In the sleek, modern offices of Gabi Chic, where the hum of ambition usually reigns supreme, a single, chilling phrase sliced through the creative energy, shattering the fragile peace and igniting a firestorm that would engulf the very fabric of the DiMera family. “That’s what you deserve.” These seemingly innocent words, uttered by Johnny DiMera during a marketing pitch, acted as a sledgehammer to the walls of Gabi Hernandez’s memory, unleashing a torrent of fragmented, horrifying recollections from a night she had desperately tried to forget—the night EJ DiMera was shot. This wasn’t merely a flashback; it was the spark that ignited a chain of events leading to Johnny’s shocking arrest, threatening to unravel everything we thought we knew about Salem’s most enduring mystery.

The Unsettling Trigger: Gabi’s Haunting Flashback and a Chilling Accusation

The partnership between Gabi and Johnny had always been a delicate dance, her sharp pragmatism balancing his bold idealism. Yet, as Johnny, ever the charismatic visionary, pitched campaign slogans, the phrase “That’s what you deserve” hung in the air, transforming an ordinary business meeting into a psychological battleground for Gabi. Her face froze, breath catching, as a wave of déjà vu crashed over her. This wasn’t the first time she had heard those words. Her mind reeled, dragging her back to that fateful night in a dark, chaotic haze. She recalled fragments: EJ DiMera, Johnny’s father, pleading in a dimly lit alley, his voice trembling. “I don’t want to do this. Put the gun down.” And then, clear as a bell, Johnny’s voice, cold and resolute: “That’s what you deserve.”

The memory hit Gabi like a physical blow. Her knees weakened, her head throbbed, and the bright office faded into the suffocating fear of that alley. She didn’t remember everything, not yet, but one fact was searingly clear: Johnny was there. Johnny was arguing with EJ. And EJ was shot. Without a word, Gabi bolted from the room, leaving a bewildered Johnny staring after her. As soon as she was alone, her trembling fingers fumbled for her phone, dialing her brother, Rafe Hernandez, Salem’s steadfast police commissioner. “It was Johnny,” she blurted out, words tumbling over each other. “I remember now, Rafe. That night EJ was shot. I heard Johnny arguing with him. He said, ‘That’s what you deserve.’ I don’t know what it means, but I know it was him.” Gabi’s revelation had just turned the case upside down, plunging Salem into a new level of chaos and suspicion.

EJ’s Own Terrifying Revelation: The Memory Card’s Dark Truth

Unbeknownst to Gabi, EJ DiMera was grappling with his own ghosts, locked away in the opulent solitude of his study. His eyes were fixed on a small memory card, its contents a ticking time bomb. Inserting it into his laptop, the screen flickered to life, revealing grainy security footage from that very night. The images were blurry, indistinct, yet there was no mistaking the chilling scene: Johnny, his own son, standing in the alley, a gun pointed directly at EJ’s chest. EJ’s breath caught as the footage played, seeing himself pleading, hands raised in surrender, hearing his own desperate words: “I don’t want to do this. Put the gun down.” And then, Johnny’s voice, laced with a venom EJ had never heard before: “That’s what you deserve.”

The footage cut off just before the shot was fired, leaving EJ with a gaping hole in his memory. He knew he was shot, the scar a constant, painful reminder, but the moment the trigger was pulled remained elusive. Now, armed with this damning visual evidence, the question gnawed at him: Did Johnny shoot him? His mind became a battlefield of doubt and loyalty. Johnny was his son, his flesh and blood, yet the DiMera family had never been a stranger to betrayal. EJ’s own life was a tapestry of power plays and backstabbing; he knew better than anyone that love didn’t always trump ambition. The idea of Johnny pulling the trigger felt like a knife to the heart, but the truth, as EJ knew, was a dangerous, often brutal, thing in Salem.

The Golden Boy’s Fall: Johnny’s Shocking Arrest and a City’s Speculation

With Gabi’s testimony and the mounting, albeit fragmented, evidence, Rafe and Detective Jada Hunter wasted no time. A warrant was issued for Johnny’s arrest, and the news spread like wildfire through Salem, igniting whispers and speculation in every corner of the town. Johnny DiMera, the golden boy of the DiMera dynasty, arrested for attempted murder – it was the kind of scandal that could topple empires.

When Rafe and Jada arrived at the Gabi Chic offices, Johnny was caught completely off guard, mid-call, laughing with a client. Rafe’s voice cut through the air like a blade: “Johnny DiMera, you’re under arrest for the attempted murder of EJ DiMera.” Johnny’s world came crashing down. “What? This is insane! I didn’t shoot anyone! Rafe, you know me!” he protested, his voice rising with panic. But Rafe’s expression was unyielding, and Jada’s hand rested on her handcuffs, ready to act. As they led him out in cuffs, the spectacle of his arrest drew onlookers, their phones snapping photos. The headlines would be brutal, he knew: “DiMera Heir Arrested in Shocking Shooting Scandal.” The weight of his family’s legacy pressed down on him like never before. Yet, beneath the fear and confusion, a spark of defiant determination flickered. He didn’t shoot his father. He was sure of it. Or was he?

A Father’s Agony: EJ Torn Between Duty and Love, and the Shadows of Doubt

Back at the DiMera mansion, EJ learned of Johnny’s arrest through a frantic call, the news hitting him like a freight train. His son arrested for trying to kill him – it was unthinkable, yet the evidence was mounting: the memory card, Gabi’s testimony, the haunting whispers of that night. It all pointed to Johnny. But EJ’s heart rebelled against the idea. He had raised Johnny, watched him grow from a reckless boy into a man with fire in his soul. Could that fire have turned murderous? EJ paced his study, his mind torn between duty and paternal love. As a DiMera, he understood the ruthless importance of power and control; if Johnny were guilty, letting him walk free could weaken the family’s grip on Salem. Yet, as a father, the thought of abandoning his son was unbearable. He reflected on his own past mistakes, the lines he’d crossed for family or ambition. Was Johnny truly following in his footsteps, or was something far more sinister at play? EJ vowed to get to the bottom of it, even if it meant unearthing secrets that could destroy them all.

As Johnny sat in a holding cell, his mind a whirlwind of fear and defiance, Gabi herself wrestled with gnawing guilt. She knew her call to Rafe set this in motion, but the memory of that night was so vivid, so undeniable. She saw Johnny with the gun, heard his voice dripping with contempt. But doubts crept in. What if she was wrong? What if her memory was playing tricks on her, stitching together fragments of truth and fiction? The headache that struck her in the office lingered, a constant reminder of the gaps in her recollection. Rafe, meanwhile, found himself under immense pressure to close the case, the DiMera family’s influence looming large. Jada urged him to dig deeper, to look beyond Gabi’s testimony and the footage. “Something doesn’t add up,” she insisted, her instincts honed by years on the force. “Johnny’s no saint, but this feels too neat. Like someone’s pulling strings.”

Will EJ fight to free his son, or will he uncover further evidence that forces him to turn against Johnny? Can Gabi truly trust her own fragmented memories, or is she being manipulated by forces she cannot see? And what about Johnny, caught in a web of accusations and doubt? Is he the victim of a setup, or is there a darker side to him that even he doesn’t fully understand?