In the Statesville infirmary, Gabi awoke with Rafe and J.J. at her bedside and identified her attacker -- even though she was quite reluctant to do so, since she knew what usually happened to snitches in prison. Rafe rushed off to relay the information to the warden, leaving Gabi with J.J., who assured her that she was going to make a full recovery.
Gabi thanked J.J. for taking the time to check on her. "You never have to thank me. You saved my life. I'll always owe you for staying with me that night...especially considering what it cost you," J.J. replied, believing that Eli never would have cheated on Gabi if Lani hadn't misinterpreted what she had seen on Christmas Eve. Gabi assured J.J. that she had no regrets because he was still alive, and that was all that really mattered. "[Still], I'm sorry you got hurt in all of that," J.J. stressed. "I'm sorry you got hurt in all of that," Gabi countered, knowing that J.J. would have been an amazing father. "Wasn't meant to be," J.J. quietly reasoned, shrugging.
Gabi suddenly remembered that Chad had visited her earlier -- and had rushed off after finding out that Kate had spotted the mystery woman at the DiMera mansion. J.J. confirmed with a sigh that Chad had finally identified the mystery woman. "So, you're saying [that] this entire time, Abigail has been working with Stefan to frame me?" Gabi asked incredulously. "It -- it's not her fault; she -- she's not in her right mind," J.J. tried to explain as Rafe reentered the infirmary. Nodding, Rafe helpfully added that Stefan had even admitted to Chad that Abigail had been brainwashed.
"Now that we know the truth, I -- I can leave, right?" Gabi asked hopefully. Rafe apologetically clarified that, while a big piece of the puzzle had finally been filled in, there still wasn't definitive proof that Gabi wasn't the person who had killed Andre. "[But] we're close, Gabi," J.J. stressed. "And we are not gonna stop fighting until you're out of here," Rafe added.
John and Paul, both still worried about Marlena, went to the DiMera mansion to question Abigail again. Harold agreed to let John and Paul search the mansion for clues to Marlena's whereabouts -- and he piqued their interest when he casually revealed that she wasn't the only person who was missing. Paul wondered if John thought it was possible that Abigail could be holding Marlena, Kate, and Vivian captive somewhere. "Well, I'll tell you one thing, kid -- if Doc is stuck somewhere with those two, we'd better find them in a hurry, before all hell breaks loose," John replied.
Paul admitted, while helping John search the living room for clues, that it was hard to think of Abigail as a dangerous person. Paul conceded, however, that John was right to be suspicious of Abigail. John soon found something underneath a side table that proved that Abigail had lied during their earlier conversation -- a pair of reading glasses. Paul was quick to point out that it wasn't exactly uncommon for two people to own identical pairs of reading glasses, but John was certain that they were looking at Marlena's reading glasses because one of the stems was loose, and he knew that she had been meaning to get it fixed.
"Okay, so we know Marlena was here at some point," Paul concluded -- just as John's phone rang. "Brady's in the hospital," John worriedly informed Paul after a brief conversation with Kayla.
Meanwhile, in the secret tunnels, Vivian kicked a covered box in frustration, upset that her own son had betrayed her for a woman who wasn't even real. "What was that?" Marlena and Kate asked in unison, having heard something clanking inside the box. Equally curious, Vivian removed the sheet that had been covering the box -- and discovered a trove of unopened Champagne bottles hidden inside.
"I think this experience [just got] a little bit better," Vivian happily declared, claiming one of the bottles for herself. "Leave it to the DiMeras to have fine Champagne in their bunker," Vivian added, shaking her head in disbelief. "Well, don't be stingy -- hand one over!" Kate demanded. Vivian passed a bottle to Kate as Marlena warned them that alcohol wasn't going to solve anything.
"We need to keep our wits about us if we're [to have any hope of] getting out of here," Marlena insisted. "You keep your wits; I'm getting blotto," Vivian dismissively countered. Kate agreed with Vivian for once, telling Marlena, "I hear you, and I respect your cool, logical mind...but if I am stuck in a teensy, tiny room with Vivian Alamain, then I have to find a way to refrain myself from strangling the life out of her, [so] I'm gonna need [alcohol] -- and so will you." Realizing that Kate had a point, Marlena took one of the remaining bottles and quickly popped the cork.
Soon, Marlena, Kate, and Vivian were noticeably tipsy. "Must be nice to be able to blame all your wrongdoings on your split personality. Cheat on your husband? 'Eh, it was someone else!' Knock someone over the head? 'Ha! Wasn't me -- it was my alter, Schmivian,'" Vivian mused. "Well, let's hope Schmivian has a better personality than you," Kate countered.
Marlena started laughing then quickly stopped herself and scolded Vivian and Kate, reminding them that mental illness wasn't a laughing matter. Kate argued that Vivian was allowed to joke about it because she was mentally ill, too. "Excuse me -- I'm quite sane, thank you very much!" Vivian protested. "Well, I seem to recall that you used a plea of insanity when you buried Carly Manning alive," Kate countered.
Vivian insisted that Dr. Wu's herbs had made her commit that crime. "Herbs? Like basil and oregano?" Kate asked incredulously. "Well, it's a pale excuse in comparison to 'the devil made me do it,'" Vivian conceded, shooting Marlena a pointed look. Marlena, who had been laughing hysterically at Vivian and Kate's banter, suddenly grew serious and snapped at Vivian for going there.
"[Oh, it's just us] girls down here. Come on, Doctor -- in vino veritas!" Vivian dismissively countered, adding that she had always wanted to know the details of that story. Marlena shot Vivian a glare and told her to mind her own business. Vivian argued that Marlena needed to be willing to share the story with others so they could know how to protect themselves from demonic possession. "I have to admit, I am a little curious about the whole story [myself]," Kate interjected. Marlena protested that Vivian and Kate were talking about the ordeal like it was something she had made up.
Kate insisted that she wasn't questioning whether the demonic possession had actually happened. "You just never talk about it," Kate explained with a shrug. "How did it start? Were you involved with the occult?" Vivian asked curiously. "No, I was not involved with the occult!" Marlena snapped. Scoffing, Marlena reluctantly clarified, "It began when Stefano moved into the townhouse next to mine..."
Vivian was amused but not particularly surprised to hear that Stefano had built a passageway from his townhouse to Marlena's. "And he would sneak in every night, and he would hypnotize me and take me out to some masquerade ball, and I was known there as the Queen of the Night," Marlena explained. Vivian and Kate gulped down Champagne and listened with interest as Marlena, who was also still drinking, continued talking.
