that man was not me?” Rafe asked. “Are you seriously asking me why I didn’t guess that my fiance was replaced by an imposter? I mean come on!” Jada countered. Rafe asked Jada why she had not questioned the wildly out of character decisions that Arnold had made. “And if you think that that’s the kind of man that I am, then you don’t know me at all,” Rafe said. Jada argued that she had known that Rafe had not been acting like himself, and she had investigated.

“I even looked into brain damage from your coma,” Jada said. “So when the doctors waved off that it could possibly be brain damage, you did what? You just gave up?” Rafe argued. Jada explained that she and Gabi had attempted to get Arnold to a doctor, but he had refused. “So you were just so upset that you climbed into bed with Shawn,” Rafe said. “How dare you! You have no idea the hell I’ve been through,” Jada said. Jada told Rafe that Arnold had psychologically tortured her.

“Looking into the face of a man that I love and just watching him break my heart,” Jada said. “That’s all it took for you to just give up? It’s kind of cold, don’t you think?” Rafe said. Angry, Jada called Rafe’s response cruel. “Did you blame Sami the last time that Arnold pulled this stunt? Of course you didn’t. Because that would make absolutely no sense,” Jada said. Jada argued that Rafe’s anger about EJ was misplaced.

“I’m sorry that there’s no one else to blame for what happened to you, Rafe, but that doesn’t mean that you get to blame me!” Jada yelled. Rafe agreed. “But I do blame you, for not having been honest with me from the start,” Rafe countered. Jada admitted that it had been wrong for her not to come clean sooner. “So how can we fix this?” Jada asked. “There’s nothing you can do,” Rafe said. Jada was taken aback.

“Nothing I can do to prove how much I love you? How much we love each other?” Jada asked. Rafe shook his head no, and he asked for space. “Haven’t we had enough time apart? We can get through this together,” Jada said. Rafe wrenched his arm from Jada’s grasp, and he asked for time to figure out what to do next. “And I can’t do that with you around,” Rafe said. Rafe told Jada that he did not want her to come home with him.

After Belle agreed to wear a wire for Jada, she went to the DiMera mansion. EJ asked why Belle was there. “I missed you,” Belle lied. EJ asked Belle why she had changed her mind about him. “I think that my behavior was more about all the sad and very difficult things going on in my life recently than it was about you,” Belle said. Belle said that she regretted that she had jumped to conclusions about EJ’s motivations for sleeping with her. EJ told Belle that he had not lied about his feelings for her.

“We make each other very happy. I would never hurt you,” EJ said. “I know that. But it’s not that simple,” Belle said. When EJ asked why, Belle argued that EJ had hurt too many people that she loved. Belle said that because EJ had been transparent with her, she could forgive him for what he had done in the past.

“What I can’t forgive is dishonesty. So, if we’re going to move forward, I just need you to be straight with me,” Belle said. Belle asked EJ to admit what he had done to Rafe and Jada. EJ rolled his eyes, but Belle pressed EJ on the importance of the issue. “For Rafe and Jada or for yourself?” EJ asked. “Both. I need to know that you can be honest with me,” Belle said. Belle argued that they could not move forward together unless they could trust one another.

“I came here because I can’t shake you, EJ. I want you. I need you. And I pull away every time I get close to you, because I’m so afraid that you’re going to hurt somebody else that I love,” Belle said. Belle asked EJ to admit the truth, because she needed to believe he would be truthful with her in the future. “I just need you to say the words. I need you to tell me that you kidnapped Rafe,” Belle said. EJ downed his drink and he stepped closer to Belle as she backed away from him.

“So you do want me,” EJ said. “Yes. God help me I do,” Belle whispered. As EJ started to unbutton Belle’s dress, she stopped him. “First, you need to admit to what you did to Rafe,” Belle said. EJ leaned close to Belle’s chest and whispered, “Then you’re in luck. Because I didn’t do a damn thing to that man. Which means you are wearing a wire for nothing.” Belle acted indignant.

