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The lovable couple, Xander and Sarah, broke up on Days of Our Lives, over the former beating up his half-brother ruthlessly, and Sarah keeping Philip's secret from her husband. While the confrontation was long due, the twist of the broken family that came along was unexpected.
There is no denying that longtime viewers of Days of Our Lives, like me, came to appreciate the transformation that love brought to the criminal-minded Xander. Xander and Sarah's chemistry also added to the charm of their relationship. As such, the recent friction between them was not any couple's tiff, but a major rift that might not heal anytime soon.
Moreover, the scene gave us a peek into the Xander of the past, who was a merciless crook, leaving fans scared of him, and for Sarah. However, Sarah managed to hold her ground with dignity and turned the cold and harsh Xander out of the house.
Meanwhile, Days of Our Lives would continue to stun viewers with unexpected twists in the storyline with a medley of emotions of Salem residents in the long-running daily soap on Peacock.
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Days of Our Lives: Comparing Xander of the past with his recent transformation
Alexandros Kiriakis, played by Paul Tefler, joined the Days of Our Lives storyline as Xander Cook. He was introduced in 2015 as Victor's nephew and a small-time mercenary who worked in the field of smuggling and crime.
His initial run in Salem was tempestuous and volatile. His interactions with Nicole, Theresa, Kristen, and other moody characters left his nature erratic. One of his hot-headed moves included trying to kill Brady with a baseball bat.
However, he fell in love with Sarah Horton, which changed his life for the better. His love for her drove him to transform himself to suit Sarah's idea of an ideal partner. Soon, fans saw a dedicated lover and a loving father who treated the love of his life like something precious and fragile. He became the tough guy with a gentle heart for Sarah and his fans.
Fans loved the change in the character and the couple that they referred to as "Xarah." Together with Victoria, their daughter, they made a pretty picture of a loving family, until recently.
Also read: Why are there rumors about Xander leaving Days of Our Lives? Explained
Days of Our Lives: What happened to Xander's loving family?
As fans know, after Fiona proved that Xander was the Alexander in Victor's will, he became the chief heir of the Kiriakis fortune. However, Philip presented Xander with a forged letter, presumably from Victor, that made the former a part-owner of the assets.
A fallout with Philip pushed an irked Vivian Alamain into revealing the forgery to Xander. While furious at the betrayal, Xander could not let go of Philip because of legal obligations. What Xander did not know was that Sarah knew about Philip's forgery but had kept quiet.
Meanwhile, wanting to please Xander, Philip tried to steal the experimental sepsis drug, Versavix, and reverse engineer it. However, the plan failed, and the theft became public knowledge.
Also read: Days Of Our Lives: 3 major developments to expect this week (May 19 to May 23, 2025)
Realizing that Philip was behind it, Xander visited him at his Salem Inn suite. When Philip did not deny his actions, Xander proceeded to beat him up till Philip fainted. However, the bashing crossed the limits of just an angry reaction and went on to become brutal and cold-blooded.
While Philip told him about Sarah's knowledge of his secret, the latter tended to an unconscious Philip at the hospital as her patient. Wednesday's episode, dated May 21, 2025, saw Xander and Sarah face off, blaming each other. While Xander's palpable fury was evident under the surface, he hinted at Sarah's betrayal.
Sarah pointed out his recent actions as the reason why she tried to keep peace by hiding the forgery. That hurt Xander since it meant Sarah never believed in his transformation and always feared he would continue being hot-headed. On the other hand, she lied to him and kept secrets.
This opened up a major trust issue in their marriage. While Sarah asked Xander to leave, he promised to love Victoria always. Xander sneered at Maggie and glared while challenging Sarah. Although chilling, menacing, and monstrous in his wrath, Xander had a tough opponent in Sarah, who stood resolute against his wrath.
However, Days of Our Lives fans like me found the long put-to-rest, cold and merciless version of Xander return in this episode. As Xander actor Paul Tefler told Soap Opera Digest, besides rage and anger, Xander also felt a terror of loss. While fans also lost the endearing bad boy, whether Victoria manages to bring out the good side of her father in the future remains to be seen.
Continue watching Days of Our Lives to catch Xander's next move towards his enemies and his wife in the upcoming episodes.
