Days of our Lives Recap, April 25, 2025: Jada ended things with Rafe

Here's your Days of our Lives recap for Friday, April 25, 2025, when Jade and Rafe put an end to the nonsense, and EJ had feelings that weren't just bitter.

What happened on Days of our Lives

In the Price-Carver house, Chanel asked Johnny about his job search. “I’d like to find a more permanent gig, but I just can’t seem to be able to find any,” Johnny said. Chanel reminded Johnny that they had a decent nest egg. “And maybe it’s for the best,” Chanel added. Johnny raised an eyebrow. Chanel explained that they would be busy with the new baby.

“I’m so excited for us to start our family. Aren’t you?” Chanel said. When Johnny was unable to force a smile, Chanel asked him if he was okay. “Now that [EJ] is awake, do you think you’ll visit him?” Chanel asked. Johnny reiterated that he did not want EJ to be a part of his life. “Okay. And hey, maybe it’s actually for the best because I gave Amy Choi my word that EJ would not be a part of the baby’s life in any way,” Chanel said. Chanel argued that she would not let anything ruin the adoption. Johnny thought about Roman’s gun.

As Chanel packed up to meet her mother for lunch, she reminded Johnny that Belle would deliver the adoption papers for him to sign. “Once you sign, it will be official. Sophia and Tate’s baby will be ours,” Chanel said. Chanel kissed Johnny goodbye, and she left. Johnny sighed with relief.

At the Hernandez house, Rafe was stunned when Gabi told him about her bid at the bachelor auction. “It was for a good cause. And also, I was angry at JJ,” Gabi explained. Gabi admitted she had been impulsive in light of her work situation. “So you really think that Xander and Philip are gonna push you out of your own company?” Rafe asked. Gabi said that she was not sure if she should stay or go.

Rafe’s phone beeped. “It’s Jada. She wants me to meet her at the station,” Rafe said. Gabi asked Rafe if he believed that Jada had forgiven him. “I hope so. But I doubt it,” Rafe said. “Well, you’re both good people who love each other. And after everything that’s happened, you deserve grace,” Gabi said. Gabi told Rafe that she hoped he and Jada could work things out.

Once Gabi had left for work, Rafe plugged in the recording device from the DiMera mansion to his laptop. Nothing happened, so Rafe examined the device. “Where the hell is the memory card?” Rafe said.

At the police station, Jada asked Shawn for an update on Ava. Shawn confirmed that Roman said Ava had acted “panicky” and had forfeited a full month’s rent. Jada agreed that Ava’s flight from town was suspicious. “The only problem is, she could be anywhere in the world by now,” Jada said.

Shawn asked Jada if she wanted to join him at the hospital while he questioned EJ. Jada declined, and she noted that she was waiting to meet with Rafe. “Does this mean that he’s finally willing to forgive you for what happened?” Shawn asked. “I think the real question is, am I willing to forgive him?” Jada countered. Jada told Shawn about Rafe’s misunderstanding about her blouse and how Rafe had slept with Sami in retaliation.

In the Brady Pub, Brady stared at Ava’s name on his phone. Paulina said hello, and she asked about John. Brady admitted that there were no updates yet. “I am praying for John Black’s safe return,” Paulina said. Paulina changed the subject to the confirmed adoption of Tate and Sophia’s baby. “I’ve never seen my baby girl so happy,” Paulina said. Brady said he was happy for everyone that the adoption was going ahead.

“But still, it won’t be easy watching your grandchild be adopted into another family,” Paulina said. “It will be tough. But it’s what’s best for the baby,” Brady agreed. Brady added that Johnny was family, and he believed Johnny and Chanel would be good parents. After Brady left, Chanel arrived for her lunch with Paulina. Paulina and Chanel discussed the plans for the baby.

At Gabi Chic, Gabi called Javi on the phone and asked him about an ad campaign that had gone through without her approval. “What do you mean Xander changed them?” Gabi yelled. Gabi ordered Javi to speak with her before implementing any other changes that she had not approved. Gabi searched her desk for the original campaign, and she found a Titan employee manual. Frustrated, Gabi threw the manual across the room, and it hit Brady as he walked in. “It’s good to see you, too,” Brady said.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I was happier at DiMera. At least Kristen stayed out of my way,” Gabi said. Gabi argued that Xander and Philip were risk-averse and that they had turned down all of her ideas. “I made Gabi Chic a success all on my own,” Gabi complained. Brady argued that Gabi should give the brothers some credit because they had fulfilled Victor’s dream. Gabi disagreed, and she countered that anyone could have taken over the company because EJ and Kristen had been sidelined.

“I’m assuming that now is not a great time to talk to you about a Gabi Chic/Basic Black collab, so I will leave you to it, and I’ll come back again,” Brady said. As Brady turned to leave, Gabi asked him to stay. “Maybe you can help me get out of this mess,” Gabi said. Brady asked how. Gabi urged Brady to talk to Xander and Philip. “You and I both know that Gabi Chic is a cash cow. What makes you think they’re just gonna hand it back over to you?” Brady asked. Gabi reminded Brady that Basic Black covered a similar market.

