Days of our Lives Recap September 3: Xander Rejects Sarah, Marlena Remembers a Clue, EJ Joins Chad and Belle

TL;DR: In today’s Days of our Lives recap for Thursday, September 3rd, 2026, Sarah admits she still loves Xander, but Xander rejects her attempt to spend one last night together. Meanwhile, the daddy-daughter dance brings emotional moments for Xander, Rachel, and Charlotte, Marlena remembers a mysterious Celtic cross, and EJ surprises Chad and Belle by joining their trip to Italy.

Days of our Lives Recap September 3

At the Kiriakis mansion, Victoria came in and did a spin in her dress for the dance. “Victoria Margaret, you are as beautiful as your mother,” Xander said earnestly. Sarah was taken aback but Xander said the two of them could outshine the sun with their smiles.

The three of them had plenty of laughs as Victoria asked Xander to put her ribbons in her hair and he couldn’t figure out how to do it. Eventually, he got it done and told Xander that he watched videos to prepare, noting that after that night, they wouldn’t be under the same roof anymore and he had to know how to do his little girl’s hair.

Alone together, Xander and Sarah bemoaned that they were losing their family life together thanks to EJ. Xander swore that after the dust settled, he’d be taking down EJ for the Coriseal poisoning.

Rachel Receives A Gift From Kristen

At Brady’s, Rachel needed help getting ready but Brady told her that Sarah was with Xander and Victoria. Brady insisted that she wasn’t missing her mom and said that it was better that she wasn’t around so bad things didn’t happen.

A package arrived with a bracelet and a note from Kristen, telling Rachel to enjoy the dance. Rachel broke down and said that she missed Kristen all the time. It made her sad not knowing where she was. “Tonight, Victoria has her mom to help her get ready, and all I have is this bracelet and a note,” Rachel told him.

Brady offered to stay home and have their own dance party but she said her mom would want her to go have fun and not stay home feeling sorry for hereslf. 

Charlotte Remembers Abigail

At the Horton house, Chad gave Charlotte a wrist corsage made of peonies. She noted it was her mom’s favorite flower and got emotional thinking about Abigail. She worried that as time went on, she’d remember her less and less. Chad promised that everyone in her life would help keep her memory alive.

Chad told Charlotte that her mom would always be alive in her heart. Charlotte said that she felt her there. “Me too,” Chad said solemnly as he hugged her. 

Chad cheered her up saying that he’d bring her Pinnochio puppet and chocolates from Italy, and they strutted out together arm in arm to go to the dance. 

Rita Checks In

Rita reported to EJ that it was Dominic Moreno who was the buyer of the Kiriakis mansion, and that they wouldn’t consider any other offers. EJ wondered why the Italian hedge fund billionaire with no ties to Salem would want to buy it. 

Rita assured EJ that she made it clear to George O’Halloran that he wasn’t to breathe a word about the Coriseal issue and she was confident that he wouldn’t. EJ also asked if she knew anything more about what Chad and Belle were searching for in Italy.

Rita claimed she didn’t know but EJ said as his father’s right hand, she must have some idea of where the clues could lead. She reminded EJ that Stefano never showed his full hand, not even to her. Claiming he was worried they were embarking on something dangerous, EJ said he’d just have to find out for himself.

Marlena Has a Flashback

At the pub, Marlena overheard Belle talking to Paul on the phone about the clues, and she mentioned the Celtic knot. Marlena told her that Stefano’s father was in love with Colleen Brady, Roman’s aunt. Noting she was from Galway, Marlena wondered if Belle was correct in heading to Italy instead of Ireland.

Belle said she had to start somewhere, but noted it was hard to follow clues meant for Marlena and John. Marlena said the whole thing, but offered to look at the clues so far. Marlena looked at the Celtic knot and said she thought it triggered a memory, but it didn’t mean a thing to her.

Marlena told Belle again, emotionally, to be safe. “John and I spent our whole lives fighting the DiMeras,” she said, adding that she couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her. Marlena agreed that Chad seemed like a good guy but still worried about Belle.

After Belle left to meet Chad, Marlena had a flashback. It was fuzzy, but she remembered sitting in a bed and arranging the blanket on her. It was black with a large Celtic cross in the middle.

The Daddy-Daughter Dance

In the square, everyone began to arrive for the father-daughter dance. Rachel happily greeted Sarah, but Brady was a little more standoffish after his conversation with Philip earlier. Victoria, Rachel, and Charlotte had a great time dancing with their dads, and Sarah recorded Xander with Victoria. At one point, Brady grimaced when he saw Sarah behind Xander during the bunny hop.

Later, Sarah apologized for not having much time to spend together at the dance. Before Brady could answer, Chad and a worn-out Charlotte said goodnight. Brady said he and Rachel were going to go too. Sarah asked if everything was okay.

Brady asked if Sarah and Victoria still wanted to move in with him. He admitted that Philip told him she was about to kiss Xander when he walked into the wine cellar. Sarah started to deny it, but Brady said he saw it too. “When the three of you are together, you can see it on your faces; it’s apparent,” Brady told her.

Sarah tried to deny her feelings, but Brady said that before they went any further, he needed to know it wasn’t a mistake. He thought he was a fool to ask, but he had to know. “You still love him, don’t you?” Brady asked.

Xander Rejects Sarah

Sarah turned around to look at Xander and Victoria. She turned back and looked at Brady and said, “Yeah. I do.” Sarah said that she would always care about Xander and thought they’d talked about that and Brady understood. She said that what she and Xander had was over.

Xander could hear them as Sarah told Brady she loved him and wanted to be with him. Brady said that he, of all people, understood what it was like to share a child with an ex. He told her he still wanted her to move in, and she kissed him. She apologized if she’d upset him but said she was glad it was out in the open and they could deal with it. 

Brady and Rachel left, and Xander offered to keep Victoria with him if Sarah wanted to go with them. Sarah thought they should have one last night together, but Xander shocked her when he said they should just rip the band-aid off. “It’s for the best,” he told her. 

Belle and Chad Get a Travel Companion

Chad arrived at the airport to meet Belle for their trip. He showed her some pictures from the daddy-daughter dance. Chad told Belle that he knew they were chasing his father’s clues, but said he was also looking forward to spending time with her.

They cracked the bottle of champagne that EJ sent them and toasted to their trip. “Ah, I am just in time,” EJ beamed as he arrived with suitcases. He poured himself some champagne as he announced he was going to Italy with them. 

TL;DR: In today’s Days of our Lives recap, Sarah admits she still loves Xander, but Xander rejects her attempt to spend one last night together. Meanwhile, the daddy-daughter dance brings emotional moments for Xander, Rachel, and Charlotte, Marlena remembers a mysterious Celtic cross, and EJ surprises Chad and Belle by joining their trip to Italy.

Stay Tuned to The Soap Scene

Miss a day? Catch up with our daily recaps for Days of our Lives — or be the first to look ahead with our DOOL spoilers at The Soap Scene!

For the daily spoilers, casting updates, birthdays, and more, bookmark our Days of our Lives page at The Soap Scene — and be sure to get the up-to-the-minute news, spoilers, and more on our social accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter. 

We want to hear from you, so be sure to leave a comment or you are welcome to join our Facebook chat rooms!