If Salem ever truly knew peace, it was only because someone was plotting in the shadows. The Days of Our Lives spoilers for Monday, January 5, 2026, promise a jaw-dropping episode packed with betrayal, obsession, emotional warfare, and one wedding that may not survive the reception—let alone the honeymoon. At the center of the storm are Gwen Rizczech, Leo Stark, Javi Hernandez, and the explosive return of Dimitri von Leuschner, a man whose reappearance threatens to burn every carefully constructed lie to the ground.

What unfolds is not simply a love triangle—it’s a psychological implosion with devastating ripple effects across Salem.

Gwen Rizczech: A Mastermind on the Brink

Let’s begin with the architect of the chaos: Gwen. Once capable of empathy and even redemption, Gwen has once again surrendered to her most dangerous instinct—self-preservation at any cost. The January 5 spoilers confirm that Gwen is doubling down on her scheme to keep Leo away from a mysterious hospital lab, a place so secretive that she’s willing to weaponize heartbreak to protect it.

Why is Gwen so desperate to distract Leo?

Because Leo is close. Too close.

Leo Stark may hide behind flamboyance and sarcasm, but he is observant, clever, and relentless when something doesn’t add up. Gwen knows that if Leo keeps digging, he will uncover whatever illicit operation she and EJ DiMera are hiding. And when a von Leuschner teams up with a DiMera, history tells us the fallout is never small.

So Gwen reaches for the nuclear option.

She brings back Dimitri.

This isn’t nostalgia—it’s calculated emotional sabotage. Gwen resurrects Leo’s greatest unresolved love, fully aware that Dimitri is a walking emotional grenade. It’s cold. It’s ruthless. And it signals that Gwen may have crossed the point of no return.

Leo Stark’s Wedding: Love… or Escape?

Leo Stark is standing at the altar, but his heart is anything but settled.

On the surface, his impending marriage to Javi Hernandez appears to be a fresh start. Javi is kind, supportive, steady—everything Dimitri never was. For fans rooting for Leo’s happiness, this relationship represents safety and healing.

But soaps thrive on uncomfortable truths.

Leo isn’t just marrying Javi because he’s in love. He’s marrying him because he’s running.

Running from the ghost of Dimitri. Running from unanswered questions. Running from the pain of a breakup that never fully made sense. Leo believes that vows, rings, and legality can silence his doubts and bury his lingering feelings.

They can’t.

And Javi, tragically, may already sense it. Whether he admits it or not, he is stepping into a marriage where he may always be second choice—and that realization could destroy him.

Dimitri von Leuschner Returns: Love, Lies, and a Forged Goodbye

When Dimitri crashes the wedding festivities, it isn’t for revenge—it’s for truth.

The spoilers reveal a bombshell that recontextualizes everything: Dimitri never wanted to leave Leo. That infamous breakup letter? It was a lie. Cold. Clinical. Completely out of character.

All signs point to Gwen—or EJ—having forged it.

Dimitri was removed, hidden, possibly coerced or manipulated into disappearing so Gwen and EJ could operate without scrutiny. And Dimitri has spent every moment since consumed by one thought: Leo.

His return is not subtle. It’s emotional. Raw. Public.

Dimitri’s speech to Leo is expected to shatter the room—and Leo’s reality. When Dimitri reveals he never stopped loving him and never chose to walk away, Leo is forced to confront a horrifying possibility: his entire emotional recovery was built on a lie.

And lies this big don’t fade quietly.

Just Married… and Already Betrayed?

Here’s where timing becomes everything.

The spoilers tease Gwen’s growing panic as events spiral beyond her control. While she hoped Dimitri would stop the wedding, all signs suggest the ceremony may actually happen first—turning this from a dramatic objection into a post-vow nightmare.

If Leo and Javi are already married when Dimitri makes his declaration, the stakes skyrocket.

Leo is no longer just conflicted—he’s trapped.

And then comes the kiss.

A kiss between Leo and Dimitri, teased in the spoilers, changes everything. This isn’t closure. This isn’t nostalgia. It’s proof that the connection between them is alive, volatile, and dangerous.

Whether Leo pulls away afterward or not, the damage is irreversible. Javi will never unsee it. Never unfeel it. And trust, once broken, rarely returns intact in Salem.

The Shady Hospital Lab: The Real Story Beneath the Romance

As explosive as the wedding drama is, it’s merely the distraction Gwen intended—and the key to her undoing.

The hospital lab remains the central mystery driving this entire plot. Gwen’s fear suggests something far more sinister than financial misconduct. Theories swirl about memory manipulation, psychological conditioning, or experimental procedures tied to powerful legacy players.

And here’s the cruel irony: by bringing Dimitri back to distract Leo, Gwen may have placed the one man who knows the truth directly in Leo’s path.

Because once the emotional chaos settles, Leo will ask the question that matters most:

“Where were you, Dimitri?”

And whatever Dimitri reveals could bring the entire operation crashing down.

What Comes Next: Fallout and Predictions

The marriage is doomed. Even if Javi tries to forgive, Leo’s heart will be elsewhere. An affair between Leo and Dimitri feels inevitable—fueled by secrecy, guilt, and unfinished love.

Gwen’s alliance with EJ is fragile at best. When this scheme collapses, EJ will sacrifice Gwen without hesitation. Trusting a DiMera has never ended well.

And Javi? Don’t count him out. His “perfect” persona may hide secrets of his own—and in Salem, no one is ever just collateral damage.

Final Verdict

This storyline is vintage Days of Our Lives: love weaponized, truth buried, and consequences looming like a ticking time bomb. Monday’s episode doesn’t just deliver drama—it detonates it.

With hearts broken, marriages shaken, and secrets inching toward exposure, one thing is certain:

Salem will never be the same after January 5.

And the hourglass? It’s already running out.