"And then my bed began rocking, and I found myself levitating several feet off the bed!" Marlena recalled at one point during her tale. "And then I transformed into a jaguar, and I attacked a bunch of biblical scholars!" Marlena recalled at another point, laughing hysterically. "And if that's not enough, then I sent a swarm of bees --" Marlena began to add after regaining her composure. Vivian, suddenly sick of the seemingly never-ending recap, interrupted Marlena, tiredly insisting, "Oh, my God, we didn't ask for a dissertation on good and evil! I'm sorry I even brought it up!" Marlena scoffed at Vivian then took another drink.
"Is it just me, or is this room getting smaller and hotter?" Kate soon asked, removing her suit jacket. "[Or maybe I'm just] getting a little bit claustrophobic," Kate added, shrugging. Vivian dismissively insisted that Kate wouldn't know real claustrophobia until she found herself locked in a coffin. Kate wondered if that was supposed to be a threat. "No, I was talking about what Marlena's precious stepson did to me," Vivian clarified, shooting Marlena another pointed look. Marlena, who was busy sampling Gabby's makeup, found it hard to feel any sympathy for Vivian because, after all, Vivian's horrific experience hadn't made her any less willing to put others through the same thing. "Allegedly!" Vivian countered, knowing that Marlena was talking about Maggie's reported ordeal in the same coffin. "'Allegedly' my ass!" Kate insisted.
"And another thing that's not so 'allegedly' -- in fact, it's the gospel truth -- [is that] you did an absolutely horrible job of raising your son," Kate added. Hurt, Vivian countered that the gospel truth about Kate was that she paid others to do her dirty work. Marlena was surprised to hear that Kate had hired Paul to dig up dirt on Vivian. Kate claimed that wasn't true, but when Vivian insisted that Paul wasn't going to find anything, anyway, Kate skeptically replied, "We'll see..." Annoyed, Vivian started pacing around the room, desperately searching for a way to escape from it -- and her archenemy.
"Could you stop moving around? You're using up all the oxygen!" Kate complained. "Now you're criticizing my breathing?" Vivian asked incredulously. "Would you rather me start with your personality again?" Kate countered.
Interrupting, Marlena told Kate and Vivian to stop bickering with each other. "You sound like a couple of feral cats trapped in a duffel bag!" Marlena added. Kate and Vivian scowled at Marlena, who guessed that they could no longer remember why they hated each other. Scoffing in unison, the two archenemies simultaneously began listing the many reasons. "Okay...you do remember," Marlena conceded.
"[But] come on -- that was years ago!" Marlena pointed out. "Feels like yesterday," Kate and Vivian replied in unison. Chuckling, Marlena wondered why Kate and Vivian couldn't see just how similar they were. Kate and Vivian simultaneously began pointing out the flaws in Marlena's argument. "Never mind," Marlena eventually said, backing away from the angry archenemies with sudden concern for her own safety.
At the police station, Eric urged Jennifer and Chad to stop blaming themselves for what had happened to Abigail. Hope soon arrived with Gabby, who shoved Chad away when he tried to give her a hug. Eric stepped aside to find out if his mother had been located yet, knowing that she might be the only person who could get through to Abigail. John, who was at the hospital with Paul, assumed that Eric was calling to check on Brady. Eric clarified that he was actually calling to check on his mother. Eric was sorry -- but not particularly surprised -- to hear that Brady had been hospitalized after a suspected case of alcohol poisoning.
As John started to answer Eric's questions about Marlena, Gabby started lashing out at Chad for hurting Stefan. Eric was close enough to hear the tirade -- and, as a result, John heard it, too. "What the hell's going on over there?" John asked curiously. "It's a long story. I'm at the station. Hope just brought in Abigail," Eric explained as Gabby continued yelling at Chad.
"Gabby, calm down," Hope demanded, prompting Jennifer to wonder why Hope had just referred to Abigail as Gabi. "She says her name is Gabby -- with a Y," Hope explained. "[Because] Stefan brainwashed her," Chad guessed. Gabby insisted that Stefan hadn't brainwashed her -- or raped her, for that matter. "I wanted to be in bed with him. I'd wanted it for a long time. I seduced him," Gabby bragged.
Chad tried to get through to Abigail, who soon heard him. Gabby started to flee from the police station, sensing that Abigail was about to emerge. Hope grabbed Gabby and instructed a nearby police officer to put her in one of the conference rooms. Gabby insisted, while being dragged away, that Stefan was the only man she truly loved -- and that no one was going to be able to stop her from being with him.
Hope agreed to let Jennifer have a few minutes alone with her daughter. Jennifer asked Eric to join her. After Jennifer and Eric walked away, Hope gave Chad a hug and wondered how he was doing. "At least I know [my wife is] safe," Chad conceded with a shrug. Chad admitted, when asked, that he didn't know how to undo any of his family's infamous brainwashing tactics. "[But I bet] Marlena could help," Chad added.
Meanwhile, in the conference room, Gabby told Jennifer, "[If you really] want to help me, [then] get me the hell out of here." Jennifer refused to do that, prompting Gabby to dismissively conclude, "Then you are of no use to me, and you can leave." Eric was quick to advise that it was wrong for a daughter to talk to her mother that way, but Gabby insisted that Jennifer wasn't her mother.
"And you, stud, [are] the reason that she got hit by a car [and] got hooked on pills, so you don't really get to tell me how I'm supposed to treat her," Gabby added before reiterating that she wanted to be left alone. Jennifer reluctantly followed Eric out of the conference room, but before the police officer who was guarding the door managed to close it again, John burst inside.
"Where the hell's Marlena?" John demanded to know. Gabby smiled at John and gave him a shrug. Meanwhile, Hope entered the conference room and wondered why John was upset. John explained that Marlena's reading glasses had been found at the DiMera mansion, giving him reason to believe that something had happened to her while she had been there. Gabby claimed that she had never seen the reading glasses before in her life.
John was surprised when Hope revealed that the person he was interrogating didn't identify as Abigail. "Well, I know that Abigail is in there somewhere, and Abigail is a very good person, so if Abigail knows that Doc is in some kind of danger --" John pointedly began. Interrupting, Gabby insisted, "I can't help you." John irritably concluded that Gabby simply didn't want to help him.
Hope insisted that John needed to let her handle the matter. Nodding, John reluctantly followed Hope out of the conference room. Paul, who had followed John to the police station, was in the process of telling Chad, Jennifer, and Eric that Marlena wasn't the only person who was missing. Hope promised to issue APBs for each of the three missing women.
