Days of our Lives Recap for Monday, January 13, 2025: Sarah keeps a major secret from Xander

Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) told a lie of omission. /Image Source: Peacock
Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) told a lie of omission. /Image Source: Peacock

In Horton Town Square, Chad and Cat shared an awkward greeting. Chad was surprised that Cat was in Salem and asked how long she would be staying. Cat stumbled over her words as she revealed that she had decided to remain indefinitely. Cat elaborated that she was staying so Felicity could finish school, while her brother Aaron had chosen to remain with their mom until her legal case had been resolved. She further explained that she would be living at her old family home.

Cat nervously asked Chad if he would be okay with her decision to remain in town. He reasoned that Felicity shouldn’t be punished for Clyde’s actions and assured Cat that he would be okay with her staying. Cat pledged she would steer clear of Chad, but he promised Salem was big enough for the both of them. Cat thanked Chad for being so gracious. Chad mentioned work, and Cat reported that Marlena had offered her a job.

Chad wasn’t surprised because of Marlena’s forgiving nature. He relayed how Marlena had advocated for Clyde’s son Ben despite what Ben had done in the past. Cat hoped that Marlena’s belief in her meant she wasn’t a lost cause either. Cat again thanked Chad for his understanding and wished him well. As he watched her leave, Chad returned the well wishes for Cat.

Outside the Brady Pub, Marlena ended a call with Shane. Steve and Kayla passed by and overheard Marlena mention Shane’s name. Marlena informed the couple that she had been trying to contact John because she’d just had a “life-changing conversation.” She updated Steve and Kayla on Catharina’s story. The couple was caught off-guard but elated that John had turned out to be the hero of the tale.

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After Kayla departed for work, Steve and Marlena moved their conversation inside the pub. They chided each other about maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Marlena confessed how much she missed John. She realized she should be grateful, especially given what Julie was enduring. Steve offered comfort and reassured Marlena that her feelings were valid.

Marlena cracked that he should become a therapist, which amused Steve. She said that the last time she’d spoken to John was when his Christmas present arrived. She asked Steve for any information on John’s whereabouts, but he informed her that he knew nothing about John’s ISA mission. Marlena worried that John was “slipping further and further away.”

Marlena (Deidre Hall) confided her fears to Steve (Stephen Nichols). \Image Source: Peacock
Marlena (Deidre Hall) confided her fears to Steve (Stephen Nichols). \Image Source: Peacock

Steve could understand how Marlena felt. He compared her current situation to all the times that Kayla and he had been apart. Steve reminded Marlena that he always ended up reuniting with Kayla, and he had confidence that Marlena and John would be reunited as well. Marlena thanked him for providing a listening ear and then left. When she was gone, Steve made a call to Shane.

At Kayla’s office, Sarah and Stephanie discussed the friction between Xander and Philip. Sarah expressed doubt about the viability of the brothers' partnership, and Stephanie called it a “complete fiasco.” She hinted that Philip had “no business” being CEO. Sarah was confused due to Stephanie’s recent support of Philip. Stephanie stunned her by disclosing that the letter Philip had used to stake his claim was a forgery.

Stephanie filled Sarah in on what Philip had told her about the forgery scheme and about Vivian’s involvement. Stephanie insisted that she would have never helped Philip if she had known the truth and blamed herself for her role in Philip’s success. Sarah assured Stephanie that she held no ill will toward her and thanked Stephanie for telling her the truth. Stephanie admitted that she wasn’t sure what to do at first, but she realized that Xander should know everything.

Stephanie declared her relationship with Philip over because she couldn’t be with someone who would lie to her. Sarah confided that she’d once felt the same way about Xander but reinforced that Xander had since proven himself as both a husband and a father. Stephanie wondered how Xander would react, and Sarah dreaded his possible retaliation. She left to see Xander. Stephanie stayed behind and wished that her mother was available with her trademark “sage advice.”

Stephanie listened to Philip’s phone message, in which he apologized and pleaded with her not to tell anyone. “Too late,” she huffed. Just then, Kayla arrived and asked Stephanie what was wrong. She was taken aback when Stephanie revealed that she had broken up with Philip. Kayla asked what had changed between them.

“What’s changed is that Philip hasn’t changed,” Stephanie responded. She didn’t want to go into details, so Stephanie simply stated that Philip had shown her the Kiriakis side of himself. Kayla mused that it might be a good thing that Philip had shown his true colors before Stephanie got in too deep with him. Stephanie pondered if she should swear off relationships for a while since they had all ended so disastrously.

Kayla urged Stephanie not to give up on finding love. Stephanie thought it best if she focused on work for the time being. Kayla offered to take Stephanie home and treat her to Marlena’s home remedy for Belle’s broken heart: ice cream and TV. Stephanie took her up on the suggestion. Mother and daughter departed the office arm-in-arm.

In the Titan executive office, Philip frantically tried to reach Stephanie so that he could warn her to keep quiet about what she had overheard. Kate entered the office and inquired about Philip’s dinner plans with Stephanie. Philip sighed and responded that Stephanie likely would not be having dinner with him ever again. When Philip explained how Stephanie had listened in on his conversation, Kate blasted her son for being so careless. She wondered if Philip could salvage his relationship and his position at Titan.

