DOOL SPOILERS OCTOBER 13: HOLLY JONAS LEAVES SALEM—CAN TATE BLACK STOP HER BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE?

TL;DR: On October 13’s Days of Our Lives, Holly Jonas (Ashley Puzemis) prepares to leave Salem for Paris, sharing an emotional goodbye with her grandmother Maggie Horton. As Holly heads to the airport, Tate Black (Leo Howard) races to stop her while his father Brady Black reveals life-changing news about Sophia Choi‘s baby. The truth about the paternity scandal finally explodes just as Holly is about to board her flight.

The Airport Confrontation We’ve ALL Been Waiting For

After months of lies, manipulation, and heartbreak, Holly Jonas has officially reached her breaking point. The October 13 episode delivers the dramatic airport showdown that’s been building for weeks, and trust me—you’re going to need tissues!

Holly shares a heartfelt parting with her grandmother Maggie Horton as she prepares to leave Salem behind and start fresh in Paris with her mother Nicole Walker. It’s a gut-wrenching scene that highlights just how isolated Holly feels after everything she’s been through. The overdose that nearly killed her. Tate‘s wrongful arrest. Months of watching Sophia manipulate the guy she loves. The dorm fire she accidentally started while spiraling into alcoholism.

Can you really blame the girl for wanting to escape?

But here’s where it gets INTENSE. Just as Holly is about to board that flight to Paris, Tate Black comes racing into the airport, desperately calling her name in a last-ditch effort to stop her from leaving Salem—and him—forever.

The timing? Absolutely brutal. And absolutely perfect soap opera drama.

What Happens at the Airport on October 13?

Holly Jonas says goodbye to Maggie Horton and prepares to board her flight to Paris. The emotional farewell between grandmother and granddaughter shows just how much Holly has lost in Salem. With her father Daniel Jonas dead before she was even born, her complicated history with stepfather Eric Brady, and her mother now living overseas, Maggie has been one of her few remaining sources of stability.

Tate Black rushes to the airport after learning from their friend Ari that Holly is leaving. He’s panicked, desperate, and—let’s be honest—about six months too late in realizing he’s been neglecting his girlfriend while obsessing over Sophia‘s pregnancy claims.

The confrontation between Holly and Tate at the airport represents the emotional climax of the entire Sophia Choi paternity scandal. After all the trauma these two have endured together—the overdose, the arrest, the constant manipulation—this is the moment where Holly takes control of her own narrative by walking away.

But wait. There’s more.

Does Tate Learn the Truth About Sophia’s Baby?

YES! The October 13-17 week delivers the revelation we’ve ALL been waiting for—Tate Black is NOT the father of Sophia Choi‘s baby!

Brady Black shares “life-changing news” with his son Tate, and spoilers for Wednesday, October 15, confirm that Sophia confesses the truth to Melinda Trask. The confluence of these events makes it crystal clear: the DNA results are in, or Sophia‘s lies have finally collapsed under the weight of the investigation that Brady, Johnny DiMera, and Chanel Dupree have been conducting.

Talk about perfect timing! The writers have orchestrated this reveal to happen at the EXACT moment Holly is leaving Salem. Tate spent months obsessing over proving his innocence regarding the paternity—neglecting Holly in the process—and now he finally has the proof just as she’s about to disappear from his life forever.

The dramatic irony is OFF THE CHARTS!

This revelation doesn’t just clear Tate‘s name. It completely vindicates his instincts that something was wrong with Sophia‘s story. His wrongful arrest for Holly‘s overdose earlier this year created a deep-seated need for truth and justice, which is why he became so fixated on the paternity question. But that obsession—however justified—pushed Holly away when she needed him most.

Now he has the truth. But does he have it in time?

Will Holly Actually Leave Salem?

It’s unclear whether Holly Jonas boards that plane, but all signs point to her staying in Salem—or returning almost immediately.

Here’s the evidence: Spoilers for Friday, October 17, specifically state that “Tate and Holly team up.” That phrase strongly suggests Holly either doesn’t board the flight or comes back to Salem very quickly after leaving. The “life-changing news” about Sophia‘s baby gives Tate the one piece of information that has the power to change Holly‘s mind about leaving.