Jennifer decided to go to the hospital, reasoning that, until Marlena was found, Kayla was Abigail's next best hope from a medical standpoint. Eric rushed off with Jennifer after asking John and Paul to keep him posted. Hope agreed with John's suspicion that Gabby was hiding something. "[Luckily], right now, we have [some] leverage," Hope pointed out before turning to Chad and apologetically elaborating that Gabby was desperate to see Stefan again. Sighing, Chad sadly encouraged Hope, "All right, then. Whatever. Do it -- whatever it's gonna take."
Meanwhile, in the conference room, Gabby sensed Dr. Laura's presence. "What a fine mess you've made of everything, Gabby," Dr. Laura observed. Annoyed, Gabby told Dr. Laura to leave her alone. "I don't have time to deal with you right now," Gabby added. "Seems to me that you have nothing but time," Dr. Laura countered.
Gabby refused to accept responsibility for what had happened, but Dr. Laura insisted that it was all Gabby's fault -- and Stefan's, of course. "You allowed yourselves to be led around by your...zippers...and now he's lying half-dead in a hospital, and you've got us stuck in here," Dr. Laura continued.
Gabby irritably concluded that Dr. Laura was only making her presence known so she could gloat that she wouldn't have made the same mistakes. Dr. Laura clarified that she was making her presence known because she wanted to make sure that Gabby understood the severity of the situation. "You need to be very careful about what you say to the police," Dr. Laura stressed. "No kidding," Gabby countered.
"We're totally screwed, especially now that that John Black guy is on our case about locking up those three crones," Gabby added with a sigh of defeat. "You know, we might not be quite so screwed as you might think," Dr. Laura replied. Confused, Gabby wondered what Dr. Laura was talking about. "Well, lucky for us, someone was thinking ahead," Dr. Laura explained with a shrug.
Gabby was surprised to learn that Dr. Laura had emerged for a brief time during Gabby's escape from the DiMera mansion. "What did you do?" Gabby asked Dr. Laura with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "[Well], you and Stefan let things get a little too messy, so I had to step in. [See], keeping those women in that room was only a temporary solution, Gabby, so...I devised a more permanent one," Dr. Laura explained, shrugging again.
Meanwhile, at the DiMera mansion, Vivian asked Marlena and Kate, "Is anybody [else] finding it a little difficult to breathe?" Nodding, Kate confirmed, "I thought it was my imagination, but you're right." Marlena quickly concluded, "Oh, my gosh -- we're running out of air!" Outside the room, every ventilation point was covered with duct tape, courtesy of Dr. Laura.
Eric and Jennifer went to the hospital to talk to Kayla about Abigail. While they waited, Jennifer looked at the door to Stefan's room. Eric cautioned Jennifer not to talk to Stefan. "I don't care what he wants to say to me. I have something to say to him," Jennifer said. As Jennifer walked to Stefan's room, Steve stepped off the elevator. Eric asked Steve about his run-in with Abigail. Steve admitted that he had felt helpless when Abigail had run from him. Steve added that although he was upset about his loss of sight, he was grateful for the things he still had in his life.
As Steve shared his feelings with Eric about Kayla and how he had feared disappointing her, Kayla overheard from nearby. With a deep sigh, Kayla called out hello. Eric asked Kayla about Brady, and she said she was waiting on test results. With a nod, Eric asked about whether Kayla could give him any medical insight on Abigail's condition. Kayla asked about Jennifer. Eric pointed at Stefan's room. Steve asked Kayla to give Jennifer a moment.
Steve and Kayla stepped aside to talk in the lounge area. Kayla confessed that she had overheard Steve talking to Eric, and she knew that he was struggling with his blindness. "Don't protect me. If you're having a bad day, tell me. If you're feeling discouraged, tell me," Kayla said. Steve said he did not want to burden Kayla, but she begged Steve to let her in. Kayla reminded Steve that they had vowed at their wedding to be there for one another forever. "Promise me we will tackle the good days and the dark days together," Kayla whispered. "You're all the light I need," Steve said.
In Stefan's room, Stefan mumbled, "Please, Gabby, tell me you ran. Tell me you're free." Jennifer sat next to Stefan and growled that he was an animal. "You brainwashed my daughter. You made her a vicious, horrible person," Jennifer said. "Gabby was caught then?" Stefan asked. Furious, Jennifer yelled at Stefan not to call her Gabby. Fighting tears, Jennifer accused Stefan of raping her daughter. Fighting for breath, Stefan quietly said, "It was consensual."
"I know that my precious baby girl would never cheat on her husband, and she would never consent to giving you her body or her mind. You are a monster!" Jennifer yelled. Stefan told Jennifer that she did not understand the situation. Jennifer demanded an explanation. Stefan said he had not done anything. Confused, Jennifer demanded Stefan answer her. Eric rushed in and urged Jennifer to leave. "I'm sorry," Stefan said quietly. Eric dragged Jennifer out of the room.
At the nurses' station, Eric and Jennifer asked Kayla about Abigail's condition. Kayla suggested that Jennifer should talk to Marlena. Eric added that Marlena was missing. Frustrated, Jennifer begged Kayla to access Marlena's files because they needed to urgently determine what was wrong with Abigail. Kayla promised to talk to the head of the hospital to get a waiver for permission to access the records.
In the bullpen at the police station, Paul suggested to John that Marlena might have confronted Abigail at the DiMera mansion. Hope added that Kate was missing too. Trask walked in and demanded to know why Hope was holding Stefan and Abigail in connection with Andre's murder. Hope explained the situation. Trask laughed. Trask reminded Hope that the case was closed, and she ordered Hope to release Stefan and Abigail.
In the interrogation room, Gabby talked to a vision of Dr. Laura, who informed her that she had devised a permanent solution to their Kate, Vivian, and Marlena problem. "I cut off their air supply. Because of the way you and Stefan handled things, it didn't leave me much choice," Dr. Laura said calmly. Gabby disagreed and stressed that killing Kate, Vivian, and Marlena could hurt Abigail.
When Dr. Laura said she needed to protect Abigail from the realization that she had killed Andre, Gabby countered that Abigail would not be happy to learn that she had killed Kate, Vivian, and Marlena, as well. Dr. Laura said her plan would mean that Abigail would never learn the truth. "Stefan will take the blame," Dr. Laura announced. Angry, Gabby vowed to stop Dr. Laura from framing an innocent man.
"A man who loves you so much that he would do anything to protect you. Even accept his own fate to keep you from being implicated," Dr. Laura said. When Gabby promised that Stefan would pull through, Dr. Laura threatened to do the same thing to Stefan that she had done to Kate, Vivian, and Marlena. Dr. Laura argued that Gabby's emotions had endangered Abigail. Shaking her head, Gabby said she would not let Dr. Laura take over.
