Days of our Lives summary for the week of February 17, 2025

It was Valentine’s Day in Salem. Roman returned to Salem to surprise Kate for Valentine’s Day. Alex and Stephanie went on their first date for Valentine’s Day. Steve and Kayla gave each other Cubs tickets for their holiday and anniversary gift. Johnny and Chanel asked Tate to consider them as adoptive parents. JJ and Gabi spent Valentine’s night together.

EJ interrupted Abe and Paulina’s Valentine’s Day dinner to argue that Belle was beholden to Jada and should be dismissed. Paulina told EJ that she would never rehire him as DA. After Abe threw EJ out, Abe and Paulina continued their romantic evening.

Doug walked in on Holly at the cabin. They talked about poetry, and Doug confessed that he had feelings for her. Before Holly could respond, Tate arrived. After Doug left, Tate cooked dinner, and he and Holly made love for the first time. Tate told Holly that he suspected that Doug had a crush on her, but Holly stressed Doug was just a friend. Holly did not tell Tate about Doug’s professed feelings.

Doug talked to JJ about his confession to Holly. After some advice for Doug, JJ admitted he and some of the family had suspected that Doug had stolen Alice’s necklace. JJ stressed that he had learned that Doug was not that kind of person. Doug appeared to be on the verge of confessing to the crime when he was interrupted.

Leo was shocked to learn that Javi was a sports fan. Javi talked about how he had bonded with his dad over sports but how his mom had rejected him when he had come out as gay. Leo watched the basketball game with Javi, and he genuinely enjoyed it. Javi told Leo that he planned to tell Jada about Rafe’s affair. When Leo noted that Javi seemed to be more on Jada’s side than Rafe’s, Javi explained that Rafe was not the man he had known.

While Belle drank at the small bar, Arnold made a pass at Belle. Belle shoved Arnold away, and then she made a beeline to the DiMera mansion. When Belle told EJ about “Rafe’s” actions, EJ threatened to kill him. Belle grabbed EJ and kissed him to keep him from going after Rafe. EJ reminded Belle that she could not change his ways, while Belle urged EJ to tell her about anything she would object to. EJ started to make a confession, but Paulina called and interrupted. Paulina told Belle that EJ had attempted to get Belle fired. When Belle confronted EJ, he explained that he only wanted his job back. Belle refused to dump EJ, but she promised to fight for her job.

Belle attempted to trick EJ into confessing that he had framed Jada, but he did not fall for it. Belle refused to believe that Jada was guilty. EJ told Belle that he had genuine affection for her and that he did not want a fling.

Jada moved out of the Hernandez house. When Jada ran into Arnold in the hallway of the Salem Inn, he invited her to stay with him. Jada threatened to slap Arnold again, and he called her a bitch. Upset, Jada told Arnold that she was glad she had learned what kind of man he was before they had married.

When Jada went to the pub to drink away her anger, Shawn convinced her to play darts with him instead. After a fun evening, Shawn attempted to kiss Jada, but she admitted she was not ready to move on yet. That night, Jada dreamed that Rafe apologized to her for having believed EJ’s manufactured evidence, and he begged her to take him back.

Xander surprised Sarah with a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at home. Over dinner, Sarah talked about the struggles of the hospital staff in the face of bankruptcy. Xander offered to buy the hospital if needed. Xander gave Sarah a copy of the same cake from their first Valentine’s Day together.

Philip told Kate he was moving into the Kiriakis mansion. Kate warned him it was a huge mistake, but Philip was adamant. Kate decided to trust Philip’s decision. After Sarah warned Xander not to get too close to Philip, Xander cheerfully welcomed his brother Philip to the mansion.

Brady informed Kristen about his interview with Child Protective Services. CPS vowed to remove Rachel if Brady or Kristen got into any more trouble. Kristen asked Brady to keep her updated on Steve’s investigation into Ava’s disappearance.

Steve talked to Jada about Ava’s disappearance. Steve told Jada that he looked forward to taking down EJ., but Jada encouraged Steve to focus on finding Ava first. When Steve met with Brady, they listened to the enhanced audio of Kristen’s call. They could clearly hear Ava say she was headed to the Blake house. When Brady and Steve got to the house, they untied Ava. Ava explained that Rachel Blake, Rachel Jr, Kristen, and EJ had all conspired to hold her hostage. Steve located Rachel Blake, but he did not know that Rafe was still tied up in the attic. The police booked Rachel Blake for kidnapping.

Kristen received a vial of the memory serum that Rolf had perfected. Kristen and EJ plotted to dose Ava and Rafe with the serum to make them forget that Kristen and EJ had been involved in the kidnappings. When EJ and Kristen arrived at the Blake house, Ava and Rachel were gone. EJ raced up to the attic, and he was relieved to see Rafe was still tied to the chair. When EJ attempted to inject Rafe with the serum, Rafe broke free from his loosened ropes. Rafe struggled with EJ for control of the syringe.