When everyone thought EJ DiMera would never wake up, the screenwriter threw in an unexpected twist: EJ opened his eyes in the hospital, saw Marlena beside him.

His voice was hoarse: “Rachel… where?” – a question that made Marlena cry.

EJ couldn’t remember everything, but when Marlena showed him a photo of Rachel crying in the courtroom, the memories came flooding back.

A slow-motion flashback: Rachel shaking, tears streaming down her face, saying “I don’t want you to go away like Grandma.”

At that moment, EJ stepped forward, grabbed the gun from her hand – but accidentally let the trigger miss. The shot went through his shoulder. An accident? Or an unconscious act?

EJ was shocked to realize: Rachel wasn’t trying to kill him – she was trying to hold him back. He bursts into tears, holds his head, and says in despair: “I turned a child into a little monster because of the lies of adults.” Marlena advises him to forgive, but EJ replies: “I will forgive – but I will not let anyone push him into the darkness again.”

The scene cuts to a juvenile detention center, where Rachel is drawing a wildflower. Kristin visits, hugs her, and says “your father wants to see you.” When EJ enters, the audience is moved: he puts his hand on Rachel’s shoulder, and says softly, “You are not a bad person, you are just a victim of fear.”