“Don’t try to deny it,” EJ said. EJ argued that the only reason he could believe Belle’s change of heart was if she had been faking it to record a confession. Belle called EJ paranoid. “You spent days ignoring my calls and texts. And then, all of the sudden, you show up out of the blue on my doorstep admitting that you want me after all. But there’s just one catch. I need to confess all my sins to you. Do you think I’m stupid, Belle?” EJ said. Belle denied the accusation. EJ asked Belle to prove that she was not wearing a wire.

“Take off your dress,” EJ said. EJ argued that if Belle had intended to sleep with him, she would not have a problem undressing. “Except it’s not [the reason you came over]. You jumped at the chance when the cops asked you to wear a wire. Not just to gather evidence, but to prove to yourself that despite falling into bed with me, you’re still a good person, to prove that you are over me or because you know that the only way you were going to rid yourself of this temptation is for you to make me go away. Well, I'm not going to make it that easy for you, Belle,” EJ said. EJ caressed Belle’s face.

“Even if I was behind bars, I’d still be in your head, your heart, and your soul. So I’m afraid this whole setup was for naught. You won’t be able to break this spell we have over each other,” EJ said. “We’ll see about that,” Belle said. Belle walked out.

Kristen went to the penthouse to talk to Brady about John. “Any news?” Kristen asked. “Do you care?” Brady countered. Kristen insisted that she did. “[John’s] going to outlive us all,” Kristen said. “I hope so. I miss him. I’m sure Rachel misses her grandfather too,” Brady said. Kristen noted that Rachel also missed her grandmother. Kristen informed Brady that EJ had made Rachel Blake disappear.

“You left our daughter alone in that house with EJ, knowing what he has done?” Brady said. Kristen argued that EJ would never harm her daughter because she was family. “Unlike my mother who has been away for so many years to protect me. And I couldn’t even return the favor,” Kristen said. Brady apologized. Kristen was skeptical in light of how Rachel Blake had treated Ava. Brady admitted that he and Ava had broken up.

“After we knew that we had to let EJ walk for Rachel’s sake. I mean she said she understood, but it was a little too much for us to overcome,” Brady said. Kristen told Brady she was sorry, but he said no. “It’s what you wanted all along,” Brady said. Brady apologized, and he admitted he was emotional because of his father’s disappearance. “I have faith. And at this point, it’s all we have left,” Kristen said. Brady said he hoped Kristen was right about John, and he wished her luck in the search for her mother.

“I might have to force the issue,” Kristen muttered. When Brady asked Kristen what she meant, Kristen avoided the question. “I really do hope that your father is safe and that he makes it home soon,” Kristen said. “Thank you. And I wish you luck with Elvis,” Brady said.

When Kristen returned home, EJ was still in the living room, and he told Kristen that he did not want to talk. “Where is my mother?” Kristen demanded. “I said not now!” EJ screamed. Kristen glared at EJ, and she advised him to calm down. “This isn’t over. I will find the answers I need about my mother one way or another,” Kristen growled. Kristen walked into the foyer, and she pulled her mother’s gun out of her purse.

In Estonia, Steve kicked in a door in Orpheus’ warehouse after he heard a gunshot. A man who looked like John was slumped over on a desk. Steve shot the man that had shot the man at the desk.. Marlena rushed into the room. “Oh my god! Is it John?” Marlena asked. Steve walked over and examined the face of the man slumped onto the desk. “Is it my husband?” Marlena yelled. Steve breathed a sigh of relief, and he confirmed it was not John.

“Whoever he is, he’s still alive,” Steve said as he felt a pulse. Marlena counseled Steve to put pressure on the wound as Steve tipped the man upright. “I’m a doctor, we’re here to help you,” Marlena told the man. “It’s not safe. I’m not gonna make it, am I?” the man said. The man confirmed that he was Dr. Karl Pilkington. “You’re one of the top nuclear scientists in Europe, right?” Steve said. Karl nodded yes. Marlena showed Karl a photo of John, and Karl confirmed that John had been on-site. Steve asked about John’s location, and Karl confirmed that men had taken John away.

“They knew he infiltrated the lab. I helped him cover. That’s why they shot me. [They] moved the device and took him with it,” Karl said. When Steve asked for details, Karl whispered, “Rosebud.” Marlena felt for a pulse, but Karl was dead. Paul walked in. “Dad?” Paul said. Marlena assured Paul that the man was not John.

