DAYS RECAP — April 18, 2025: Xander EXPLODES at Philip Over the Ultimate Betrayal

HIn the police interrogation room, JJ told Shawn about his interrogation of Gabi. “Gabi’s furious at me,” JJ said. When Shawn asked if Gabi had denied shooting EJ, JJ said she had not said that. JJ told Shawn about how Gabi’s story had changed multiple times during the interrogation. With a sigh, JJ said he wanted to believe that Gabi had been truthful with him.

Shawn’s phone beeped, and he noted that the tipline had turned up a lead. “If it turns into something real, then I’ll let you know,” Shawn said. Before Shawn left, he told JJ that although Gabi liked to hold a grudge, she understood that JJ had been doing his job. “We’ll see,” JJ said. Shawn told JJ that he hoped Gabi was innocent and would forgive him.

Gabi was working in her office at DiMera Enterprises when Melinda walked in. Melinda told Gabi that she was relieved that Xander and Philip had not fired her, too. With a smirk, Melinda explained that she had bullied security into letting her into the building to collect her belongings. Gabi told Melinda that JJ had questioned her about EJ’s shooting, and she asked if Melinda could serve as her attorney.

“What gave him the idea that you did it?” Melinda asked. “Who knows? Cops are obviously desperate for suspects,” Gabi said with a shrug. Melinda noted that Gabi had a motive for the shooting, but she also conceded that a lot of people in town had a motive to shoot EJ.

“Normally, I’d ask you if you pulled the trigger, but um, since you’re hiring me to be your representative, I would prefer not to know one way or the other. Easier to mount a defense that way,” Melinda said. Gabi hired Melinda. As Melinda picked up her box to leave, Gabi noted that she would have left the company if Titan had not prevented her from taking Gabi Chic with her. “The only way to keep my own company is to play nice with those two jerks,” Gabi said. With a look of disgust, Gabi complained about how smug Xander and Philip had been.

“Well, they did pull off a pretty big coup,” Melinda admitted. Gabi disagreed. “They got lucky and caught Kristen when she was distracted,” Gabi argued. With a shake of her head, Gabi told Melinda that she did not think Xander and Philip’s civil partnership would last long. Melinda said she hoped a blowout might help her get her job back. “And for now, don’t talk to JJ professionally. Or otherwise,” Melinda advised.

After Melinda left the office, she went over to the police station to speak to JJ. Melinda confirmed that she was Gabi’s lawyer and that JJ should direct all questions to her instead of Gabi. “Sorry. I’m sure you were hoping that she would hire someone that would let you get away with the kind of crap you’ve been trying to pull,” Melinda said. Melinda told JJ she would not let him accuse an innocent woman of attempted murder.

“First of all, I didn’t accuse Gabi of anything. But let’s not pretend that she isn’t a suspect. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t investigate her,” JJ argued. “And I wouldn’t be doing mine if I didn’t tell you that the next time you question my client, make sure I’m present,” Melinda said. Shawn returned to the room, and he held up an evidence bag with a gun in it.

“Does this belong to you?” Shawn asked. Shawn explained that a sanitation worker had found the gun in the park and called the tipline about it. “What makes you think that has anything to do with me?” Melinda asked. Shawn noted that the serial number on the gun was registered to Melinda. “I don’t know anything about that,” Melinda said. Shawn explained that the gun had likely been dropped in the trashcan after EJ’s shooting.

“Why did you get rid of your gun that night?” Shawn asked. After a moment, Melinda explained that she had loaned her gun to Ava because of Rachel Blake’s harassment. “Ava never pressed charges against her or Kristen,” Shawn said. “There was a family situation. It was complicated,” Melinda countered. Melinda said she had loaned the gun to Ava for her protection.

“And you’re saying she just dropped it in the garbage?” JJ asked. “It’s news to me. It’s the only explanation I can come up with,” Melinda said with a shrug. Melinda suggested that JJ and Shawn could follow up with Ava. “For someone so concerned about her friend, you gave her up pretty quickly,” JJ noted. Melinda scowled, and she noted, “It’s every woman for themselves. I’m sure as hell not gonna go down for a crime I didn’t commit.” Shawn agreed to confirm Melinda’s story with Ava.

“But in the meantime, Melinda, you’re under arrest,” JJ said. “For what?” Melinda asked. JJ noted that it was only legal to loan someone your gun if that person was allowed to carry a weapon. “Considering Ava’s recent stint in Bayview, she’s not,” Shawn said. “And as an officer of the court, former district attorney, one might assume you knew that,” JJ added. Melinda said she knew the law, but she had not known that Ava’s right to carry a firearm had been suspended.

“You’re not seriously going to book me for this, are you?” Melinda asked. After a moment, Shawn said no, but he warned Melinda not to leave town. JJ said that he would be in touch with Melinda if he had any questions about Gabi.

