Days of our Lives recap for March 28, 2025: The search for John takes an unexpected turn

Philip walked into the Brady Pub, and Kate warned him that he was in danger. “Long story short, EJ thinks that I’ve ruined his relationship with his son, so he’s threatened to hurt one of mine,” Kate said. “How did you ruin his relationship with his son?” Philip asked. Kate waved off the question, and she stressed that the important issue was that Philip took precautions for his own safety. “Fine. Although at this point, my life might be over anyway,” Philip said. Philip updated Kate on what had happened with Xander and Alex.

“You’re the co-CEO of a million-dollar company [still],” Kate said. “For now. Unless Stephanie tells Alex the truth,” Philip countered. Philip said he doubted that Stephanie would risk her relationship for him. Kate counseled Philip to talk to Stephanie, but Philip argued that there was no point. Unfazed, Kate needled Philip until he agreed to find Stephanie.

“At least you won’t have to keep this secret from Roman anymore,” Philip said. “I hate lying to Roman. But I will do that for you because I love you. And because I believe you deserve a share of your father’s empire,” Kate said. Kate told Philip to get over his defeatist attitude and go follow up with Stephanie.

As Philip walked out, he passed Roman. “[Philip] looked pretty depressed. And you look worried. What’s going on?” Roman asked. Kate said that Philip was struggling with relationship drama. “I didn’t realize he was seeing anybody,” Roman said. With a shrug, Kate noted that the situation was complicated. Kate changed the subject to Kim. Roman explained that Kim had told him to stay in Salem because she had Shane and Theresa with her.

“What about Andrew?” Kate asked. “According to Kimberly, he’s in Europe. Helping Marlena find John,” Roman said. Kate asked Roman if he believed that John was okay. “I honestly don’t know. Shane keeps stonewalling me, too. I’m sure he has his reasons, but it’s damn frustrating,” Roman said. “Especially for Marlena,” Kate said. With a nod, Roman said he was certain that Marlena would not give up until she found John. Kate admitted that she would not have been able to handle it if Roman was still in a dangerous line of work. “You’re never gonna lose me, Kate,” Roman said. “I’ll hold you to that,” Kate whispered.

In the Kiriakis living room, Xander admitted to Sarah that he had told Alex the truth about Philip’s affair with Stephanie. “Why would you do that?” Sarah yelped. Sarah argued that the affair was not their business. With a shrug, Xander said he had not told Alex the secret on purpose. “Unfortunately, Alex overheard,” Xander said. Xander said he had had no choice but to tell the whole story. Sarah groaned.

“Don’t blame me. I’m not the one that’s been keeping secrets from his significant other,” Xander said. A pained look crossed Sarah’s face. Xander told Sarah that Alex had attempted to strangle Philip, and then he had stormed out of the house. “I’d be very interested in hearing what Stephanie has to say for herself,” Xander said. “Me too,” Sarah muttered. Sarah said she hoped this would blow over.

“If it was just the cheating, maybe in time, Alex could forgive her. But lying to his face like that, making a bloody fool out of him by keeping that secret for god knows how long,” Xander said. “I’m sure she had her reasons,” Sarah said. With a shake of his head, Xander noted that Philip and Stephanie’s break-up had been abrupt. “I just wish they hadn’t snuck around behind Alex’s back. He didn’t deserve that,” Xander said. Sarah agreed. Xander complimented Alex’s behavior since he had learned that he was not Victor’s heir.

“Yeah, he’s a really great guy,” Sarah said. “And after the way Theresa messed him around. I mean, he was finally happy with Stephanie. And they went through so much to get back together. But to betray him like that? He must be devastated,” Xander said. Overwhelmed with guilt, Sarah rubbed her hands on her face. Sarah admitted that she had finally realized how much Xander genuinely wanted there to be peace in the family. “I’m sorry for doubting you,” Sarah said. Xander told Sarah not to feel bad.

“In the past, I was only ever about number one, battling one Kiriakis after another, trying to get what I deserved. Hell with everyone else. But now that Victor is gone, I just don’t feel that way anymore. I can’t. I just feel like I have this responsibility to keep the family from falling apart,” Xander said. Sarah advised Xander to give Alex space, but Xander insisted on checking on him.

In Stephanie’s apartment, Alex demanded to know if Stephanie had been sleeping with Philip. Stephanie admitted that she had been keeping a secret. “But it’s not what you think,” Stephanie said. Stephanie promised that she would never cheat on Alex. Confused, Alex asked Stephanie what she was keeping from him.

“I want to tell you. But I promised I wouldn’t say anything,” Stephanie said. Stephanie swore that the secret did not directly impact Alex. “I know it’s asking a lot, but could you just trust me and leave it at that?” Stephanie asked. Alex asked Stephanie to put herself in his shoes. “Would you be able to let that go?” Alex asked. With a sigh, Stephanie admitted that Alex deserved answers.

