Days of our Lives recap for March 25, 2025: Julie confronts Doug about his theft

In the park, Doug III told Holly that Melinda had not told the police that they were involved with the necklace. “Even though Melinda didn’t say anything, I’m starting to think maybe I should,” Doug said. “Why would you tell Julie now? You’re in the clear,” Holly said. Doug told Holly that Julie was determined to prove that the necklace was stolen. “And if Julie is eventually going to find out who took the necklace, it has to come from me. Before someone else can get to her first,” Doug said. Holly urged Doug to wait until he could return the necklace to Julie.

Worried, Doug said he did not believe he would be able to secure the necklace from Melinda. “I’m out of options, and I’m nearly out of time,” Doug said. Doug promised not to mention that Holly had helped him. “I’m more worried about you. And Julie. She really cares about you. This confession could hurt her,” Holly said. “I know. But it could hurt her more to hear it from someone else,” Doug said. Doug argued that he owed it to Julie to come clean after all he had done. Holly called Doug brave.

“I’m just trying to make things right,” Doug said. “There’s a good chance that Julie might agree with me. She might even be impressed by your honesty,” Holly countered. Doug shrugged, and he noted that it was what he had to do, no matter the cost. Doug thanked Holly for her help. Holly wished Doug good luck, and she hugged him.

Julie was at home when Tate called her on the phone to tell her that he had information about the person who had stolen Alice’s necklace. “Melinda Trask has already denied the allegations,” Julie said. “That’s not who I’m calling about,” Tate said. Julie asked about the thief. “It was Doug Williams,” Tate said. Julie scoffed.

“I don’t believe it. And I don’t understand how you could say such a thing to me,” Julie said. “I’m so sorry. I really, I don’t want to upset you. I just think you should know the truth,” Tate said. Julie asked Tate how he knew, and Tate confirmed that Doug had told him the truth. After Tate ended the call, Julie dropped her head in her hands. Julie looked at a photo of her and Doug Sr. “My darling. How could this have happened?” Julie said. Doug III walked in. “Is something wrong?” Doug asked. Julie said yes.

“Is this about the necklace?” Doug asked. “You remember this evening how upset I was when we walked into the restaurant?” Julie asked. Julie sighed as she recalled having watched Melinda flaunt the necklace to her face.

“It reminded me of the day we buried your grandfather. That day somebody came into the house and stole it. And then perhaps they didn’t know it was a family treasure. You see, it was a treasure because it was my grandmother’s. I told you that. And she was the matriarch of the whole Horton family. And we all loved her so much. But somebody decided to turn the necklace into money I suppose. I don’t understand it. How could somebody do a thing like that? Maybe you know,” Julie said. Doug shifted with discomfort.

“What do you mean?” Doug asked. Julie said that she knew Doug had stolen the necklace. “You do?” Doug stammered. “Are you going to deny it?” Julie asked. Doug admitted he had taken the necklace. “And I was coming here to tell you that just now,” Doug added. Julie scoffed. Julie pointed out that Doug had not said a word for months and that it was quite the coincidence that Doug had decided to finally confess on the same night that she had learned the truth.

“I know how it sounds, but you have to–” Doug started. “Believe you? After all the lies that you have told me?” Julie said. Julie noted that she had been the only one who had not been suspicious of Doug from the start. “My god! I accused my own brother of taking the necklace. And you were standing there, and you said nothing,” Julie said. Doug stammered that he had wanted to say something, but Julie refused to hear another word.

“You took advantage of me at the darkest hour of my life. I’m there at Doug’s graveside, and you saw an opportunity,” Julie said. “I swear, that is not how it happened,” Doug said. Frustrated, Julie yelled at Doug to stop. “Stop lying to me! Get out. Now,” Julie said. Julie told Doug to pack his bags and leave. Stunned, Doug stared in silence. Julie ordered Doug to leave again. Doug started to leave, but then he turned back. Julie threatened to call the police.

“No. I’ll go,” Doug said. Doug went upstairs. When Doug returned with his bag, Julie was pretending to read a magazine on the couch. “I just wanted to say that I know it was an unforgivable thing to do, stealing that necklace. I was just desperate and stupid. And I made a terrible mistake. But still, there’s no excuse for what I did. And you’re right. I should have told you. Especially after you took me in,” Doug said. Doug apologized.

