Days of Our Lives Full Episode: Marlena and Steve’s Secret Mission Begins!

The drama continues to heat up on Days of Our Lives as secrets unravel and new threats emerge. In this gripping episode, Marlena and Steve embark on a high-stakes mission, determined to uncover the truth behind a mysterious plot with potential global consequences. But as the stakes rise, personal secrets, emotional confrontations, and deceit from the past threaten to tear everything apart.

We kick things off with Marina and Steve deep in the middle of an ISA operation. Despite reassurances to her mother that she’s not in any immediate danger, Marina finds herself in a precarious position. She hints vaguely at a secret she’s uncovered—one that’s been weighing heavily on her and has forced Alex to stay silent. The moral burden is eating away at her. Is she shielding others, or making everything worse by keeping quiet? Her mother, Kayla, encourages her to trust her instincts and follow her conscience.

Meanwhile, Steve and Marina turn up the pressure as they interrogate the dangerous Orpheus. They’re hoping he holds answers tied to a cryptic phrase: “Rosebud.” In Estonia, Steve reveals that the ISA still hasn’t cracked the encrypted file Marina retrieved, and Rosebud’s meaning—aside from the famous Citizen Kane reference—remains unclear. With Orpheus under lock and key and seemingly unreachable, the pair brainstorm another strategy.

That plan soon takes shape when Marina discovers Orpheus is under medical care. Donning disguises as psychologists, she and Steve sneak into Orpheus’s hospital room. There, they play to his ego and emotions, reminding him of his love for his family. They warn that a rogue nuclear weapon threatens not just his own bloodline, but countless other lives as well. Their words strike a chord. Orpheus agrees to share information—but only if they help his son, Christian, gain access to his child. Marina reluctantly agrees and promises to write a letter on Christian’s behalf.

As Orpheus divulges what he knows, he drops a bombshell: in Latvia, a black market arms exchange operates under the codename “Rosebud.” Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the exact location. Still, Marina and Steve feel they’ve made progress. Back at their hotel, Steve contacts Andrew and relays the intel. But then, the ISA drops an order—stand down. The mission is too dangerous, and professional agents are being sent in.

This doesn’t sit well with Marina. She’s reached her limit and refuses to simply wait around for updates from afar. Though Steve prepares to return to Salem and informs Kayla he’s coming home, Marina finds a chilling note on her bag: “If you want to see John alive, come back and come alone.” The stakes are personal now. She slips away just as Steve finishes his call.

Elsewhere in Salem, secrets and lies threaten to unravel relationships. Stephanie and Alex are entangled in their own complicated situation. A run-in between Alex and his cousin Philip outside the Brady Pub escalates when Philip tries to share a confession. He claims to have done something terrible—yet insists it’s all working out in the end, and that Victor would be proud. Alex, however, isn’t buying the righteousness. He believes the empire they’ve built is fragile, constructed on lies and deception.

Stephanie later finds Alex in the square, ready to come clean with Xander. But Alex still wants to keep the secret buried. Stephanie apologizes for dragging him into this mess, but tension simmers beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, Sarah returns home and opens up to Maggie. She’s keeping a secret—one that could shatter Xander’s world. Maggie, having just dealt with Vivien’s dramatic departure, listens as Sarah confesses everything about the forged letter meant to manipulate Victor’s will. Maggie is shocked but not surprised. Though Sarah believed she was protecting Xander, she’s starting to question her own motives. Is she preserving his peace of mind—or avoiding the fallout from her lies?

Maggie advises her to follow her heart, reminding her that even bad decisions can stem from love. When Sarah reveals that both Stephanie and Alex are also in the loop, Maggie’s concern deepens. Still, no matter what Sarah decides, Maggie reassures her of her unconditional love.

Later, Xander receives an unexpected visit from Vivien, who storms into his office with devastating revelations. She casually drops the bomb: she forged the letter that influenced the will. Xander is incredulous at first, comparing it to what Theresa had done, but Vivien proves her claim. She mimics Victor’s signature perfectly and even recites the letter word for word. Xander is rattled.

As the episode draws to a close, Alex and Stephanie try to avoid Xander—but fate intervenes. Philip runs into Vivien, who gleefully tells him she spilled the beans. “Your brother’s not happy,” she says with a wicked smile.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Sarah is on the couch, talking to Victor’s portrait and fretting over her secret. Suddenly, Xander storms in, grabs a drink, and declares he’s been betrayed in the worst way. The truth has hit him like a freight train, and now everything—family ties, business alliances, and romantic entanglements—could come crashing down.

And in Estonia, Marina returns to Orpheus—this time with no disguises. He admits he lied about Rosebud and claims he’s the only one who can lead her to John. But she knows he’s still hiding something. Just then, Steve walks in. The ISA has decrypted the file: the arms exchange is in Minsk. They no longer need Orpheus. As they walk away, he yells after them, insisting they’re making a mistake. But Marina and Steve press forward, knowing the mission must go on—even as danger closes in on all fronts.