“You know that letter that your Uncle Victor wrote to Philip, the one that helped him get half of Titan?” Stephanie said. “What about it?” Alex asked. Stephanie admitted that the letter was forged by Philip and Vivian. “[Philip] has no legitimate claim on Titan,” Stephanie said. Alex asked Stephanie how she knew about it. Stephanie explained that she had overheard Philip talking about it with Kate. Stephanie said she had been furious about the lie and how Philip had put her reputation at risk with his actions.

“That’s the real reason why Philip and I broke up,” Stephanie said. “If you were that upset, why didn’t you tell anybody?” Alex asked. Stephanie explained that she had told Sarah about the forgery, but Sarah had decided to keep the truth from Xander. “This is crazy! Philip just committed a major fraud, and everybody wants to keep it a secret?” Alex yelled. “And now you have to do the same,” Stephanie said. Alex refused.

“My cousin deserves to know the truth,” Alex said. Stephanie said she did not disagree, but the situation was complicated. “It happened to me. I bought into a phony letter misrepresenting Victor’s wishes, and it turned my entire world upside down. I’m not letting it happen to my cousin,” Alex argued. Stephanie noted that the situation was not just about the company. “If Xander finds out that Sarah’s been lying to him all this time, he will never forgive her. Their marriage will be over,” Stephanie said. Confused, Alex asked why Sarah had decided to lie.

“The way Sarah explained it, Kate and Philip argued that even though Victor’s letter was a forgery, it was still somewhat truthful. They believe that Victor wanted Philip to run Titan. But when he wrote his will, Philip was struggling with mental illness, and so Victor couldn’t put him in charge. And Sarah didn’t think it was fair to penalize Philip for that,” Stephanie said. Alex frowned.

“So Sarah cares more about what’s fair to Philip than what’s best for her own husband,” Alex said. Stephanie stressed that Sarah had been worried about what was best for everyone. “Sarah was worried if Xander was alone at the top, all of that power would go to his head. But if Philip were there, he could act as a check. Stop him from doing anything crazy or illegal,” Stephanie explained. With a shake of her head, Alex asked why Sarah did not trust her husband. Stephanie asked Alex if he would trust Xander to run the company on his own. Alex sighed.

“There was also the strong chance that if Xander found out what Philip had done, he would either prosecute him or kill him. And I didn’t want to be responsible for that,” Stephanie added. “So you’re just pretending that you don’t know anything?” Alex asked. Stephanie said she hated the situation. “And believe me, if the lie had affected you or our relationship, just like that nonsense about me sleeping with Philip, I would have shut it down from the beginning. But it doesn’t,” Stephanie said. Stephanie warned Alex that if he told the truth now, it could destroy the company and the family.

“I don’t want to cause any problems with Xander and Sarah. But I owe it to my cousin to tell him the truth,” Alex said. “Owe it to him?” Stephanie asked. Alex explained that Xander had been good to him. Stephanie told Alex that although she understood Alex’s point of view, she believed they should respect Sarah’s wishes. Before Alex could respond, Philip knocked on the door.

Philip stressed that his relationship with Stephanie was over. “Save it, Philip! Steph already told me the truth. You’re a liar and a fraud,” Alex yelled. Philip asked Alex to specify. “You forged a letter to get your grubby little hands on Titan,” Alex growled. “You didn’t seriously think that I would let Alex believe that I had been cheating on him with you?” Stephanie said. Philip shrugged.

“Would it really have been so bad?” Philip said. Alex raised his fist to punch Philip, and Philip flinched. “You think Victor would have left you Titan if you hadn’t been locked up in a loony bin?” Alex said. Philip reminded Alex that before Victor’s death, everyone had believed that Philip had died and that Victor could not leave him anything in the will.

“That’s right! You tried to frame Brady for your own murder. You just have a habit of screwing with your own family members, don’t you?” Alex said. “For what it’s worth, I do feel guilty about deceiving Xander,” Philip said. Alex scoffed. Philip explained that since he had gotten to know Xander, he had grown to like him. “And we’re making this co-CEO thing work. You’ve seen us in action. You said we make a great team!” Philip said. “It’s based on a lie!” Alex countered. Philip argued that Alex could not disrupt their big deal.

“Forget me! Do this for Victor. To protect what he spent his lifetime building: his company, his legacy. This is so much bigger than us, Alex. It’s about all the generations of this family yet to come,” Philip said. Philip asked Alex to go along with the lie. As Alex stared daggers at Philip, Xander and Sarah knocked on the front door. Philip asked Alex not to answer the door, but Alex opened it. “Sarah and I came to check up on you. But if you’re in the middle of something, we can go,” Xander said. Alex told Xander that he was glad to see him.

“It’s about time that the truth comes out in the open,” Alex said. “I know I screwed up, but I was hoping I could get Alex to understand,” Philip said. Xander noted that he did not want to interfere, but as the de facto head of the family, he wanted to help Alex if he could. Alex thanked Xander. “But after hearing it both from Stephanie and Phil, I know exactly what has to be done,” Alex said. Alex looked at Sarah.

“The truth is, Stephanie admitted to the affair and how she and Philip will never see each other again,” Alex stammered. Alex stared at the floor, unable to look Xander in the eyes. “And that’s it?” Xander said. “We had a heated discussion. And the three of us have agreed that it would be best for everyone if we just move on,” Alex said. Sarah sighed with relief as Alex glowered at Philip.