In the town square, Vivian informed Philip that she had told Xander about the forged letter. “Why the hell would you do that?” Philip said. “Because I thought you needed to be reminded that Mommy Dearest calls the shots,” Vivian said. Philip was taken aback. Vivian said she knew that Philip had been stalling. When Philip argued that they would both lose out on Victor’s inheritance, Vivian noted, “Sometimes money isn’t the most important thing. There is self-respect.” Vivian called Philip ungrateful.

“You just confessed to a crime, Vivian. You don’t think you’ll face consequences?” Philip said. Vivian scoffed. “We both know that the only betrayal he is going to be concerned about is his brother’s,” Vivian said. Philip winced, and he asked how Xander had reacted. “He realized what an amoral, despicable brother he has,” Vivian said. Vivian warned Philip that his life was over.

“Damn it! You’ve ruined everything. I can’t even look at you anymore, you crazy bitch!” Philip yelled. Philip stormed off. Vivian walked over to the Small Bar, and she called Ivan to inform him that she was returning home to her real son, Stefan. “I know he still appreciates me even if I did forge his name on the divorce papers and drug him to get him to get rid of that scourge, Gabi Hernandez,” Vivian muttered. Gabi leaned against the bar, and Vivian hurriedly ended her call.

“I was just talking about you,” Vivian said. “What did you say about me?” Gabi asked. Vivian sipped her drink, and she noted that she had been telling Ivan about the Salem gossip. Gabi warned Vivian not to seek revenge, or she would regret it. “I’m not scared of you. And there’s no need to punish you for your dastardly deeds. You’ve already paid enough and very dearly for what you did to me,” Vivian argued. Suspicious, Gabi asked Vivian what she meant. “My son came to his senses and divorced your unworthy carcass and hasn’t given you a second thought,” Vivian said. Furious, Gabi asked Vivian, “Are you done being a miserable bitch?” Vivian smiled and said yes.

In the Hernandez kitchen, Rafe connected the recording device he had retrieved from the DiMera mansion to his laptop computer. “Okay. Let’s see what really happened that night,” Rafe said. Before Rafe could review the recording, Sami knocked on the door. Sami explained that she had wanted to say goodbye one more time. Sami talked about her visits with her kids, and Rafe told her that he was happy for her.

Sami admitted that there were a number of reasons to stay in Salem, but that she needed to get back to Italy. Sami reminded Rafe that he was welcome to visit her any time. Rafe smiled. “You should congratulate me. It’s pretty amazing that I came to town, and I didn’t cause any chaos, right?” Sami said. Rafe’s smile faltered.

“About that,” Rafe said. Rafe told Sami that he had been wrong about Jada’s relationship with Shawn. Confused, Sami reminded Rafe that he had found Jada’s blouse on Shawn’s sofa. Rafe confirmed that Jada had spent the night on Shawn’s couch, but nothing romantic had happened. “They did sleep together before?” Sami asked. Rafe said yes.

“But that was when we were broken up and she thought that I had cheated on her, but it was just, evidently, that one time,” Rafe said. “And you believe her?” Sami asked. Rafe said yes. Rafe argued that the surrounding evidence had been convincing. Sami asked Rafe what he planned to do.

“To say that she is extremely angry would be an understatement,” Rafe said. Sami asked Rafe if Jada was mad because Rafe had misjudged her. Rafe admitted that was part of the reason, but mostly Jada was angry because he had told her about his night with Sami. Sami gasped. “Have I taught you nothing? You told her?” Sami said. With a smirk, Sami asked Rafe how Jada had reacted.

“She was not forgiving, and she was angry, and she used the word ‘betrayal’ many times,” Rafe said. “Of course. She’s upset,” Sami said. Sami noted that both Jada and Rafe had made a mistake, and that they were even. “That’s what I said,” Rafe agreed. “Well, not that you should have said it right away, but you should keep saying it,” Sami advised. Rafe said that Jada asked for space. Sami suggested an apology video, but Rafe refused.

“When did you get so bad at this?” Rafe grumbled. Rafe argued that Jada did not want to hear from him in any form. “All right. But if she’s gonna need time, you should take that time too,” Sami said. Sami encouraged Rafe to think about whether he wanted to be with Jada. “[And if you decide you want to be with her], then you better do whatever it takes to get her back,” Sami said. Stunned, Rafe joked that Sami had given him good advice for once. Sami told Rafe that she was grateful to have him in her life.

“This trip has been hard for me. Flying the whole way here, thinking about that talk I had to have with Johnny, and dealing with EJ and now John. And when I’m with you, I just always feel better when I’m with you,” Sami said. “I know,” Rafe whispered. Sami wished Rafe good luck, and she told him that he deserved happiness. After Sami left, Rafe was attempting to review his recording from the DiMera crime scene when Gabi walked in. With a smile, Rafe lied and said he had been looking at social media.

Xander returned home to the Kiriakis mansion, and Sarah asked why he looked upset. Xander said that someone he had trusted had lied to him. “Who has you this upset?” Sarah asked. Xander explained that Vivian had told him that Philip had lied about Victor’s letter and that it was a forgery.