“What are you doing here?” Paul asked Marlena. “I was wondering the same thing,” Steve said. Marlena explained that Orpheus had ambushed her at the hotel, but she had gotten the drop on him. “Andrew is there now, making sure he stays right where he is until the ISA arrives and takes him into custody. I thought I’d better come here and warn you about Orpheus,” Marlena said. Steve updated Paul on what he had learned from Karl.

“Well, no wonder Shane wanted to keep this under wraps. Do you have any idea where they went?” Paul asked. Marlena mentioned that Karl had said the word Rosebud, and she suggested that they question Orpheus.

In Marlena’s hotel room, Andrew called the ISA to ask for a pickup of Orpheus. A tied up Orpheus appeared to be unconscious. As Andrew paced the room while he talked on the phone, he turned his back to Orpheus. When Andrew turned back around, Orpheus was gone. “What?” Andrew said. Orpheus stepped out of the shadows with a gun pointed at Andrew. Orpheus chastised Andrew for having turned his back on a suspect in custody. Orpheus ordered Andrew to call the ISA back and redirect them away so that Orpheus could escape.

“That’s never going to happen,” Andrew said. “I guess you’re right. You’re too smart for that, aren’t you? You know I’d have to deal with you anyway,” Orpheus said. With a sigh, Orpheus told Andrew that he should have double-checked Marlena’s rope ties. “Shame you have to pay for her mistake,” Orpheus said. “You really think this is going to end well for you?” Andrew said. Andrew argued that because Orpheus was dealing with a nuclear weapon, there was nowhere for Orpheus to hide from justice.

“Hand me that gun, I’ll tell my team you’re planning to cooperate,” Andrew said. Orpheus smirked. “It would be quite a notch on my belt to kill the ISA director’s son,” Orpheus said. Andrew cautioned Orpheus not to act rashly, but Orpheus said it was justified. Andrew closed his eyes, and a gun went off. When Andrew opened his eyes, he saw Orpheus fall to the floor. Paul stood in the doorway with a freshly fired pistol.

Andrew kicked Orpheus’ gun away from him, and he assured Paul that he was okay. Orpheus groaned. “You saved my life,” Andrew said. “About time I returned the favor,” Paul said. Andrew asked Paul if he had found John. Paul explained that Steve and Marlena were chasing a lead and that they had sent Paul back to the hotel to question Orpheus. Paul squatted in front of Orpheus, and he asked about Rosebud. Orpheus played dumb.

“Tell me where my father is!” Paul yelled. Andrew held Paul back from Orpheus. “You have tortured him for decades. For what? Huh? You still blame him for something you and I both know he didn’t do?” Paul said. Paul told Orpheus that if he did not tell him where to find John, he would shoot Orpheus and end everyone’s misery. Andrew pleaded with Paul to reconsider.

“We both know I’m not going to tell you where John is or where to find that bomb, just like we both know you’re never going to pull that trigger. You’re predictable,” Orpheus said. Orpheus argued that Paul would also never implicate Andrew in a crime. “He who seeks revenge seeks two graves. One for me, and one for Agent Donovan’s career,” Orpheus said. Andrew countered that Paul would not shoot Orpheus because John would not want his son to commit murder. Paul lowered his gun. “What did I tell you? Predictable. You really are your father’s son,” Orpheus said.

At the warehouse, Steve and Marlena scoured the office for clues. “Do you think it was a mistake to send [Paul] back to the hotel by himself?” Marlena asked. “Paul is an excellent PI trained by none other than the esteemed John Black. Which means he learned from the best,” Steve said. Marlena showed Steve a folder.

“Rosebud. It’s the only word I can read on this,” Marlena said. “It’s encrypted. I’ll get the ISA on this right away,” Steve said. Steve urged Marlena to take a break while he contacted the ISA, and Marlena reluctantly agreed. “The children are going to want an update about their dad anyway,” Marlena said. Marlena called Brady and updated him on the situation in Estonia. “I’m afraid he’s in more trouble than we feared,” Marlena said.

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