At a cafe near Marlena’s hotel in Estonia, Andrew sat down at Steve’s table. “My father sent me,” Andrew said. Steve told Andrew that he was sorry to have heard about the return of Kim’s leukemia. “I wanted to fly home, but Mom has plenty of support, and there is only so much anyone can do for right now. I figured I’d be of more use here, helping you guys find John,” Andrew said.

After a moment, Andrew admitted that Shane had not shut him out of the investigation completely. “I’ve been lying to Paul. I know more about John’s mission than I’ve let on,” Andrew admitted. Steve asked for details. Andrew explained that he could not divulge classified information. “This is John we’re talking about. My friend. My partner,” Steve said. Steve asked Andrew to tell him something.

“I understand the position you’re in. You’re torn between the ISA and family. I’m your family too. And a trained agent. I know how to walk that line. You can trust me,” Steve whispered. After a moment, Andrew agreed. Andrew briefed Steve on the mission details. Steve argued that they needed reinforcements for a rescue mission, but Andrew disagreed.

“This is an incredibly dangerous situation. [Marlena and Paul] are civilians,” Andrew argued. “Paul worked for Black Patch, and he worked with you in Hong Kong. He can handle this,” Steve countered. Steve added that Marlena was tougher than all three of them. “I’ll put it another way. Paul is John's son. And Marlena is the love of John’s life. But it’s your call,” Steve said.

Paul visited Marlena in her hotel room. Tears welled in Marlena’s eyes as she let Paul envelop her in his arms. Marlena noted that she had talked Brady out of joining her and that she wished she had had the opportunity to do the same with Paul. “Why do you think I didn’t tell you?” Paul said with a grin. Paul refused to leave until they found John.

Paul explained that Shane was focused on Kim and her recovery, but that he had wanted to make sure that Steve had help. “Selfishly, I’m glad that [Andrew is here],” Paul said. Marlena asked if Shane had offered any information that could help in the search. Paul shook his head, but he stressed that if anyone could help find John, it was Andrew.

“So how much has Shane told you?” Paul asked. “Not much,” Marlena admitted. Marlena said she and Steve were hoping to track down a lead in the city. “Even if the odds are virtually impossible, [John] can beat them,” Paul said. Marlena smiled. Paul reminisced about how when he had first arrived in Salem, he had butted heads with both John and Marlena. “All in the past,” Marlena said. With a grin, Paul noted that in two weeks it would be the ten-year anniversary of when he had learned that John was his father.

“Finding out that he was my dad? It was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Paul said. Marlena smiled and fought back tears. Paul talked about when John had pursued a relationship with him after Paul had left Salem. “I feel so bad for the way I treated him,” Paul lamented. “You have no need to feel that way. I know you had a rocky beginning, but you finally became truly father and son. And as I recall, you risked your life to save him from Orpheus,” Marlena said. “Dad means everything to me,” Paul said.

When Andrew and Steve returned to Marlena’s hotel room, Paul asked if there was an update. “I actually have some inside information about your father’s mission,” Andrew admitted. “Since when?” Paul asked. Andrew apologized for not having told Paul sooner. “What changed?” Marlena asked. “Time is running out,” Andrew said. Steve explained that someone in the city had built a nuclear device, and they were offering it for sale.

“The ISA is concerned it will fall into the wrong hands,” Andrew said. “It’s tricky because several governments are involved,” Steve said. “How does John fit into all that?” Marlena asked. Andrew explained that John had located the nuclear device. “The ISA told him not to infiltrate, but when they lost contact with him, they suspect he went rogue,” Andrew said. Paul argued that John might still be at the facility. Marlena was eager to leave for the location, but Steve asked her to stay at the hotel.

“You can’t be serious. I didn’t come all this way to sit on the sidelines,” Marlena argued. “This is a nuclear weapon,” Steve said. “And this is my husband. I’m going with you,” Marlena countered. Paul told Marlena that they needed to get in and out of the building quickly. “With you there, he’s going to be worried and distracted. And it might jeopardize everyone’s safety,” Paul argued. Paul stressed that they needed to focus on the best plan to rescue John. After a moment, Marlena relented.

“Please, call me the moment he is safe. And all of you, please be careful,” Marlena said. Steve promised. After Steve, Andrew, and Paul left, Marlena called Belle to tell her that they had a new lead. Marlena promised to call Belle if she had any news. With a sigh, Marlena headed into the bathroom to run a bath.

At the target warehouse, Steve congratulated Paul and Andrew on neutralizing the goons in the building. “We took out about a dozen on the way in,” Paul said. While Andrew and Paul dragged away the bodies of two men, Steve ducked into an office to look around. Steve rifled through some papers and opened up a folder. “Of course. I should have known,” Steve muttered.

At the hotel, Marlena returned to the main room to retrieve something. “Forget your shampoo?” Orpheus said as he stepped out of the shadows. Marlena gasped. “Orpheus,” Marlena whispered.

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