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With Ava at the Bistro, Stefan asks EJ if he slept with Gabi again. EJ plays coy until Stefan threatens to testify that he hid Jude’s paternity from Eric. Relenting, EJ admits they did not sleep together, but also Gabi wasn’t lying. He disparages Stefan for destroying his marriage by sleeping with the likes of Ava and strolls out. Stefan fumes over EJ’s doublespeak, deducing that EJ and Gabi had to have slept together this morning. That means Gabi leads him two to one. “Care to help me even the score?” he says, smirking at Ava. She cringes.

Stefan reminds Ava they both have reason to want revenge on Gabi. So, they should grab a bottle of wine, head back to the mansion, and flaunt in front of her. Feeling disrespected, Ava tells him to take his friendship and his job and shove it. Stefan apologizes. He agrees that he was being misogynistic, but the thought of Gabi and EJ makes him so mad. Ava is sure plenty of women would lower themselves to help him get revenge, but she is not one of them. She storms out.

An unconscious Gabi sits tied to a chair in the DiMera wine cellar. A conscious Melinda sits restrained next to her with a bandage wrapped around her head. She tries to reason with Connie, who anticipates blowing the DiMera mansion sky-high. She leaves to gather supplies. Melinda shouts at Gabi until she wakes up. Melinda fills her in, and they frantically try to free themselves. Gabi spots her phone on the ground and scoots toward it as EJ calls.

More: Cherie Jimenez defends Connie

Kristen runs into a shirtless and wet Chad in the park at the back-to-school picnic. As PTA treasurer, she thanks him for subjecting himself to the dunk tank. He snarks at her for hitting three bullseyes. She quips that she couldn’t resist, even if he is her least unfavorite brother. She thought “Abigail” would be there. He points out the kids don’t know she’s back. Kristen expresses skepticism over “Abigail’s” return and urges Chad to tread carefully

“Abigail” urgently finds Mark in a hospital exam room. She shows him the text she got from Clyde ordering her to marry Chad. Mark suggests she do what he says. She anxiously worries that even if she does convince him to marry her, Chad will eventually see right through her. Mark muses that’s better than the consequences of not doing it. “Abigail” notes Clyde holds all the cards and then expresses guilt over Chad. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for him,” Mark scoffs. “Of course not,” “Abigail” stammers. He’s just a nice guy who doesn’t deserve it. Mark doesn’t disagree, but they have to stay on course. Abigail knows she has to make it convincing but worries about Clyde. Mark will deal with him.

After Shane pulls some strings, Steve visits Clyde in Super Max. Steve brings up “Abigail” and how Clyde and Goldman helped her after the “accident.” However, he wonders how John ended up in the same place as “Abigail” in Poplar Bluff. Clyde supposes his people were doing work for another boss. Steve doesn’t buy it. When Clyde starts to leave, Steve offers to have the ISA get him out of there if he’ll answer a few more questions truthfully. Clyde laughs in his face, knowing it’s a bluff. He shouts for the guard to let Steve out. After Steve leaves, Mark arrives.

More: Days’ Hernandez family is expanding

Chad gets defensive with Kristen in the park and then steps away to take a call. Kristen spots Connie and chastises her for tattling to Gabi about Ava sleeping with Stefan. She warns her to watch her step at work. “You watch yours, bitch,” Connie grumbles under her breath as she leaves. Chad returns to report that there’s an APB out for Gabi’s assistant, Connie. Kristen calls the police while Chad goes to get the kids.

In the Square, EJ leaves a voicemail for Gabi. He would have appreciated a heads-up before Stefan confronted him about them sleeping together. He didn’t want to call her a liar, but he also didn’t want to give Stefan more ammunition against him. They need to get their stories straight from now on.

In the cellar, Gabi sees that EJ left a message. She hopes he’ll come looking for her when she doesn’t call back. She explains to Melinda they had revenge sex and almost did it again this morning but didn’t. However, she lied to Stefan that they did. Melinda interrupts to remind her they are in danger. Gabi continues scooting toward the phone and then stops, worried she’ll die before she tells Stefan… “That you still love him?” an exasperated Melinda finishes for her and then orders her to keep going.

After brining the kids upstairs at the Horton House, Chad’s surprised to find “Abigail” in the living room. She studies a scrap piece of paper and stuffs it into her bra before turning to him. She breathlessly says she remembered something.

At the prison, Mark tells Clyde to stop pressuring his sister about Chad, because people will become suspicious. Clyde counters she needs to work faster so he can achieve his goal of gaining the entire DiMera fortune. He orders Mark to get his sister betrothed to Chad, or else they’ll never see their mother again.

EJ comes to the empty DiMera living room, looking for Gabi. He pours himself coffee and finds a bloody fireplace poker on the ground.

More: The explosion that could reset the DiMeras 

Connie returns to the wine cellar with a shopping bag. She collects Gabi’s phone and then pulls out a homemade bomb from her bag. Gabi and Melinda try to reason with her, but Connie isn’t having it. “Have a blast,” she quips and presses a button on her bomb. She walks out to the sound of the bomb ticking. The women scream and squirm in their chairs. The bomb counts down from two and a half minutes.