The week ahead in Days of Our Lives promises to leave Salem fans breathless, as deep secrets, buried trauma, and shocking revelations come crashing to the surface. At the center of this emotional whirlwind stands Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), who finds herself face-to-face with a truth so disturbing it could unravel everything she thought she knew about one of her most fragile patients — Rachel Black (Finley Rose Slater).

What begins as an ordinary therapy session quickly turns into a chilling journey through memory, guilt, and revelation. For weeks, Marlena has sensed that something is wrong with Rachel. The once bright and confident young girl has become withdrawn and agitated, her behavior shifting whenever the name “EJ DiMera” is mentioned. What Marlena doesn’t expect, however, is just how dark the memories buried in Rachel’s mind truly are — memories that could rewrite the events of the night EJ was shot.

As the session begins, Rachel’s demeanor is restless. Her hands tremble, her eyes dart around the room, and her voice is fragile as she speaks in fragments about a night she can’t forget but can barely understand. Marlena leans forward gently, guiding her to focus. Then, in a trembling whisper, Rachel says the words that stop Marlena cold: “I saw him fall… and I was holding the gun.”

The air in Marlena’s office turns heavy as the truth begins to unfold. Rachel’s confession sends shockwaves through the normally composed psychiatrist. Could it be true that Rachel — not Kristen, not any of the other suspects — was the one who pulled the trigger on EJ that fateful night? For Marlena, the revelation is almost too much to process. The trusted doctor’s calm, professional exterior begins to crack as horrifying memories from her own past resurface. She knows all too well the dangers of repressed trauma and the chaos that can be unleashed when it resurfaces.

Rachel explains that the memories didn’t come back during their regular therapy sessions. Instead, they emerged after Marlena introduced her to a deep relaxation technique — a guided meditation meant to bring peace. But instead of calm, it unlocked a nightmare. Rachel describes flashes of light, the sound of a gunshot, and the image of EJ collapsing in slow motion. Then, even more disturbingly, she recalls a shadowy figure standing behind her — someone whispering that everything would be okay, that she had “done what was necessary.”

Marlena is torn. On one hand, her instincts as a therapist tell her that Rachel might be blending truth and trauma, mixing fragments of memory with imagination. On the other hand, the details Rachel provides — the layout of the DiMera mansion, the exact location of the weapon, the echo of EJ’s voice just before the shot — all align with the night of the shooting. The more Marlena listens, the more she realizes Rachel isn’t imagining anything. She’s remembering it.

But Rachel’s memory isn’t the only thing stirring in Salem. Elsewhere, at the DiMera mansion, tensions are rising. EJ himself remains haunted by his near-death experience, still uncertain of who attacked him. Meanwhile, Xander Cook is seen meeting secretly with a mysterious informant who claims to have new evidence about the shooting — a piece of information that could turn the entire investigation on its head. Could this evidence tie back to Rachel’s resurfacing confession?

Back at University Hospital, Dr. Kayla Brady begins re-examining the original forensic reports. She makes a startling discovery — there were fingerprints on the gun that don’t belong to EJ or Kristen. When she brings her findings to Marlena, the two women realize they may be dealing with a much deeper cover-up. If Rachel’s prints aren’t the only ones there, then who was manipulating her that night?

The possibility that someone — perhaps even a member of the DiMera family — deliberately pushed Rachel to commit the crime adds a dangerous twist. Marlena’s professional composure fades as her protective instincts take over. She vows to protect Rachel from whatever sinister force is still out there. But with every passing moment, the line between doctor and guardian begins to blur. Marlena sees in Rachel not just a patient, but a young girl lost in the same emotional darkness that once consumed her.

Meanwhile, the rest of Salem buzzes with rumors. Some whisper that Kristen is on the verge of returning to reclaim her daughter, while others believe that the entire shooting was part of a broader DiMera scheme. And just when things couldn’t get any more tangled, Rita (Maggie Carney) returns to town — and catches Leo Stark red-handed snooping through the DiMera mansion. What he finds could change everything: a hidden envelope marked “EJ — Confidential.” Could it contain the missing link between Rachel’s confession and the larger conspiracy?

The emotional core of the story, however, lies in Rachel’s turmoil. Her guilt, confusion, and fear are palpable as she struggles to separate memory from manipulation. She recalls feeling someone’s hand on her shoulder the night of the shooting, urging her to “be brave.” But whose voice was it? Was it Kristen’s? Was it Stefano’s lingering influence? Or someone even more unexpected — someone inside the mansion that night who wanted EJ silenced once and for all?

In the week’s climactic episode, Marlena finally confronts EJ. The tension between them is electric. She doesn’t reveal the full truth, but her concern for Rachel is impossible to hide. EJ senses that something is being kept from him and vows to uncover it. But if he discovers that the shooter was his own niece, how will he react? Will he seek vengeance — or forgiveness?

By Friday’s end, Salem is teetering on the edge of chaos. Sophia’s disappearance continues to haunt the town, Rita’s return shakes up the DiMera estate, and Marlena faces an impossible decision — protect Rachel’s fragile mind or reveal the truth and risk destroying EJ’s family forever.

As the credits roll, fans are left with a haunting image: Rachel sitting alone in her bedroom, staring at a photograph of EJ, whispering through tears, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Next week promises even more revelations as Marlena and Kayla dig deeper into Rachel’s hypnosis sessions. Could Rachel’s suppressed visions expose the real mastermind behind EJ’s shooting? Or will someone in Salem make sure the truth never comes out?

One thing’s for certain — Salem’s calm is about to shatter once again. The ghosts of the past are rising, and Marlena Evans stands at the crossroads of truth and devastation. In Days of Our Lives, every confession comes with a cost… and this one may be the most heartbreaking of all.