Philip doubted he could salvage either since Stephanie had been so furious with him. He couldn’t be sure, though, since he couldn’t get in touch with Stephanie. Kate commanded her son to stop “moping” and to be proactive in stopping Stephanie. He defended that he could not locate Stephanie. He was worried that if Xander discovered his deception, he would be a “dead man.”

Kate encouraged Philip not to give up on persuading Stephanie. Sarah strolled into the office and interrupted their conversation. Philip gave her an overly exuberant greeting and started to tell her that Xander was not there. “Cut the crap,” Sarah coolly replied. “I know everything.”

Kate and Philip tried to play dumb until Sarah revealed she had just spoken with Stephanie. Sarah warned Philip not to deny Stephanie’s claims, but Philip only pondered if Xander was outside “waiting with a baseball bat.” Sarah said she hadn’t told Xander yet because she knew his reaction would include wanting Philip’s head “on a spike.” Kate had a proposed solution for the predicament: Sarah shouldn’t tell Xander. Sarah was incredulous that Kate believed she would protect Philip at Xander’s expense.

Kate argued that her suggestion would protect both Philip and Xander since no one could be certain what extreme actions Xander might take. Philip should have thought about the repercussions before he “conned his own family,” Sarah contended. Kate believed Philip had a rightful claim, and Sarah and she debated which son had the stronger claim. Kate believed she knew Victor’s intentions better than anyone since Victor planned to hand over the empire to their son before Philip was born. Philip spoke up and asked Sarah why she had come to see him before Xander.

Sarah claimed that she wanted answers from Philip about why he had committed the fraud. Before Philip could reply, Kate answered for him and blamed it all on Vivian. Kate contested that Vivian had preyed on Philip during a vulnerable time, just as Sarah had been preyed upon by Kristen and Gwen. Sarah was irate at the comparison and told Kate that Philip could have said no to Vivian. Kate then brought up Xander’s past crimes, but Sarah wasn’t having it.

When Sarah called Xander a “victim,” Philip asked Sarah to consider what Xander had been capable of when he was just a “regular guy with regular resources.” He insinuated that he could rein in Xander’s worst instincts and told Sarah about Xander’s idea to take over DiMera Enterprises, which Philip had vetoed. Philip backed off his attacks on Xander and asked Sarah to hear him out. She reluctantly complied, so he opened up about how he had always wanted to make Victor proud of him. But even when Philip joined the military, he always ended up disappointing his father.

Philip believed running Titan was his last chance to prove to Victor that he was worthy of the Kiriakis legacy. He begged Sarah not to take the opportunity away from him. He added that he could lose his family, his freedom, and even his sanity. Sarah seemed moved by his words. She said that she needed to go and think it over.

Later, Kate lectured Philip about not standing up for himself sooner. Philip cracked that Kate was doing such a good job he didn’t want to disrupt her. Philip insisted that his speech to Sarah was genuine and that he spoke from the heart. He hoped he had gotten through to her, or else he was on “borrowed time.”

At the Kiriakis mansion, Maggie arrived home and found Xander mulling over his day in front of Victor’s portrait. After Maggie asked how things had gone with Philip, Xander deadpanned, “About as miserable as you could imagine.” Xander admitted that Victor entrusting Titan to him had validated that Victor deemed him worthy. He lamented having to share his birthright with a “spoiled, entitled mommy’s boy” who possessed none of Victor’s “cunning or drive.” When Xander made an offhand comment about getting rid of Philip, Maggie gave him a concerned look.

Maggie tried to extract a promise from Xander that he would not hurt Philip. Xander gave a vague response, which further raised Maggie’s concern. She implored Xander to understand that Victor had loved all his children and that Xander should try to relate to and rely on Philip as a brother. Xander snarked that Cain and Abel were also brothers. Maggie reminded him that Cain’s story had ended with him forever marked and ostracized from his family.

Xander complained about being labeled the “bad guy” and about the existence of the letter. Maggie snapped that she would not lose another member of the family. She reminded Xander that Philip had been mentally ill, but Xander retorted that his brother was “stark-raving bonkers.” Maggie suggested Xander would have to learn to get along with Philip. Xander shot back, “The same way you got along with Alex?”

Xander apologized for the snipe about Alex. Maggie acknowledged her previous tension with Alex over Titan and offered her experience as “a cautionary tale” about the perils of feuding with family. She asked Xander to make peace with Philip for the sake of the entire family. Xander grudgingly promised to try for his “favorite mother-in-law.” When Maggie left the room, Xander’s smile fell. He told Victor’s portrait that Philip might make it impossible for him to keep his promise.

Later, Xander happily greeted Sarah when she returned home. He asked about her talk with Kayla. Sarah said that Kayla hadn’t been in the office but that she had run into Stephanie. Xander’s good mood soured, especially when Sarah mentioned that she and Stephanie had been discussing Philip. Before Sarah could get into the details, Xander announced that he’d just had a heart-to-heart with Maggie in which he had pledged to try to get along with Philip. He conceded that “a family civil war” was probably not in anyone’s best interest.

Xander asked what Sarah had talked about with Stephanie. Sarah smiled and said that Stephanie had just told her about Philip’s complaints. She expressed confidence that Philip and Xander could work things out. Xander returned the smile and replied, “From your perfect lips to God’s ears,” then kissed Sarah. When he hugged her, however, Sarah’s happy face transformed into worry and uncertainty.

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