The quiet before the storm has shattered in Salem. As EJ stirs from his coma, a cascade of revelations is unleashed—and Xander is at the eye of it. What he once believed to be a simple betrayal by Philip is exposed as something far darker. The truth? Others knew. Alex. Stephanie. Even Sarah. And they all kept their silence.

Xander, devastated and furious, confronts them. His voice trembles with rage. “You knew. You always knew.” The betrayal cuts deeper than he imagined, not because of the lies themselves—but because of who lied. People he trusted, people he thought would protect him. Now, all trust is in tatters.

Stephanie tries to defend herself, claiming she wanted to spare him pain. Xander calls her out: cowardice cloaked in empathy. And Alex? He insists he was trying to keep the peace for the sake of the Titan-DiMera merger. But Xander sees through it. The damage is done.

Meanwhile, Belle is unraveling in her own world of complications. Torn between her anger at Philip and her guilt over EJ, her emotions are a tangled web. When she learns Philip could face legal consequences, she coolly informs him he’ll need a lawyer—she can’t save him. Not this time.

As Susan Banks channels her psychic connection beside EJ’s hospital bed, a flicker of consciousness sparks in him. Belle, pushed by Susan, confesses her feelings to EJ—just as his eyes begin to open. The tension is palpable. Will EJ remember who shot him? Or will his awakening only invite more chaos?

Elsewhere, Philip seeks refuge in his mother’s counsel. But even Kate can’t undo the chain of lies now exposed. Salem is bracing for the aftermath—because once secrets see daylight, nothing is ever the same again.