“These past few months getting to know you and my grandfather through you have been the happiest time of my life, Julie. And if you never want to see me again, I understand. I just wanted you to know,” Doug said. Julie refused to look at Doug, and he walked out. A heartbroken Julie broke down in tears.

When Holly returned to the penthouse, Tate asked what had happened with Doug. “I’m no longer in danger of being an accomplice to the whole necklace situation,” Holly said. Tate asked Holly how she could be sure that she was in the clear. Holly explained that Doug had promised to withhold her name when he made a confession to Julie. “So Doug is going to confess to Julie today?” Tate asked. Holly explained that Doug had decided not to wait to get the necklace back first.

“Doug knew one way or another that Julie was eventually gonna find out. So, he figured it would be best coming from him,” Holly said. Tate sighed. “There’s something you should know,” Tate said. Worried, Holly asked Tate what was wrong. “I want you to know that I was not out to get Doug. I just didn’t like that he was dragging you into all this, and I was worried that you were going to get in trouble,” Tate said. Holly interrupted to assure Tate that Doug would keep her name out of his confession.

“Listen, Tate, I helped Doug out when he really needed it, and he’s gonna look out for me now. He really is a good guy, and I just hope Julie can see that he is too,” Holly said. Before Tate could say another word, Holly noted the late time, and she said she needed to go home. Holly said she understood that Tate was under a lot of stress from all the problems in his life, and she reassured him that she supported him. “I love you,” Holly said. “I love you too,” Tate said. As Holly hugged Tate, a guilty look crossed Tate’s face.

Brady was walking through the Salem town square when Marlena called from her hotel in Estonia. “With any luck, you’ll be seeing your father very soon,” Marlena said. Marlena told Brady that Steve was following up on leads, and she promised to update Brady when she learned anything new. As Marlena ended her call, Steve returned.

“Did you have any luck?” Marlena asked. Steve said he had no news, but he had established contact with old friends who could reach out to locals. “Chances are, we could hear from them as soon as tomorrow,” Steve said. Steve suggested that they spend the day recovering from jet lag and get a fresh start in the morning. Frustrated, Marlena said she was eager to look for John. Steve hugged Marlena and urged her to eat some room service to keep up her strength.

“I would catch hell from John if you get sick on my watch,” Steve said. “We wouldn’t want that, now, would we?” Marlena said with a grin. Reluctantly, Marlena sat down to eat breakfast with Steve. “I was thinking of all the times that John and I have been in danger or in some kind of trouble. And no matter where we were, even if we were separated, somehow we knew how the other person was feeling. And somehow, we always knew that we would find our way back to each other no matter what,” Marlena said. Steve ate his breakfast as Marlena pushed her food around her plate.

“You remember Megan, when she held me captive? Everybody thought that I was dead, and then the two of you found me,” Marlena said. Steve noted that they had accidentally found Marlena on the Greek island. “You found me without knowing you were finding me,” Marlena said. Steve nodded in agreement. Marlena argued that Steve and Kayla found one another multiple times over the years.

“You have a sense of what’s going on with the other person no matter whether anything is being said or not,” Marlena said. “We call that our love,” Steve said. Marlena noted that Steve and Kayla’s love always drew them back to one another. Marlena reminded Steve of the time that Hattie had had Marlena committed to Bayview, and John had been in the next room. “We couldn’t see each other. But we could hear each other,” Marlena said. Marlena talked about how she and John had been able to touch hands through a vent. Steve took Marlena’s hand.

“I promise you I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you and John are together again,” Steve said. After breakfast, Steve left to check on a lead. Marlena thought about the time at Bayview when she and John had reached one another through the vent. “Oh, John. I’m reaching out to you. Please reach out to me,” Marlea whispered.

Outside the Brady Pub, EJ talked to Rita on the phone. EJ thanked Rita for her help in transporting Rachel Blake out of town. “You need not concern yourself with my sister’s feelings. She may be your boss, but she has no idea of your loyalty to me,” EJ said. EJ told Rita that she deserved a bonus for her help. “Thanks to you, any person who could have caused me trouble has been taken care of,” EJ said. Ava approached EJ, and he ended his call.

Ava made a joke about her captivity, and EJ played dumb. With an eye roll, Ava noted, “Drop the act. As much as I would love to be the one to put you behind bars for your part in my kidnapping, I think we both understand why that won’t happen.” With a smirk, EJ noted that Ava would likely never get justice for her kidnapping. Ava thought about the gun that Melinda had given her for protection. Ava glanced at her purse.