“What makes you think they would listen to me?” Brady asked. “Because you’re family. They trust you,” Gabi said. Brady argued that he was not as influential as Gabi hoped. “And secondly, why do you think I would go out of my way to help you?” Brady asked. Confused, Gabi asked Brady how she had wronged him. Brady guffawed.

After a moment, Gabi sighed. “That was ages ago,” Gabi said. Brady argued that Gabi and Stefan’s scheme to double-cross his efforts to get custody of Rachel could not be forgotten. “Even more reason to get me out of this company,” Gabi argued. Brady told Gabi that even if he wanted to help her, he did not have the time. “Suck it up, and stick it out,” Brady advised Gabi.

EJ was sitting in his hospital bed thinking about the recording device he had spotted in his living room before the shooting, when Belle walked in. “Does that mean you’re ready to give me an answer?” EJ asked. Belle admitted that she loved EJ. “I’ve been fighting it for a while now. But seeing you in that hospital bed and not knowing if you were going to make it, I just couldn’t fight it anymore. So even though I know I shouldn’t, I do love you,” Belle said. EJ started to tear up, and Belle gasped good naturedly.

“Sorry. Kayla said I might be overly emotional for a while. A physiological response to the coma and the trauma of the shooting,” EJ said. EJ smiled. “That actually happened to my dad after his brain aneurysm. But in time, all these little personality changes will start to fade away,” Belle said. “Well, I hope not all of them,” EJ said. EJ explained that he had had a wake-up call from the experience.

“I’ve done some terrible things recently, as you know all too well. And it’s made me realize that that’s not the legacy I want to leave behind. Most people don’t remember my father as a good friend or a loving husband, but they do remember him as someone who was cruel, vindictive, and a tyrant. Once I’m gone and the eulogies have all been given and they’ve shoveled the last bit of dirt on my casket, I don't want the same to be true for me,” EJ said. Belle smiled.

“Right before I was shot, I was standing in that living room, and I had this epiphany, if you will. Suddenly, all my sins were laid bare so plainly. And I realized that everyone in this town hated me, even my own son,” EJ said. EJ explained that he felt immense guilt over his part in having prevented Johnny and Chanel from adopting Tate’s baby. Belle told EJ that Amy had changed her mind.

“The adoption is back on. I drew up the paperwork yesterday,” Belle said. EJ smiled serenely. Belle told EJ that there was one condition to the adoption. “That you will have nothing to do with the child’s life,” Belle said. EJ nodded, unsurprised. “I’m never going to be able to meet my own grandchild?” EJ asked. Belle remained silent. EJ asked if that meant he could never see Johnny either. Belle confirmed that EJ and Johnny could still talk.

“What if he cuts me out of his life completely? I couldn’t bear it, never being able to speak to my son again,” EJ said with tears in his eyes. Belle assured EJ that he and Johnny would be able to work things out in time. As EJ thanked Belle for having told him that she loved him, Shawn walked into the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m here on official police business,” Shawn said. Belle promised to return later, and she squeezed EJ’s hand. Shawn frowned with dismay as he saw the sign of affection.

After Belle left, Shawn asked EJ if he remembered having seen Ava on the night of the shooting. “No, I don’t believe I saw her that night, but I still have gaps in my memory,” EJ admitted. EJ said the last time he remembered having spoken to Ava was outside the Brady Pub the night before the shooting. “And how would you describe that interaction?” Shawn asked. “She was still accusing me of having a hand in her kidnapping. I told her she was mistaken, of course,” EJ said. Shawn asked EJ if he had anything else that could tie Ava to the shooting. “The day I ran into her, she was vowing to get justice for my alleged misdeeds,” EJ said.

At the police station, Jada met with Rafe in the interrogation room. “To be honest, I don’t think we have a relationship anymore,” Jada said. Rafe was surprised. “You said you wanted space,” Rafe countered. With a nod, Jada admitted that she did not think time would heal their problems. “I know that I hurt you when I slept with Sami,” Rafe started. “At this point, we’ve both hurt each other. And whether it was intentional or not, I just don’t see how we can move forward from this,” Jada said. Jada told Rafe that she would cherish her memories of the good times.

“I just don’t think that we knew each other as well as we thought we did. So I think it’s best that we end things,” Jada said. Rafe chuckled ruefully. “I feel like part of me does agree with you, that maybe too much has happened. But there’s also a part of me that wants to fight for us. Jada, we were so happy together,” Rafe argued. Rafe told Jada that he did not want to throw their whole relationship away. Jada countered that they had broken each other’s trust. Jada added that even prior to Arnold, their relationship had been troubled since she was appointed commissioner.