“She confessed to that?” Sarah said. Xander noted that although Vivian was a compulsive liar, he believed her. “She helped [Philip] steal half my birthright,” Xander growled. Philip walked in slowly, and he avoided eye contact. “Well, look who it is. Hey, did your screwy surrogate mother tell you that she just gave me an earful about you conning me out of my inheritance?” Xander asked. Philip said yes.

“You’re here to deny it, right?” Xander asked. Philip hesitated, then answered, “I’m not going to deny it.” With tears welling in Xander’s eyes, Xander asked, “So it’s true?” Philip confirmed that Vivian had forged the letter, and he had used it to take half of Xander’s inheritance. “Whatever else you want to know, go ahead and ask me. Because I’m prepared to tell you everything,” Philip said. Sarah stared in horror, frozen.

“It was Vivian’s idea to forge the letter. She did that all on her own,” Philip said. “So you were just an innocent victim?” Xander sneered. Philip explained that he had lost everything, and after he had recovered his mental health, Vivian had reached out to him. “Vivian offered me a chance to get back to life, to be part of the world. To matter again,” Philip said. “And take Titan in the process,” Xander added. Philip nodded yes. Philip admitted that he had believed that he had deserved his father’s legacy. “I told myself that it’s what [Victor] would have wanted. That if I had been here in Salem instead of locked away, that this is what he would have left me,” Philip explained. Xander pointed out that Victor had known that Philip was alive, and he had still not left anything for Philip in the will.

“Because he didn’t think he could without putting me in danger,” Philip said. “According to you. Just like according to you, it’s fine to lie and commit fraud, because you decided that you deserved all this,” Xander countered. Xander noted that Philip had dismissed him, because he had seen Xander as an undeserving bastard. Philip shook his head no.

“Because you’re the real son, right? The one that he wasn’t too ashamed to acknowledge while he was still alive. So why not hire your salt of the earth ex-wife to take the pretender to court and swindle away his inheritance?’ Xander said. Philip stressed that Belle had not known that the letter had been a forgery. “Oh, so this was just a two person conspiracy?” Xander said. Sarah stared wide-eyed at Xander, and then back to Philip. Philip glanced at Sarah before he said that only he and Vivian had known the letter was a fraud.

“When you showed up with that letter, I wanted to shove it down your throat. It felt like yet another knife in the gut from this family that will never accept me. The last thing that I wanted was to share any control of Titan with you. Especially after the first thing you did was prevent me from trading Titan to Kristen for the serum that would help Sarah walk again. Thank God we managed to get it anyway,” Xander said. “And you got to keep the company,” Philip countered.

Xander explained that if not for the legal judgment, he would have fought to the death to keep the company out of Philip’s hands. “But it was Sarah that convinced me that this was the way,” Xander said. Sarah attempted to interrupt, but Xander continued to talk over her. Xander argued that Sarah had convinced him that the best way to honor Victor was to work with his brother. Sarah stared at the ground, visibly upset, but silent.

“And something funny happened. I realized that I enjoy working with you. I liked having someone to brainstorm with, share ideas. After all these years of disappointment, I’d given up hoping that I could ever have a real brother. Or that this family would accept me. That I would be loved and respected like a true son of Victor Kiriakis. But somehow, partnering with you, I finally felt like I belonged,” Xander said. Philip smiled.

“You do belong, Xander,” Philip said. Hurt, Xander asked Philip how he could say that after he had stabbed him in the back. “As much as I’ve wanted it to be true, you’ve proven to me that you are not my brother. You are not my family. And I want you the hell out of this house,” Xander said. Philip did not move, so Xander threatened to call the police.

“You’re right to hate me. I did deceive you and take half your inheritance. But you’re wrong about me laughing at you. Yes, I lied and cheated to get what I thought I was owed by my family. But looking back, what I ended up getting was my family,” Philip said. Xander warned Philip to wrap it up..

“I just wanted you to know that I like working with you, Xander. You really surprised me. It’s how I always wanted it to be with my brothers. Maybe that’s how I was able to live with the guilt of what I did. I convinced myself that I’d done the right thing because it brought us closer. But at the end of the day, there’s no excuse for what I did. You deserve better. And I just want you to know, Xander, that I am so sorry,” Philip said. Philip walked out.

A pained look crossed Xander’s face, and Sarah hugged him. “I am so sorry,” Sarah said. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You’re not the one who lied to me,” Xander said. Xander hugged Sarah, but her face appeared stricken.

In the town square, Sami was ending a call to Johnny when Vivian rounded the corner. The two women complimented each other on how they looked. “Are you waiting for a rideshare?” Sami asked. “You know, trying to save pennies,” Vivian said. Sami smiled and asked Vivian if she was headed to the airport. Vivian said she was flying to Europe, and Sami confirmed they were on the same flight next to one another. “Can’t believe it,” Sami said. “We’ve got so much to catch up on,” Vivian said.