"As if you have a choice," Dr. Laura purred. Gabby gripped her head in pain and reached for a pair of glasses. Gabby screamed as she resisted. Hope, Paul, John, and Trask ran into the interrogation room and found Abigail standing in the room, a pair of glasses on her face. Abigail smiled serenely. "Nice try, Laura," Gabby said as she took off the glasses.
Hope told Gabby that she would not see Stefan until she told Hope what she knew about Marlena. Gabby said that unless they let her see Stefan, then Kate, Vivian, and Marlena would die from asphyxiation. Gabby demanded full immunity for her and Stefan. Trask, Hope, John, and Paul stepped outside to talk. In her mind, Gabby remembered when she had played the piano as Stefan had watched. Gabby then thought about when she had made love to Stefan.
In the bullpen, Hope and John negotiated with Trask about an immunity deal for Abigail. Hope told Trask that if she did not include releasing Gabi from prison in the deal, her career would be over. The group returned to the interrogation room. Trask said that Gabby and Stefan would get immunity for everything except for Andre's murder. Gabby said she would agree if Trask provided the agreement in writing plus one additional request.
At the hospital, Kayla took a call from Trask. Kayla then told Steve, Jennifer, and Eric that Abigail had arranged a phone call with Stefan. Overwhelmed, Jennifer hugged Eric. At the police station, Trask handed the phone to Gabby. Gabby asked for privacy.
In Stefan's room at the hospital, he answered the phone as Kayla left. Stefan said he was better "now that I'm talking to you." Gabby told Stefan about the deal she had made with the police. Stefan was upset that Gabby had told the police about the room in the tunnels, but Gabby said she had not wanted Stefan to lose his mother. "It will be the beginning of the end for me," Gabby said. "Yeah. And for us," Stefan added sadly.
At the nurses' station, Jennifer thanked Steve for finding Abigail. Holding Jennifer's hand, Steve reminded Jennifer that Abigail was strong and would get through it.
In the room in the tunnels, Vivian, Kate, and Marlena had trouble breathing. Their doorway had been sealed with duct tape on the outside. Marlena checked the door and could not feel any air coming in from the cracks. Marlena urged the other two women to stay calm to conserve their oxygen and limit their carbon dioxide output. While Vivian continued to drink, Kate and Marlena found a boarded-up opening hidden behind a large bin.
The three women used a pole from the clothing rack to break up the boards, only to find a brick wall behind it. Short of breath, Vivian grabbed a bottle of Champagne and took a gulp. Kate grabbed a bottle and joined her. The women talked about the afterlife. Kate said she was looking forward to seeing Andre again.
"Your husband made a fool of you!" Vivian yelped between sips of Champagne. "If he loved you so much, why did he spend a year, helping me take you down?" Vivian asked. Vivian explained that Andre had worked with her to install Stefan as the head of DiMera Enterprises. Kate stared blankly at Vivian. Shaking her head, Kate said that Andre would not have betrayed her. Eager to prove Kate wrong, Vivian told Kate that Andre had fired Gabi to provide liquidity for Vivian and Stefan to send to their slush fund.
"That man loved only himself," Vivian said. Vivian passed out. "Looks like the first canary died," Kate said. Upstairs, John rushed into the mansion with Paul. "I know exactly where to look!" John bellowed as he rushed over to the entrance to the secret passage. Downstairs, Paul and Hope furiously tore at the duct tape while John worked to open the lock. When the door was opened, Kate, Vivian, and Marlena all lay unconscious on the floor.
In the Statesville infirmary, Gabi groggily greeted Will, who had just stepped into her room. He apologized for waking her. She feared that there could only be one reason that he had trekked out to the prison in the middle of the night, but he assured her that nothing bad had happened to their daughter. "I just came [here] 'cause I wanted to interview a prisoner for a piece for the Spectator, but then I got the warden to let me come in and check up on you," he explained. "So, you okay?" he added before awkwardly attempting to rephrase the question, able to see for himself that she obviously wasn't okay.
"I'm better than I was yesterday. Everything still hurts -- a lot," Gabi admitted. Will pointed out that, on the bright side, the infirmary was probably the safest section of the prison. Gabi agreed but fearfully acknowledged that she was going to have to face the general population again soon enough. "I don't get why Abigail swears you confessed [to murdering Andre] when you didn't," Will mused, prompting Gabi to share what she had learned during Rafe and J.J.'s earlier visit. Will contacted the Spectator's source at the police station but was unable to glean any additional information from the person.
"Unbelievable. [Abigail is being protected from the press] while I'm in here, serving time for a crime I didn't commit," Gabi grumbled. Will promised to keep trying, certain that someone would eventually talk, whether a gag order was in place or not. Gabi thanked Will for being willing to stay on top of the matter. "You know, every day that I'm in here is a day that I am not gonna get back in my life; every day that I'm in here is a day I am missing from Arianna's life," Gabi fretted. Nodding, Will assured Gabi, "Sonny and I are trying to do everything we can to make [Ari] feel loved and secure [while you're in here]."
"You and Sonny helped [Ari] deal with me being gone, and now Sonny and I are gonna help her get through this...[and] I have a feeling [that] the outcome's gonna be very similar -- you're gonna come home to Ari, just like I did," Will continued. Gabi hoped Will was right about that. "Hey, maybe spending all this time together [with] Sonny..." Gabi hopefully began. "Oh, no -- that's...that's not gonna happen. I -- I've moved on," Will stressed. "Right...with the guy Sonny was gonna marry," Gabi replied with a hint of disapproval. "We're happy together," Will insisted. "You and Sonny were happy, too," Gabi countered.
"I wish I remembered that," Will admitted. "So does Sonny," Gabi noted. Softening, Gabi acknowledged that it wasn't Will's fault that he couldn't remember being in love with the man who had once been his husband. "I just hope that Sonny finds someone -- that he'll be able to move on, too," Gabi stressed. "Me, too...[but I also] hope he doesn't get hurt because he's rebounding to the first available guy," Will replied.
Gabi was surprised to hear that the new man in Sonny's life might be in cahoots with Vivian Alamain, of all people. Will admitted that Sonny didn't know about the possible connection yet because Paul was still investigating and didn't want to tip Leo off. "To be honest, I probably should not have even told you about it," Will added, chuckling nervously. Gabi was glad that Will had shared the information with her, reasoning, "You and Sonny and I [will always] share a daughter, [so] we need to look out for each other." Will assured Gabi that Paul would eventually figure out exactly what was going on between Leo and Vivian.