“Not necessarily,” Ava said. “I admire your determination, but, like you just said, we both know why that’s not going to happen,” EJ countered. EJ reminded Ava that if she changed her mind about testifying, Brady’s daughter would be taken away. EJ added that if Ava believed that Rachel Blake would testify, she was mistaken. “I have it on very good authority that she’s been removed from the equation,” EJ said. Ava asked how.

“Let’s just say she won’t be setting foot in Salem for quite a while,” EJ said. Ava shrugged. “Good riddance. At least I won’t have to worry about her breaking into my room, wielding a kitchen knife,” Ava said. Ava warned EJ that he might feel safe, but that did not mean that he was safe. EJ’s smile disappeared.

“I certainly may not be able to testify against you, but that doesn't mean I can’t get justice in other ways,” Ava said. Ava reached into her purse. “And what way is that? You sound very confident,” EJ said. Ava chuckled. “I am,” Ava said. Before Ava could pull the gun out of her purse, Brady called out her name. Ava pulled a lip gloss out of her purse instead. EJ stalked off.

“What was that all about?” Brady asked. “Just our old pal EJ gloating. He knows that I can’t touch him regarding his part in my kidnapping,” Ava said. Brady apologized again, and Ava shrugged. Brady asked Ava if they could go inside and talk. “I don’t think that there’s anything left to talk about,” Ava said. Ava told Brady that EJ had told her that Rachel Blake had been “removed from the equation.”

“Kristen’s not going to be happy about that. But that’s good for us, isn’t it?” Brady said. “Yeah, but I’d still have to worry about your daughter,” Ava said. Ava noted that Kristen would never allow Brady to have a relationship with her. Brady promised to talk to both his daughter and Kristen. “I’m just tired of everyone interfering in what we have here,” Brady said. “That’s the thing! Something always interferes with us,” Ava said. Ava told Brady that she did not want to fight any more.

“I think we should stop seeing each other,” Ava said. “So you really have your mind made up?” Brady asked. Ava nodded yes. Ava apologized for the timing of the breakup, but she noted that she needed to protect her heart. “I like you, I really, really do. But I got this sinking feeling that no matter how hard we try, this is going to end badly. And when it does, I just can’t afford to have fallen for you any more than I already have,” Ava said.

After a moment, Ava told Brady that she did not regret any of the time they had spent together. Ava kissed Brady on the cheek. “I hope you don’t either,” Ava said. Ava and Brady smiled sadly at one another, and Brady shook his head no.

Kristen was pacing furiously around the DiMera living room when Melinda walked in. “What are you doing here?” Kristen asked. Melinda offered to take the immunity agreement so that she could file it in the morning. “My mother never signed it,” Kristen said. “Why the hell not?” Melinda asked. Kristen explained that Rachel Blake had disappeared, and she believed that EJ was responsible. “How? Why?” Melinda asked. Kristen explained that Rachel Blake had told EJ about the immunity deal.

“I should have just taken her out of the house then and there,” Kristen lamented. “But EJ beat you to it,” Melinda said. With a groan, Kristen said she did not know where in the world EJ had sent Rachel. “And now, we don’t have anyone to testify against him,” Kristen muttered. With a sneer, Kristen noted that nothing made EJ happier than to have the upper hand. Kristen complained about how she had finally gotten her mother back from the dead and then lost her again.

“There is no way in hell [EJ] is going to get away with this,” Kristen said. Melinda agreed that EJ had the upper hand. After a moment, Kristen told Melinda that she had a plan. “I really don’t have much of a choice,” Kristen said. “Much choice about what?” EJ asked as he walked into the living room. Kristen offered to make EJ CEO of DiMera if he agreed to return Rachel Blake.

“I must have misheard,” EJ said. “I’m willing to step down from the position, and recommend to the board that you are my replacement,” Kristen said. EJ refused to believe that Kristen would give up her job. “It doesn’t mean as much as my mother does,” Kristen said. Kristen asked EJ why he was resistant to claiming his prize. After a moment, EJ admitted that although the offer was tempting, he had to decline. “I don’t trust you,” EJ said. EJ argued that Rachel Blake was a time bomb if she returned to town.

“Her silence is far too valuable a commodity to even consider letting her set foot back in Salem again,” EJ said. EJ said goodnight and went upstairs. “This isn’t over, EJ! I will get my mother back one way or another, and I will make you pay!” Kristen screamed.