Marlena: Days of our Lives Recap September 21 to 25: Addiction, Hacking, and a Secret Child

On Days of our Lives, the week of September 21st through 25th, 2026, Joy hedged her bets, Holly confronted Mason, Gabi offered Theo a job, Maggie grudgingly accepted Philip’s money, Paulina worked in secret, Leo met with Javi, Cat quit, EJ framed Sarah, and Marlena learned that she shared a child with Stefano.

Joy to the World

Joy refused to undergo any more tests. Sarah shared her paralysis story with Joy to show her support. When Alex heard that Joy was refusing more testing, he convinced her to go ahead. Joy asked her dad to send her muscle relaxers.

Holly confronted Mason about the text, and he claimed he had not sent it. When Holly asked Mason why he blamed her for Sophia’s death, they talked about her history with Sophia. Mason admitted that Sophia had told him everything and that he felt that Holly’s actions online had pushed a fragile woman over the edge. Mason privately noted to himself that he felt like he had failed both his veteran friend and Sophia.

Gabi reached out to Theo to ask for help with her counterfeit issue, but Theo explained he could not help because he had resigned from DiMera. Gabi offered Theo a job. Theo agreed to think about it. Theo admitted to Abe that Abe had been right about not taking the job at DiMera. Theo explained that Johnny had been keeping secrets, and he had resigned. Theo told Abe about Gabi’s offer, and he asked for advice. Abe urged Theo to follow his instincts.

Johnny was upset to find Theo’s resignation letter on his desk. EJ asked Johnny how he planned to handle the FDA complaint. Johnny yelled at EJ for making him lie to everyone and for compromising his integrity. EJ met with George, and they agreed on a strategy to deflect the blame to Sarah. As Cat packed up EJ’s office, she confronted him about how cold he had been to her since he had learned about her past. EJ said he could not trust Cat. After the two fought, Cat quit.

Wonder Twin Powers, Activate

Sydney and Johnny | Image: Corday Productions, Days of our Lives

Johnny confided to Sydney that he regretted taking the job at DiMera. When Sydney pushed for details, Johnny admitted that EJ had gotten him involved in something that could destroy his life. Sydney advised Johnny to look to “his better angels.” Johnny brought Sydney home to meet her niece and her nephew. Chanel grilled Johnny about Theo’s resignation, but they were interrupted before Johnny could confess to anything.

Paulina continued to plan for a surprise baby shower for Chanel, despite Chanel’s request not to have one. Lani asked Paulina not to ask for a pardon for her. When Paulina heard about Leo’s podcast, she helped Leo convince Lani to be his first guest. Behind Lani’s back, Paulina talked to the governor about a pardon for Lani.

Leo met up with Javi for coffee. The meet-up went well, and Javi suggested they get dinner next time. After Leo secured Lani to appear on his first podcast, he peppered Kate with ideas for the show. Leo pitched a story idea to Chad about the FDA investigation into DiMera Pharma, and Chad was upset to learn that EJ had possibly committed more crimes.

Philip’s text message to Xander to stop the sale of the house did not go through. As a result, Xander signed the paperwork to sell the house before Philip returned home with the money. Philip told Xander the news, and they celebrated their ability to save Titan. When the brothers told Maggie, she was furious that Philip had lied to her and given in to his gambling addiction. Philip argued that the gambling had been a one-time thing and that he would do whatever he had to do to prove that he had not relapsed. Maggie reluctantly agreed to use the money to save Titan and to continue to work there.

Maggie confided in Julie about her fears for Philip’s addiction. Julie advised Maggie to use her position at Titan to keep a watch on Philip and the direction of the company moving forward. Maggie was concerned that Julie had canceled her dinner with Foster, but Julie said she was eager to spend the evening with her friend instead. Philip and Gabi celebrated the end of their fake engagement, and Philip took back Maggie’s ring. Philip admitted to Gabi that he wanted to date her again, and they made love.

Destiny's Parents' Choice

Sarah learned that Destiny’s parents were suing Sarah and the hospital for wrongful death. Rita informed Sarah and Kayla that EJ was also conducting an internal investigation into Sarah’s actions to care for Destiny. When Sarah stood up for herself, Rita implied that the investigation would find fault with Sarah’s quality of care regardless. Kayla told Rita that EJ’s retaliatory investigation against Sarah would not help him because too many people knew the truth about EJ’s cover-up.

Steve and Brady agreed that EJ had likely coordinated the lawsuit against Sarah as retaliation for the FDA complaint. Steve argued that EJ was desperate, and it proved that their investigation was on the right track. When Brady mentioned Dominic Marino, Steve suggested that they focus on whether Rita was the person sending Belle the clues about him.

When Kayla and Sarah reviewed Destiny’s records again, Sarah spotted a discrepancy. The records had been altered to indicate that Sarah had altered Destiny’s test results the day after her death. Sarah was worried that people would believe she had falsified the records, and she would lose her license. Brady promised to run a cyber forensics investigation to track down how the records had been changed. Justin informed Sarah that Melinda Trask intended to hold a press conference with Destiny’s parents to publicly accuse Sarah of malpractice.

Three Generations at The Brady Pub

Belle, Marlena, and Sydney at The Brady Pub | Image: Corday Productions, Days of our Lives

Over breakfast, Marlena, Belle, and Sydney discussed her life in Italy. Marlena explained her wish to see Sami, but Sydney admitted it was difficult for Sami to be in town. Belle lamented that she was not closer to her sister, especially after her failed relationship with EJ. Belle told Sydney the story of the chess set mystery. When Paul confirmed that Dominic had been boarding school roommates with Dante Vitali, Sydney admitted that she had not known about the connection. Marlena was concerned based on Sami’s track record with men, but Sydney confirmed that Dante was a solid guy. After Sydney left, Belle and Marlena agreed that they were disturbed by the connection between Dante and Dominic.

Marlena told Roman that she had dreamed about Stefano’s island and that she had heard Bo say Dominic’s name. Marlena admitted she was not sure if that was a memory or a dream. Roman promised to support Marlena as Belle continued to investigate. Kate offered her support as well. Bo and Hope investigated Dominic’s history, and they learned a horrifying secret. Steve showed Marlena the birth certificate for Dominic Marino. Stefano had been named as the father, and Marlena had been named as the mother.

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