Outside the Kiriakis mansion, Leo contacted Vivian and left her a voicemail message: "I don't know why you're not returning my calls, but since I haven't heard differently, I assume you still want me to seduce Sonny -- which, I'm warning you, is not gonna be easy. He is as stubborn as he is hot. In other words, all of my extra efforts are going to cost you. Will you please call me or text to confirm we're still on the same page?"
After ending the call, Leo rang the doorbell then casually leaned against the doorframe and waited for Sonny, who wasn't particularly pleased to be receiving yet another late-night visit from his assistant. "Didn't you get my email?" Leo asked innocently. Confused, Sonny fished his cell phone out of his pants pocket and quickly located the email, which was about a last-minute glitch in a shipping deal he had been trying to finalize. "You haven't signed off on everything yet," Leo explained, handing over a contract that still needed Sonny's signature. Sighing, Sonny reluctantly invited Leo into the mansion.
Leo waited in the living room while Sonny read over the contract then signed and returned it. Leo stuffed the contract in his briefcase, removing a box of chocolates in the process. "Oh, um...I almost forgot, that Swiss conglomerate [we just worked with sent you this]," Leo casually explained while offering the gift to Sonny, who dismissively instructed him to take it back to the office and put it in the staff kitchen.
Leo nodded then started to leave. "Wait," Sonny called out, softening a bit. Sonny apologized for being rude, explaining that it had simply been a really difficult day. Leo was shocked to hear that Gabi had been attacked at Statesville. Sonny admitted with a sigh that trying to put on a brave face in front of Arianna had probably taken more of a toll than he had previously realized, leaving him irritable and impatient when dealing with others.
"Give yourself some credit. You are better at hiding your emotions than you think. [I mean], you said you had feelings for me, but then we started working together, and it has been strictly business ever since," Leo pointed out. Sonny guessed that, as a result, Leo saw him as a truly coldhearted individual. "No -- not at all. I -- I respect your work ethic," Leo stressed.
"And as far as hiding your worry from Arianna, that's probably a smart move...but you don't have to hide it from me," Leo added. Relieved to be able to vent to someone, Sonny explained that Will had visited earlier and had helped him reassure their daughter that her mother was going to be okay. "[But] I just feel like [Ari] sees right through us. [And] what if Gabi's not okay?" Sonny fretted.
"What happened to Mommy?" Arianna asked, making her presence known. Sonny stammered, struggling to think of the right way to respond to the question. Leo quickly intervened, telling Arianna that he was a friend who had been instructed to deliver a box of chocolates to her as a gift from her mother, who loved her and was going to return home to her as soon as possible. Satisfied, Arianna took the gift from Leo then turned to Sonny, who agreed to let her eat one piece of chocolate right away but warned that she would then have to brush her teeth again before going back to sleep.
Later, after tucking Arianna back in bed, Sonny rejoined Leo, who had been waiting patiently in the living room. Leo started to apologize for giving Arianna a box of chocolates without checking with Sonny first, but Sonny dismissed the concern, insisting that the only thing that truly mattered was that Leo had managed to make Arianna feel better. "I gotta hand it to you -- you're a pretty cool liar," Sonny noted. "I'll take that as a compliment," Leo replied, chuckling nervously. Sonny locked eyes with Leo, who was just inches away from him. Leo held Sonny's gaze for a few seconds then said goodnight and exited the mansion.
At the DiMera mansion, John, Paul, and Hope rushed into the secret room to perform CPR on Marlena, Kate, and Vivian, respectively. "Oh, God -- why me?" Hope grumbled while preparing to perform CPR on Vivian, who woke up on her own just in time. "Don't even think about it!" Vivian snapped, pushing Hope away. Hope sent up a few silent prayers of gratitude, feeling like she had just dodged a bullet.
Paul soon managed to revive Kate. John was struggling to revive Marlena but declined to let Paul take over, unable to surrender control of the situation to someone else. "Where are the EMTs?" Hope worriedly wondered. "They should have been here by now," Paul agreed. Seconds later, John finally managed to revive Marlena, who seemed to be weaker than Kate and Vivian but eventually started feeling better, just as Kate and Vivian both had.
The group soon moved to the living room, where Marlena, Kate, and Vivian took turns explaining to Hope how they had ended up in the secret room. Marlena and Kate both blamed Stefan, knowing that Abigail wasn't truly responsible for anything she had done because she hadn't been in her right mind lately. Vivian, however, refused to throw Stefan under the bus, insisting that he was the one who hadn't been in his right mind lately. Hope promised that Abigail and Stefan would both be dealt with accordingly. "Well, good luck going after Stefan for anything that happened -- he's probably miles away from Salem by now," Vivian guessed.
Vivian was horrified to learn that Stefan was actually lying in a hospital bed as the result of an extremely violent altercation with Chad. Kate felt responsible, knowing that Chad probably wouldn't have found his wife in bed with his brother if she hadn't alerted him that she had spotted the mystery woman in the mansion. "How's Abigail been behaving?" Marlena asked Hope curiously. "I'm not sure she knows she is Abigail," Hope replied. After Hope elaborated, Marlena nodded and vaguely explained, "Look, the situation with Abigail is far more...complicated...than anybody ever imagined."
Abigail, still trapped in what appeared to be Marlena's office, listened to Stefan's phone conversation with Gabby but was only able to hear his end of it. When Stefan and Gabby started discussing what Abigail had done to Andre, Dr. Laura suddenly entered the office and told Abigail, "Trust me -- you do not want to hear the rest of that conversation."
Dr. Laura introduced herself and explained that she was a protector of sorts. Confused, Abigail wondered why she needed protection. "Doesn't matter," Dr. Laura vaguely replied. "[Just] put your trust in me, and all will be well," Dr. Laura added. Abigail argued that anyone who was truly looking out for her best interests would be willing to help her escape from the office. Dr. Laura admitted that she could make that happen at any time, but she refused to do so, insisting that it wasn't a good idea. Abigail wanted to know why, but Dr. Laura vaguely reiterated that Abigail just needed to trust her.
Sighing, Abigail asked Dr. Laura for a glass of water. While Dr. Laura was fulfilling the request, Abigail snatched a set of keys that had been left unattended. Dr. Laura didn't realize what Abigail was up to until it was too late to intervene. "Why am I at the police station?" Abigail worriedly wondered, looking around the conference room in confusion.
Abigail put down the cell phone Gabby had been using to talk to Stefan, not bothering to end the call first. Abigail tried to flee from the conference room, but the door was locked. Meanwhile, Stefan called out to Gabby, unaware of what had just happened. Recognizing Stefan's voice, Abigail reclaimed the cell phone and clarified, "It's not Gabby; it's Abigail, you son of a bitch!"
