Days of our Lives Recap, January 29: Sophia reveals her sinister plans to Melinda

Here is your Days of our Lives recap for Thursday, January 29, 2026.

What happened on Days of our Lives

In the Horton living room, Justin and Melinda were present, so Jennifer and Chad signed the custody arrangement papers. After Jennifer signed, Melinda asked to confer with Chad alone. She took him aside and told him that signing would be a mistake because it seemed dictated by a 10-year-old, which it was. Chad didn't care what Melinda had to say and signed the agreement anyway.

Once the lawyers were gone, Jennifer told Chad that she was sorry it had come to this. She hoped the damage to their relationship could be repaired. "For what it's worth, I really hope that you find love and happiness again. I really do. I know that Abigail would like that and you deserve it," Jennifer said.

Chad thanked Jennifer for saying that, but he didn't think he'd ever find anything like what he had with Abby. "Your daughter was my one true love. I think that's enough for me," he said.

Chad admitted that for a moment, he had hoped the bones in the crypt had belonged to Abby so she could finally be laid to rest. Learning that the bones belonged to Stefano was also hard. "Knowing that he's gone...I don't have to picture him out there, disappointed, criticizing, and judging me," Chad said.

However, Chad was happy to get closure. He also told Jennifer that he worried about raising a teenage Thomas, which was coming up in just a few years. "Abby was endlessly patient. I don't know what I'm going to do," Chad said. Jennifer felt that Chad would do just fine. "You are his parent and we will fully support you," she said.

In their dorm room, Ari and Holly complained about astronomy class before Holly noted that she was breaking out just in time for sorority rush. She said she had been forgetting to take supplements to prevent breakouts. Ari was surprised at how stressed Holly was about rush. Holly didn't like the idea of having to jump through hoops to get other people to like her.

Ari pointed out that the other girls already loved her. "You're the best," Ari said. "Well, then tell that to Sophia Choi," Holly replied. Ari knew that Holly's visit with Sophia didn't go very well. Ari tried to defend Sophia, saying she wasn't in her right mind and was in Bayview for a reason.

Holly didn't buy that excuse. "You weren't there. You didn't see it. Trust me, she wanted to slap me," Holly said.

Just then, Gabi popped in with some new Gabi Chic dresses, exciting the girls. Gabi gave Ari an update on Javi's dad. Ari thought that it felt silly to rush a sorority when more serious things were going on. Holly lamented that Tate thought rushing would take time away from him.

Gabi asked the girls if they felt pressured to rush or if they wanted it. They admitted they wanted to do it, so Gabi encouraged them, telling Holly that sometimes couples need some space apart for self-care. Gabi then asked if there was anyone Ari had her eyes on.

Ari said college boys were too immature, so Gabi wanted to know if that was why her daughter had a fake ID. Gabi admitted she was furious when she first found the ID, but realized she had done a lot of the same things when she was Ari's age. "If you're going to do any of those things, just promise me you'll at least be smart and careful," Gabi asked.

Sophia sat quietly on her bed at Bayview reading a book when Chanel appeared, telling her that the doctor told her Sophia was expecting her visit. Sophia looked up, so Chanel continued. "I wanted to tell you how grateful I am. More than you'll ever know," Chanel said.

Chanel told a silent Sophia that she knew how hard it was to give her baby up, but she and Johnny were committed to giving Trey a good life. Sophia nodded when Chanel asked if she wanted to see pictures of the baby. Chanel handed Sophia her phone, and Sophia tried to hide a smile as she looked at her son.

Chanel suddenly felt queasy and grabbed some mints out of her purse, leading Sophia to give her a look, suspecting she was pregnant. Sophia gave Chanel back the phone and shook her head no when Chanel asked if there was anything she wanted to say to her via notes.

Chanel said one more thing to Sophia before leaving, telling the girl she was sorry for all the trouble they caused when they backed out of the original adoption agreement. She even offered for Sophia to be a part of Trey's life.

After Chanel left, Melinda arrived at Sophia's behest. She asked her how Sophia had gotten her hands on a phone to text her. So, Sophia decided to speak, shocking Melinda, who thought this was an amazing breakthrough. Sophia confessed that she'd been able to talk for a while and had been faking the mutism for weeks.

Sophia explained that not telling anyone she could speak was part of her plan. "It helps them underestimate how clever I am and what I am planning to do," Sophia said.

Sophia found her attitude and commented on how she hated that Johnny and Chanel adopted her baby. "Oh, and get this. I'm pretty sure she is pregnant," Sophia said. Sophia told Melinda about Chanel's morning sickness moment. She was sure they'd forget about the baby they "stole" from her.

Melinda was alarmed when Sophia implied she wanted her to do whatever it took to take Trey from Johnny and Chanel and find him new parents. Melinda tried to reason with Sophia. "Johnny and Chanel never meant to hurt you. They're just trying to be loving parents to a little girl they adopted," Melinda said.

Melinda thanked Sophia for keeping her name out of the fake adoption mess. Sophia said she'd continue doing that...as long as nobody knew she could talk. Melinda knew she was about to be blackmailed and told Sophia she'd be in touch. When Melinda left, Sophia looked at a tin of mints on her desk, clearly plotting something.

When Chanel got home, she told Johnny how strange her visit with Sophia was. "I felt so sorry for her, Johnny...there's only so much you can do when a person doesn't talk back," she sighed. Johnny was surprised to hear that Chanel was thankful to Sophia after all she did to them.

Chanel explained that she was the reason Trey even existed. She just wanted no animosity between them. Johnny insisted that if Sophia ever visited Trey, there had to be close supervision.

Johnny changed the subject and told Chanel that he had just learned that the bones in the crypt had belonged to Stefano. He wanted to reach out to EJ, but Chanel encouraged him not to. "You know no good can come from that," she said.

Bonnie was surprised when Johnny walked into the Kiriakis living room to tell her that his friends at Titan had informed him that she'd written a novel. He was interested in reading it and maybe publishing it. A thrilled Bonnie jumped up and threw her arms around Johnny.

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Bonnie gave him a copy of her manuscript, as well as fuzzy pink handcuffs she'd purchased as a marketing tool. While Bonnie demonstrated how they worked, Justin walked in and told Johnny to take as many pairs as he wanted. Johnny reiterated that he had to read the book before deciding whether to publish it, but Bonnie was sure that he would love it.

Catch all-new episodes of Days of our Lives weekdays on Peacock.

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