Jada Hunter’s otherwise normal evening began with everything she deserved after days of files, handcuffs, and testimony: a pretty dress, some lipstick, and a casual date with Theo Carver.

The two had been “flirting” with each other for long enough through chess games and half-serious, half-joking conversations, so the moment they sat down together, their eyes meeting at the dinner table, Salem suddenly felt a rare sense of peace.

Jada allowed herself to forget her title as a cop, just a woman trying to find her footing again.

But Salem had never been a place for casual dates.

Just as they were beginning to open up about the future, urgent texts and phone calls poured in. Something had broken out somewhere in town, the ghosts of the DiMeras were being called out, and Jada’s professional instincts wouldn’t let her ignore it. From the confused look at Theo, the hasty apology, to the hasty steps out of the restaurant, the audience immediately saw: tonight, her heart was not only pulled toward work but also torn by the fear of losing the person who had just dared to approach.

What Jada didn’t expect was that, while she rushed to resolve the chaos, Theo had also dragged himself into the eye of the storm. His steps out of the restaurant should have led to the apartment, or a walk to cool off, but instead brought him closer to the dangerous orbit of the DiMera family. A strange car following, a shadow disappearing around the corner, then a sudden attack from behind – it all happened so quickly that the audience didn’t even have time to breathe before seeing Theo being dragged away in the darkness.

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