"Where are you? What did you do to me?" Abigail asked Stefan while ripping off the wig and tossing it aside. Stefan ignored Abigail's questions and continued calling out to Gabby, encouraging her to fight her way back to him. Sensing that something bad might happen soon, Abigail quickly ended the call then tried to contact Chad, unaware that he wasn't in a position to answer his cell phone at that time.
At the hospital, Vivian's cell phone finally picked up Leo's barrage of voicemail and text messages. "Of course I want you to proceed with our plan! Carry on!" Vivian wrote back before stepping into Stefan's hospital room. Stefan winced in pain as Vivian examined his injuries. "That's what you get for locking your mother up in that room with those two harridans!" Vivian snapped.
"I was just trying to find a way to escape with Gabby," Stefan weakly explained. "Guess Chad had other ideas," Stefan added with a sigh. Vivian insisted that Stefan had dodged a bullet because Gabby had turned out to be just as unstable as her host. "She tried to suffocate me!" Vivian informed Stefan, who clarified that Dr. Laura, not Gabby, had tried to kill Vivian, Kate, and Marlena.
At the DiMera mansion, Kate checked on Thomas then joined Paul in the foyer. Kate warned Paul that Vivian had somehow figured out that they were trying to dig up dirt on her. Kate was intrigued to hear about Vivian's possible connection to a guy who was working at Titan and had briefly dated Sonny. At Kate's request, Paul gave a physical description of Leo. "Definitely Sonny's type. It's almost as if he was custom picked," Paul concluded. Kate nodded, remembering the time Vivian had paid a guy she had later identified as her masseur -- a guy who matched the description perfectly.
Meanwhile, in the living room, John hugged Marlena, who said she had known all along that he would find her eventually, since he always managed to do so. "And I always will," he promised before giving her a kiss. He wanted to take her to the hospital so a doctor could examine her, but she insisted that wasn't necessary.
Changing the subject, Marlena asked about John's recent encounters with Abigail. John explained that Abigail had recently started wearing a wig and identifying as Gabby. "I'm telling you, Doc, she's nothing like the Abigail I've ever known. So, what's going on here? Is this all part of Stefan brainwashing her?" John asked. Marlena assured John that brainwashing wasn't the issue, quietly adding, "Abigail's ill."
At the police station, Hope entered the conference room and was shocked when Abigail hugged her and asked for her help. Hope started to assure Abigail that everything was going to be okay, but Dr. Laura soon emerged and told Hope, "I beg your pardon, Commissioner, but the only person who's going to help Abigail is me."
At the hospital, John tried to convince Marlena to take the day off, certain that her patients would understand because, after all, she had almost died the previous night, and excuses didn't get much better than that. She apologetically insisted that she couldn't do that because, while she would love nothing more than to let him pamper her all day, there was one patient in particular who needed her help -- immediately.
John found it hard to believe that Stefan hadn't brainwashed Abigail, since brainwashing was a DiMera specialty, and that seemed like the simplest explanation for Abigail's recent changes in personality. Marlena wished Abigail had simply fallen victim to the DiMeras' familiar brainwashing tactics because, after all, no other psychiatrist in the world had more experience dealing with that sort of thing.
John didn't want Marlena to be alone with Abigail, who was actually starting to scare him. "She sealed you up in a room [and] tried to suffocate you!" John fretted.
"Actually, Mr. Black, that was me," Dr. Laura clarified, stepping into Marlena's office with a police escort. John incredulously pointed out that Dr. Laura had just casually confessed to three counts of attempted murder. Dr. Laura coolly countered that Gabby's immunity deal surely applied to each of Abigail's alters. Already fed up with Dr. Laura, John reluctantly agreed to give Marlena some privacy, hoping that nothing particularly bad could happen while an armed guard was standing just outside the office. "Abigail...you know that I love you...but I won't let you hurt [Marlena] again," John stressed before leaving.
Dr. Laura refused to let Marlena talk to Abigail, knowing what the conversation would entail. Dr. Laura insisted that Abigail wasn't ready to hear the truth yet, prompting Marlena to wonder exactly which truth Dr. Laura was talking about -- the truth that Abigail had dissociative identity disorder or the truth that it had developed after Abigail had murdered Andre.
Scoffing, Dr. Laura condescendingly reminded Marlena that Andre's murderer had already been tried and convicted. Marlena countered that Gabi had only been convicted because Abigail -- or, more accurately, Abigail's protector, Dr. Laura -- had lied on the witness stand during the trial, ensuring that Gabi would take the fall for a crime Abigail had committed. "I know you think you're protecting Abigail by keeping her locked away, but the only thing that is going to save her is facing the truth, so the only person that she needs protection from is you," Marlena stressed.
"You know, I am afraid that we are out of time," Dr. Laura replied, standing to leave. "[And] unless the police can find proof that Abigail [murdered Andre] within the next twenty-four hours, they will have no choice but to let her go...and at that point, I'm going to take her far away [to] somewhere safe, where you and Stefan and [everyone] else in this town will [never] find her," Dr. Laura added. Marlena warned that taking Abigail away from Salem would be a bad idea, but Dr. Laura disagreed, believing that she could see to her host's needs from anywhere in the world. Marlena maintained that Abigail wouldn't be able to survive being forever separated from Chad and Thomas. "[And] then you'd have nobody to protect. Is that what you want?" Marlena asked. Ignoring the question, Dr. Laura stormed out of Marlena's office, with the police escort close behind.
Meanwhile, at the nurses' station, Eve and Lucas argued about what had happened to Brady. Lucas doubted that Brady had fallen off the wagon again, but Eve remained convinced that was the most logical explanation. Maggie soon joined the conversation, reporting that Brady was finally awake. "[He] swore to me that he didn't rig the contest or take a drink, and I believe him," Maggie told Eve, who dismissively countered that good people always wanted to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. "[But, unlike you], I occasionally scheme to get what I want, [so I can] recognize the signs," Eve added with a shrug.
Undeterred, Maggie stressed that Brady regretted hurting Eve and was determined to never make that mistake again. Eve allowed for the possibility that Brady might actually feel that way -- and might even believe that he could change for her sake. "But I just can't allow myself to care for him again," Eve insisted. "Then I've got some bad news for you, because if you didn't really care about him, you wouldn't be here," Maggie countered.
After Maggie walked away, John emerged from Brady's room and informed Eve that Brady wanted to see her. "I know that he hurt you...even though you're doing your best to pretend that it didn't happen, right? Come on -- I'm his dad. There's not a doubt in my mind that he still loves you. Now, I know you're not asking [for my advice], but if you did, I'd just say...'You think it's possible you could give him a second chance?'" John added.
