🕯️ A COLD-BLOODED CHOICE IN THE DARK

There’s a new kind of silence in Salem tonight—the silence that follows murder.

Belle Black, daughter of Marlena, sister to Sami, legal mind of reason in a town of schemers, is gone. Her body found in a quiet office, slumped over legal documents, blood staining the final page of a truth she never got to tell.

And behind the silence?

EJ DiMera.

The man who once called Belle an ally, a confidante, a chess piece in the DiMera strategy board—has become her executioner. The motive? A secret so damning, it would have destroyed not only EJ, but Johnny, the one person EJ would burn the world to protect.

📂 THE SECRET THAT COULDN’T SEE THE LIGHT

Belle wasn’t just working Johnny’s case—she was unraveling it.

A flash drive, hidden financial transactions, and a trail of surveillance footage led her to a horrifying realization: EJ had tampered with evidence. And worse—he may have orchestrated an entirely different crime, framing another family member to deflect suspicion from Johnny.

Belle confronted him. And in that moment, faced with the collapse of his empire, the unmaking of his son’s future, EJ did what a DiMera always does—he chose blood over truth.

One gunshot. One silence. One perfect cover-up.

⚰️ DEATH SAVES A SON—BUT COSTS A FAMILY

Johnny walks free.

With Belle gone, her evidence sealed beneath bloodstained documents, EJ plants a new set of files that clear Johnny entirely. Jada, Roman, and even Rafe begin to back off. The charges crumble. The DiMeras breathe again.

But Salem?

Salem whispers.

Marlena’s grief is volcanic. Sami is already flying in, her eyes sharper than knives. Chad watches his brother with suspicion, his own hands trembling. Gabi and Stefan, sensing blood in the water, begin circling.

And Kristen? Kristen sees an opportunity—and she always plays long games.

💣 THE DIMERA DYNASTY FRACTURES FROM WITHIN

This isn’t just a murder. It’s a power shift.

With Belle gone, her alliances are shattered. Marlena turns inward. Sami turns vengeful. Rafe opens an unsanctioned investigation—and if Rafe wants justice, not even a DiMera throne will save EJ.

Kristen makes her move—not out of love for Belle, but out of tactical vengeance. She saw the fear in EJ’s eyes when Belle threatened exposure. She knows he’s vulnerable now. And that makes him useful.

Meanwhile, Johnny—blissfully unaware of his father’s crime—struggles with guilt. He knows something doesn’t add up. Belle was the one person who believed him. Why would she vanish right before his freedom was secured?

He begins to dig. And the deeper he goes, the closer he gets to a truth that could shatter him:

His freedom is built on Belle’s grave.

🕯️ THE FUNERAL OF A HERO, THE BIRTH OF A MONSTER?

As Salem prepares to bury Belle, emotions hit a fever pitch.

Sami returns like a hurricane, demanding answers. She doesn’t buy the accident theory. Not for a second. She confronts EJ. There’s screaming, accusations, and something sharp in her hand. The past bleeds into the present.

Marlena watches, hollow-eyed. Her daughter is dead. Her son-in-law is a suspect. And her grandson is the pawn in a game that’s gone far beyond repair.

EJ, cool as ever, walks through the storm untouched—but the mask is slipping.

One twitch of the mouth. One wrong glance. And suddenly, Salem starts to see what Belle saw in those final moments:

EJ is capable of anything. Even killing family.

🔍 THE TRUTH NEVER STAYS DEAD

Rafe finds inconsistencies. A print where it shouldn’t be. A timestamp that doesn’t match. A security feed conveniently erased. Slowly, the puzzle begins to reassemble—not by law, but by vengeance.

Sami and Gabi team up. Kristen and Chad plot. And Marlena? She opens Belle’s private journal. The final entry is unfinished… but the last line reads:

“If I disappear—look at EJ.”

🩸 A FATHER’S LOVE, A MURDERER’S MIND

What will Johnny do when he finds out? What happens when Marlena realizes the truth? Will Salem ever forgive EJ—or will the DiMeras finally eat their own?

Belle’s death isn’t the end.

It’s the first drop in a flood of destruction. Alliances will crack. Secrets will burn. And justice will come—not in a courtroom, but in the quiet, calculated revenge of those who loved her.

Salem is no longer safe. Not even for a DiMera.