In Salem, betrayal is practically a love language—but even by Days of Our Lives standards, Rita’s shocking turn against EJ DiMera may rank as one of the most devastating double-crosses in recent memory. Just when viewers believed EJ was once again the master strategist, pulling every string from behind the scenes, the ground shifts beneath him. The truth is far more dangerous: Rita has chosen a new ally—and Peter is the weapon she plans to use to destroy everything EJ holds dear.

This isn’t a simple change of loyalties. This is a calculated, deeply personal betrayal that threatens to unravel the DiMera family from the inside out.

EJ DiMera: The King Who Never Saw the Knife

For weeks, EJ DiMera appeared untouchable. From his suspicious “kidnapping” to his dramatic reemergence from the catacombs, EJ seemed to be playing Salem like a finely tuned instrument. His confidence never wavered. His arrogance never cracked. And Rita—quiet, efficient, endlessly loyal—was always there to ensure his plans unfolded flawlessly.

Or so he believed.

EJ trusted Rita because she had always been invisible in the right ways: present but unnoticed, powerful but underestimated. She handled logistics, silenced loose ends, and executed orders without question. To EJ, she was an extension of his will—someone who knew the rules of the DiMera empire and followed them without hesitation.

That assumption may cost him everything.

Rita’s Breaking Point: Loyalty Turns to Resentment

Rita’s betrayal doesn’t come out of nowhere. It has been building quietly, simmering beneath the surface of every command EJ barked and every risk he took without considering the consequences for those beneath him.

While EJ basked in control, Rita absorbed the fallout—the danger, the suspicion, the threats from enemies who never forgot a face. She became the shield while EJ played the victim, the strategist, the hero of his own twisted narrative. And somewhere along the way, loyalty curdled into resentment.

EJ never saw her as an equal. He never truly rewarded her. And when his schemes grew darker—more reckless—Rita began to realize something chilling: EJ would sacrifice her without blinking if it protected his own power.

That realization changes everything.

Peter Returns: A Devil with a Familiar Smile

Enter Peter.

His arrival sends an unmistakable chill through Salem. Peter is not a man who deals in half-measures. He thrives in chaos, manipulation, and destruction—and unlike EJ, he doesn’t pretend to have moral justifications. He is honest about what he is.

And that honesty makes him dangerous.

Rita doesn’t align with Peter out of fear. She aligns with him because he sees her value. Where EJ dismissed her as a tool, Peter recognizes her as a strategist. Where EJ gave orders, Peter offers partnership.

Together, they form a terrifying alliance: Rita’s inside knowledge of DiMera secrets paired with Peter’s ruthless execution.

This is no temporary arrangement. This is a coup.

The Secret Alliance: Planning EJ’s Fall

Behind closed doors, Rita and Peter begin constructing the perfect trap. Rita knows EJ’s habits—his safe houses, his coded messages, his contingency plans. She knows how he thinks, how he manipulates, and most importantly, how blind he becomes when he believes he’s already won.

Their strategy is elegant in its cruelty.

They don’t strike immediately. Instead, they let EJ continue believing he’s in control. They leak misinformation. They subtly shift alliances. They allow EJ to make decisions based on false assumptions—each one tightening the noose.

And when EJ finally realizes something is wrong, it will already be too late.

The DiMera Family: Collateral Damage

As Rita and Peter’s plot accelerates, the ripple effects spread through the DiMera family like cracks in glass.

Chad senses something off. Kristen grows paranoid, lashing out and suspecting everyone but the real traitor. Tony, ever observant, begins noticing gaps in EJ’s stories—orders that don’t align, moves that feel strangely reactive rather than strategic.

The family tension escalates, turning allies into adversaries and deepening old rivalries. Rita weaponizes their dysfunction, feeding each sibling just enough information to keep them divided and suspicious.

The DiMeras have always been their own worst enemies. This time, someone is deliberately exploiting that weakness.

EJ’s Awakening: Power Slipping Through His Fingers

EJ’s downfall begins not with a dramatic confrontation, but with a quiet realization: things are happening without his approval.

A deal collapses unexpectedly. A trusted contact disappears. A carefully planned maneuver blows up in his face. At first, EJ blames enemies. Then fate. Then incompetence.

The truth—that Rita is the architect of his undoing—is almost unthinkable to him.

But when the evidence becomes undeniable, the betrayal cuts deeper than any bullet or prison cell ever could. Rita didn’t just turn on him. She outplayed him.

For a man who prides himself on control, the psychological impact is devastating.

Rita’s Transformation: From Pawn to Queen

Rita’s evolution is one of the most compelling arcs in this storyline. No longer hiding in the shadows, she steps fully into her power—cold, composed, and unapologetic.

She doesn’t seek revenge out of rage. She seeks it out of clarity.

In aligning with Peter, Rita accepts the truth about herself: she is done surviving on someone else’s terms. If Salem is a battlefield, she intends to be a general—not collateral damage.

Yet her alliance with Peter is not without risk. Peter is dangerous, unpredictable, and loyal only to himself. Rita may believe she’s in control, but in Salem, alliances built on ambition rarely end cleanly.

What Comes Next: War in Salem

As EJ scrambles to regain control, one question looms over every episode: Will he strike back—or will Rita’s betrayal permanently dethrone him?

If EJ survives this, he will emerge more ruthless than ever. But if he doesn’t, the DiMera power structure could collapse entirely, reshaping Salem’s balance of power for months to come.

And then there’s Peter.

Is he merely using Rita as a stepping stone? Or has he finally found a partner as calculating as he is?

One thing is certain: this betrayal changes everything.

Final Thoughts: A New Era of Deception

Days of Our Lives thrives on reinvention, and this storyline delivers it in spades. Rita’s betrayal of EJ DiMera is not just a plot twist—it’s a seismic shift. It challenges assumptions, deepens character dynamics, and proves once again that in Salem, the most dangerous enemies are the ones you trust the most.

As Rita and Peter’s alliance gains momentum and EJ fights to survive his own blind spot, viewers are left gripping the edge of their seats, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

Because when the truth finally comes out, no one will escape unscathed.