Eve gave John's comments some thought then went to see Brady.
Meanwhile, Lucas -- who had left the hospital while Maggie had been talking to Eve -- ended up at Doug's Place. "[Chloe's] not here, Lucas; she's in Mexico City, you moron," Lucas reminded himself.
Maggie soon arrived and found Lucas sitting at the bar, staring at a glass of whiskey he had just ordered. "You don't want to do that," Maggie gently advised. "You're right -- I don't," Lucas agreed, shoving the glass aside. "I want to know the real reason why Chloe left me," Lucas added, refusing to believe the answers Chloe had provided in her goodbye letter.
John rejoined Marlena in her office and wondered what had happened while he had been gone. "I couldn't get through to [Abigail]...but I'm hoping there is somebody else who can," Marlena told John.
At the police station, Kate gently informed Chad, who had just been released on bail, that Stefan hadn't brainwashed Abigail. "Chad...as much as I hate to say this, Abigail is sick. She has a disorder; she has multiple personality disorder," Kate explained. Chad, struggling to process Kate's revelation, insisted that even if that was the real issue, Stefan was clearly still responsible for causing it.
Kate clarified that Marlena was fairly certain that Andre's death was what had caused Abigail to develop dissociative identity disorder. Chad dismissively insisted that Abigail was strong enough to handle a loved one's death without falling apart. "No, you're right -- that wouldn't break her...[unless] she's the one that killed Andre," Kate reasoned. Chad argued that Gabby and Dr. Laura were both far more likely to commit murder than Abigail was, but Kate maintained that Marlena was convinced that neither alter had existed until after Andre's murder. Kate advised that Chad needed to accept what was wrong with Abigail so he could help her get better.
Kate soon received a phone call from Marlena. After a brief conversation, Kate ended the call and informed Chad that Dr. Laura was still in control of Abigail's body -- and that Marlena believed that he might be the only person who could change that. Meanwhile, Dr. Laura entered the police station, her escort still close behind.
Somewhere in Mexico City, Chloe awoke in a small bedroom and discovered, to her horror, that the windows were barred and the door was locked from the outside. She soon heard someone fiddling with the lock. She grabbed a heavy decorative object and waited near the door, ready to hit her visitor with it then try to escape -- but her visitor was prepared for such tricks.
"If I were you, I'd put that down," Miguel advised Chloe, aiming a gun at her chest. "And if I don't?" she asked, still holding her makeshift weapon above her head. "I have ways of encouraging your cooperation," he replied.
Nodding, Chloe remembered that Miguel liked spiking people's drinks. He dismissively assured her that the drink he had given her during their flight to Mexico City hadn't been spiked with anything that was even remotely as powerful as what he had added to her friend's drink back in Salem. "[It was just] a mild sedative. I felt it would serve my task best if you were out of commission [for a while]. But now that you're up and about again, I'm glad to see that you haven't lost that fire. It'll serve you well [here]," he added. Still aiming the gun at her chest, he forced her to contact her parents and explain why she was going to have to leave her son in their care for a while.
After Chloe ended the call, Miguel approvingly admitted that the story she had told her parents had been quite convincing. He assured her that her new job in Mexico City would provide her son with everything he could ever want out of life. "Except his mother," she countered. "A true artist is willing to make sacrifices," he reasoned with a shrug, maintaining that the rewards would make the sacrifices worthwhile.
"I'm not gonna sacrifice anything, because I'm not staying here," Chloe insisted, certain that Lucas would eventually realize that something was wrong -- and would then stop at nothing to rescue her. "I don't doubt Mr. Horton feels cheated by your sudden departure, Ms. Lane; he's clearly intoxicated by your beauty and talent. Much like my employer [was] when he saw you on stage, embodying Salome," Miguel replied.
"Do I need to remind you of the plot of that opus? How a man's head ends up on a platter?" Miguel continued. Chloe took that as a threat, but Miguel innocently clarified that he was simply trying to give her some insight into his employer's personality. "[He] expects to get what he wants," Miguel explained, adding that Lucas might just lose his own head if he tried to interfere.
"Forget about Lucas Horton. He's a part of your past...and you have a very bright future ahead of you," Miguel advised Chloe, adding that his employer was extremely eager to see her back onstage again. "What's he gonna do -- make me perform in front of an audience with a gun to my head?" Chloe asked incredulously. "There's no need to worry. It'll be a very intimate gathering...of exactly one," Miguel clarified. "If I were you, I would take this time to prepare. He'll be here soon," Miguel added before exiting the room and locking the door.
As Chloe frantically searched for a way out of the room, the door swung open again. Chloe gasped and stared in shock at her new visitor.
At Doug's Place, Lucas thanked Maggie for stopping him from drinking. Maggie assured Lucas that he had made the decision on his own. Lucas said that regardless of Chloe, he knew he had a life worth living. With a sigh, Lucas said that Chloe had been very open and honest with him, but the letter was out of character. Lucas said he needed to find Chloe. Frustrated, Lucas grabbed his jacket and ran out.
Maggie walked over to the loft to talk to Ciara and Claire. Maggie asked Claire if she had cheated to win the Bella contest. As Ciara glared, Claire admitted she had cheated. Defiantly, Claire asked Maggie to yell at her. Maggie said she was there to talk about Brady, who had sworn that he had not rigged the contest.
In the interrogation room at the police station, Kate and Chad met Dr. Laura. With a small smile, Dr. Laura assured Kate that her attempt at asphyxiation was "nothing personal." Kate informed Dr. Laura that the police were going to hold her. Kate whispered in Chad's ear, "You can do this. Bring her home."
After Kate left, Chad asked Dr. Laura why she had taken over Abigail's body. Dr. Laura assured Chad that she only wanted to protect Abigail from the truth. Chad asked Dr. Laura who had killed Andre. "Trust me. You don't want to know the answers," Dr. Laura said. Chad said he did not believe it was good to keep Abigail from her husband and son. Unmoved, Dr. Laura said Abigail was much safer locked away in her mind.
"Give me back my wife," Chad growled as he grabbed Dr. Laura by the shoulders. Marlena interrupted, and she pulled Chad outside. Chad said he would not let Dr. Laura take his wife away. Marlena urged Chad to speak from his heart, not from his anger. "Give her a line to cling to so that she can pull herself out," Marlena suggested.
In the interrogation room, Dr. Laura rubbed her head. In Abigail' mind, she sat in Dr. Laura's office and called out to her. Frustrated, Abigail grabbed the phone to call for help. Ben walked into the office. With a gasp, Abigail dropped the phone. Ben said he was always in Abigail's mind.
