Stefan, attempting to mend their fractured relationship, strokes Gabi’s face and declares his love for her. He pleads with her to take him back, reassuring her that Ava means nothing to him anymore. He’s even fired her, he reveals, not wanting anything more to do with her. “I don’t know why I hired her in the first place. I can’t stand the sight of her,” Stefan confesses.

Just as Gabi is about to respond, her brother Rafe interrupts her thoughts, visiting her in the clinic after his own brush with danger. Rafe, who’s recovering from an injury, chats with Gabi about his recovery, but quickly picks up on her tension. He asks about her dream involving Stefan, but Gabi brushes it off, redirecting the conversation to Rafe’s health. “I’m feeling lucky and grateful to be alive,” Rafe tells her, giving Gabi something positive to focus on.

However, Gabi can’t keep her frustrations bottled up for long. She laments hiring a “murderous psycho” as her assistant and shares her regret with Rafe. Rafe, always the protective brother, reassures her that Connie—the dangerous assistant—has been dealt with and is locked away. “She won’t hurt anyone else, including Stefan,” Rafe promises. But when Rafe casually mentions Stefan’s name, Gabi’s defenses go up.

Though Gabi pretends she doesn’t care about Stefan anymore, Rafe isn’t convinced. He gently reminds her that she warned him about Ava’s deceitfulness, and even though his relationship with Ava ended due to his own mistakes, Ava’s betrayal left lasting scars on both of them. “Ava really did a number on you, trying to frame you as a dirty cop,” Gabi notes, her anger simmering. “She almost ruined your entire career.”

Rafe acknowledges Ava’s vendetta, but he’s more focused on Gabi’s situation. He knows how much Stefan’s affair hurt her, but he isn’t convinced that their marriage is beyond repair. “I get it, Stefan hurt you. But when you came back, you were so in love. You were happy, Gabi. Don’t you think, at some point, you might be able to forgive him?” Rafe’s words hit a nerve, and Gabi can’t help but feel conflicted.

As much as Gabi wants to write Stefan off, Rafe points out that their love has survived worse. He reminds her that they were separated for years when she believed Stefan was dead, and when they finally reunited, they were overjoyed. “Are you really going to let this one mistake destroy everything?” Rafe asks, hoping to reach his sister before she makes a decision she’ll regret.

But Gabi’s hurt runs deep. She angrily admits that she slept with EJ to get back at Stefan, a move that even Rafe struggles to comprehend. “There’s hurt, and then there’s going off the deep end,” Rafe says, shocked. “EJ? He sent you to prison! Why would you sleep with him?”

Gabi explains that she was consumed with anger and pain over Stefan’s affair, and in a moment of weakness, she sought revenge. But even now, she admits that it didn’t bring her the satisfaction she thought it would. “No matter what I do, I can’t stop picturing Stefan with that woman,” Gabi confesses, her voice heavy with emotion.

Rafe, always the voice of reason, urges Gabi to reconsider ending her marriage. He believes that she and Stefan can work through their problems, even if things seem bleak right now. “You were so happy when you found each other again. Don’t let this one mistake ruin everything,” Rafe pleads, hoping his words will get through to her.

Meanwhile, as Gabi wrestles with her feelings, Stefan finds himself entangled in yet another conflict—this time with EJ. Stefan, working at his laptop, is surprised when EJ strolls into the bistro and serves him with legal papers. “I’m suing you for defamation,” EJ declares smugly. Stefan is caught off guard, but EJ explains that Stefan’s recent comments to the mayor about EJ’s involvement in a kidnapping have damaged his reputation.

But Stefan has his own ammunition. “You admitted to me that you helped Sloan Peterson hide the fact that she kidnapped your ex’s baby,” Stefan counters. EJ, however, remains unfazed. With a sly smile, he reminds Stefan that he slept with Gabi, and that the truth won’t matter when everyone knows about their passionate night together. EJ is confident that the fallout from this revelation will leave Stefan humiliated and seeking revenge.

As the walls close in on Gabi and Stefan, the drama in *Days of Our Lives* shows no signs of slowing down. With secrets, lies, and betrayals at every turn, the question remains: can Gabi and Stefan’s love survive this latest storm, or will their marriage be another casualty in the never-ending drama of Salem? Stay tuned as emotions run high, and relationships hang in the balance in the coming episodes of *Days of Our Lives*.