“Yes, you were generous and supportive, but that just changed something with us, and I felt it. And didn’t you?” Jada said. “I suppose I did,” Rafe admitted. Jada told Rafe that he meant the world to her. “You loved me when I really needed to be loved badly. And I will never forget that,” Jada said. Jada told Rafe that she loved him, but they could not be together. “I love you, too,” Rafe said. Rafe told Jada that he was grateful for he,r too.

“I suppose it is best, for now anyway, that we take a break from each other,” Rafe said. Both Rafe and Jada expressed how much they respected one another as people. Rafe told Jada that he planned to resign from Black Patch and take a job offer with the FBI out of town. Rafe admitted he had been unsure, but after their conversation, he felt it was the right choice. Jada wished Rafe well. “I’m going to miss you,” Jada said. “I’m gonna miss you too,” Rafe said. Jada and Rafe hugged goodbye.

After Rafe left, Jada stared at a photo of her and Rafe on her phone. As Shawn entered the room, Jada quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, and she asked about EJ. Shawn outlined what EJ had told him about Ava. “Nothing that proves that she did it,” Shawn said. Jada nodded glumly, and Shawn asked if she was okay. “I just broke things off with Rafe,” Jada said. “I’m sorry,” Shawn said. With a nod, Jada said she believed she had made the right decision. Shawn suggested they get lunch.

Over takeout at Shawn’s apartment, Shawn told Jada about Belle’s feelings for EJ. “I am so sorry,” Jada said. “I actually thought I was going to be bothered by it a bit more, but I’m not because she’s moving on with her life, and I’m moving on with mine,” Shawn said. Shawn’s phone rang with a call from Hope with bad news about Bo.

Gabi was in the kitchen when Rafe returned home from the precinct. “How’d it go with Jada?” Gabi asked. “It’s over,” Rafe said. Gabi hugged her brother. “We were so happy together until we weren’t,” Rafe said. Gabi argued that it was possible that Rafe and Jada could reconnect in the future. “I just have to respect the fact that she’s moving on and so do I,” Rafe said.

After a moment, Rafe changed the subject to the recording device he had plugged into his laptop. Rafe noted that the memory card was missing. “That’s odd,” Gabi said. “Do you know anything about it?” Rafe asked. Gabi said no.

At the Carver-Price home, Belle handed Johnny the adoption papers to sign. “Before I do, can I talk to you about something?” Johnny asked. Belle said yes. Johnny confessed that he had been excited about the adoption until he had learned about how he had been conceived. “My whole sense of self is screwed up,” Johnny said. “What are you saying?” Belle asked. Johnny admitted he did not know if he was ready to be a father.

“I understand you thinking you’re not ready to be a dad, especially given everything that’s just happened. But it doesn’t mean you won’t ever be ready,” Belle said. Johnny argued that his parents’ relationship had been toxic, and he worried he would follow the same path.

“Nobody is going to blame you for wanting to give it more thought. It’s completely okay to be honest with yourself, but you need to be honest with Chanel about your feelings,” Belle advised. Johnny agreed. “I’ll come back when you’re ready. If you’re ready,” Belle said.

After a day of shopping, Paulina and Chanel returned home with bags of stuff for the baby. “We couldn’t help ourselves,” Paulina said. As Chanel talked about the baby clothes, Johnny’s smile faltered.

When Belle returned to the hospital, EJ updated her on his conversation with Shawn about Ava. “I heard she skipped town,” Belle said. With a sigh, EJ apologized for having accidentally let Shawn know about Belle’s feelings. When Belle joked about Sami telling everyone that her sister had fallen in love with her ex, EJ cocked his head inquisitively. “Samantha knows how you feel?” EJ asked. Belle told EJ that Sami had overheard her confession to EJ. “And how did she react?” EJ asked. “She made it about herself,” Belle said. EJ chuckled. EJ told Belle that he understood that her family would not be happy about the relationship.

“When I look in your eyes, I get the sense that in spite of that, you feel as I do, that this is meant to be and that anyone else’s opinion, disapproval, I know that you are strong enough to be able to handle that,” EJ said. Belle agreed. “And you were right when you said that you were in my head and in my heart. You are,” Belle said. EJ said he felt the same way. EJ said he hoped that Belle might be able to see the best of him.

“I need you to know that I haven’t forgiven you for all the pain you’ve caused the people I love. Because of my feelings for you, I am doing my damnedest to see the best in you. Because I believe people can change. And I don’t know, maybe I'm deluding myself, but I’m thinking that maybe I can help you to change,” Belle said. “You already have. By saying that you love me, it makes me want to be a better man,” EJ said.

Belle refused to apologize for having worn a wire, but she told EJ that she hoped they could move past the incident. “And I also hope that I am never again in a position of having to do that,” Belle said. EJ told Belle that it would never happen again. EJ thought about when he had seen the recording device that Rafe had planted on his desk. EJ had taken the memory chip out of the device before he had been shot. “What are you thinking?” Belle asked. “Just that I hate what I put you through. What I put a lot of people through. And I’m just so glad that we can finally be honest with each other,” EJ said.

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