"I might be the only person that can help you because I know what it's like to lose your mind," Ben said. Abigail told Ben she was not scared of him anymore. "Here's the thing about being crazy: it never goes away. You can push it aside but it is only a matter of time before it comes roaring back," Ben said as he pushed up against Abigail. Abigail turned away, but Ben appeared in every direction she started to run. Ben asked Abigail to let him help her accept her fate.
"Give in to the truth. That you are mentally ill, just like me. And you always will be," Ben said as he leaned his face in close to Abigail. Ben warned Abigail not to make herself "worthy of Chad" but to instead be herself. "I don't care if you're damaged or broken. So am I," Ben said. Defiantly, Abigail said she was nothing like Ben. Ben told Abigail that she was safe in the office with him. Ben leaned in for a kiss.
Chad returned to the interrogation room and asked to speak to his wife. Dr. Laura said no. Chad approached Dr. Laura, and she backed away as Chad appealed to Abigail to "come back to me." In Abigail's head, she heard Chad's voice. Dr. Laura pulled away from Chad and grabbed her head. In her mind, Abigail shoved Ben away. Abigail ran to the door of the office and opened it as Ben called out her name.
In the interrogation room, Chad continued to appeal to Abigail. Dr. Laura gripped her head then was calm. Abigail looked at her husband and said, "Chad?" Emotional, Chad and Abigail hugged each other tightly.
In the hospital, Eve crept into Brady's room. In disbelief, Brady asked Eve if she was there to check on him. Flustered, Eve started to leave. Brady asked her not to go. "I can't stop thinking about you," Brady said. Eve countered, "Give me one reason why I should listen to a lying drunk."
Brady swore he had not had a drop of alcohol. Shaking her head, Eve said Brady had lied to her from the moment she had returned to Salem. Brady begged Eve to trust her. As Eve shook her head no, Marlena entered with the toxicology reports. Cautiously, Marlena said she had not read the report yet. Brady asked Marlena to read the report aloud. Marlena reported that the blood alcohol level noted was zero. Confused, Eve asked why Brady had behaved like he had been drunk. Marlena confirmed that there had been a foreign substance in his blood. Sensing the tension, Marlena excused herself and left.
With a raised eyebrow, Eve said the report had confirmed that Brady had taken something. Eve confirmed that Theresa had told her that Brady had been a drug addict. Brady stressed that he had not touched drugs in years. "It's impossible for me to trust you because you're a liar and a cheater!" Eve yelled. Claire walked in and said, "Brady is not the one who rigged the contest. I am."
Eve asked Claire if Brady had helped. Claire said that she had asked Brady, but he had turned her down. "I needed to prove to you that I would never hurt you," Brady told Eve. After Claire left, Brady said he had promised never to lie to Eve again, and he had not. Brady added that he wanted to tell the world that he loved Eve and always would. With a frown, Brady said he regretted that he had hurt Eve.
"I want to be the man to make your life better. I love you. I want to be with you. Always," Brady said. Brady held out his hand, and Eve took it. Brady asked Eve to take another chance on him.
In Mexico City, Chloe paced her room until her hotel room door opened. Theresa entered. "Hello, Chloe. Welcome to Mexico," Theresa said quietly. Theresa asked Chloe to keep her voice down so that no one knew she was in the room. Theresa explained that the man holding them was Mateo. When Theresa said she missed Brady and Tate, Chloe said Brady had told her about Theresa's sudden spiral and departure from his life. Theresa said she had lied to protect her family from Mateo.
"Oh, my God. And all this time, Brady thought you had abandoned him," Chloe said in shock. "I have never stopped loving Brady. And I never will," Theresa said. Theresa explained that Mateo was an ex, but he had tracked her down because he was still obsessed with her. "You're Mateo's prisoner? Like his slave?" Chloe asked, incredulous. Theresa said she had attempted to gather evidence for Shane, but Mateo had been too good at hiding information.
Rolling her eyes, Theresa said Chloe was Mateo's latest obsession. Panicked, Chloe said Lucas had been right. Chloe explained that she had gotten back together with Lucas. Theresa pointed out that Mateo had hurt Chloe romantically, too. Anxious, Theresa asked about Tate. Chloe said Tate appeared to be happy and that Brady frequently told Tate about his mother. When Theresa asked about Brady, Chloe said she was not sure because Brady had accidentally been drugged the night she had left Salem.
"I couldn't bear to be the reason he fell off the wagon again," Theresa said through tears. Chloe confirmed that Brady had already fallen off the wagon. Theresa blamed herself, but Chloe said that Brady had started drinking because of someone else. Chloe explained that Brady had reconciled with Nicole, but she had left him. Angry, Theresa grumbled that Brady never should have trusted Nicole.
Theresa asked Chloe if Brady was still drinking when he was single. Sensing Theresa's anger, Chloe backed off of the truth. Theresa noted that the relationship was probably not serious. When Chloe hedged, Theresa demanded to know who Brady was dating. Chloe reluctantly admitted that Brady was dating Theresa's sister.
At the DiMera mansion, Kate was annoyed when Lucas asked her to look at his Dear John letter from Chloe. Kate informed her son that Abigail had attempted to asphyxiate her in the tunnels. Shocked, Lucas asked if she was okay. Kate said she was fine then grabbed the letter from Lucas. Lucas asked Kate if she knew why Chloe had left suddenly. Kate said she had not done anything but warn Lucas that Chloe would break his heart.
"Why would she write this letter and disappear all of a sudden?" Lucas wondered aloud. Lucas exclaimed that he needed Chloe in his life, but Kate countered that Lucas needed to concentrate on his sobriety. "Sometimes things are just not what they seem," Kate counseled. Kate warned Lucas not to run after Chloe. "She let you go, Lucas. Now it's your turn to let her go," Kate said.
At the loft, Maggie asked Ciara to let go of her grudge against Claire. Maggie said Ciara had her revenge for what Claire had done at Hope's wedding. "I just feel empty," Ciara said. Maggie counseled that revenge brought satisfaction but it did not make anyone feel better. Maggie asked Ciara if revenge was worth losing her best friend. Before Ciara could answer, Claire returned home and told Maggie she had confessed her cheating to Eve and Brady. As Maggie hugged Ciara goodbye, she whispered, "Think about what I said."
"My singing career will be over, and I will be humiliated," Claire said. "Maybe it doesn't have to go down that way," Ciara said carefully. Ciara suggested that Eve could put out a press release spinning the change in winners as a technical glitch. Ciara said she would ask Eve to release the revised story. "For once, I don't need to kick you while you are down," Ciara said softly. Stunned, Claire asked Ciara if she meant that. "We're family," Ciara said.