Think about it. Holly isn’t running away from Tate because she doesn’t love him—she’s leaving because she feels like he chose his obsession with Sophia‘s baby over her. If Tate can prove that his focus on the paternity question was justified, and that Sophia really WAS manipulating both of them this entire time, it reframes everything.

Could this mean Holly decides to stay and fight rather than flee? Don’t be surprised if Tate convinces her that they can face this together, especially now that the truth about Sophia is finally out in the open.

There’s also compelling off-screen evidence that actress Ashley Puzemis isn’t leaving Days of Our Lives. She participated in the show’s 60th anniversary photoshoot in February 2025 (the anniversary airs November 8), and was reportedly on set judging Daytime Emmy submissions in late May/early June—which would be for episodes airing in spring 2026, well over a year after this “departure.”

This has all the hallmarks of a temporary storyline exit, not a permanent one. Holly‘s attempted departure is a narrative device to create maximum drama and force both characters to grow up fast.

What’s Next for Holly and Tate?

Given [character’s] history with self-destructive behavior when feeling abandoned, this airport confrontation could go one of several ways.

Scenario One: The Grand Gesture Works. Tate arrives with proof that he wasn’t Sophia‘s baby daddy, and Holly realizes his obsession was justified all along. She chooses to stay in Salem, and they “team up” (as spoilers indicate) to confront Sophia together and deal with the fallout from her months-long deception. This reunites them as a stronger, more mature couple.

Scenario Two: She Leaves But Returns Quickly. Holly boards that plane to Paris, needing space to process everything. But after cooling down and talking to her mother Nicole, she realizes she wants to fight for her relationship with Tate rather than run away. She returns to Salem within days or weeks, and THEN they team up against Sophia.

Scenario Three: The Trust Is Too Broken. Even with the truth about Sophia revealed, Holly can’t forgive Tate for neglecting her when she was spiraling. She leaves Salem, and the “team up” spoiler refers to them working together long-distance or represents a later reconciliation after significant time apart.

My money’s on Scenario One. The show has clearly been positioning Holly and Tate as the next generation super-couple, and this airport drama—combined with the Sophia truth bomb—gives them the big, romantic climax they need to graduate from “troubled teen couple” to “tested and proven relationship.”

This storyline has put them through a condensed but intense version of classic soap opera trials: a manipulative third party, a paternity scandal, wrongful accusations, and now a near-permanent separation. By surviving this crucible together, they emerge as a more resilient pairing ready for adult storylines.

The Sophia Reckoning Is FINALLY Here

Let’s talk about what happens to Sophia Choi after her web of lies collapses.

Sophia‘s confession to Melinda Trask on October 15 represents the complete unraveling of her months-long manipulation campaign. She deliberately targeted Holly and Tate‘s relationship, claimed Tate was her baby’s father, and sustained that lie even as it destroyed Holly‘s mental health and pushed her into alcoholism and self-destructive behavior.

The fallout is going to be MASSIVE. Brady Black, Johnny DiMera, and Chanel Dupree have been comparing notes and building a case against Sophia. When the truth comes out, Sophia won’t just lose Tate—she’ll lose her reputation, her friendships, and possibly face legal consequences depending on how far her deception went.

And Holly and Tate “teaming up” by week’s end? That likely means they’re joining forces to confront Sophia together and make sure everyone in Salem knows exactly what she did.

Karma’s coming for you, Sophia. And it’s got Holly Jonas and Tate Black‘s names written all over it.

One More Thing: This Changes Everything

Here’s what makes this airport storyline so brilliant from a narrative standpoint—it’s a “pressure release valve” for the relationship.

Holly and Tate have been through SO MUCH trauma in such a short time that a simple apology and reconciliation wouldn’t feel earned or satisfying. They needed this massive, dramatic reset. Holly‘s decision to leave Salem forces Tate to recognize how badly he’s neglected her. Tate‘s revelation about Sophia gives Holly the context she needs to understand why he was so obsessed.

The airport confrontation—with its high stakes, raw emotions, and perfect timing—allows them to purge all the accumulated baggage from the Sophia storyline and start fresh. They can rebuild their relationship on a new foundation, as more mature individuals who have learned from their mistakes.

It’s classic soap opera storytelling at its finest. The trauma makes the triumph more meaningful. The near-loss makes the reunion more powerful. And the shared enemy (Sophia) gives them a common purpose moving forward.

Holly Jonas and Tate Black aren’t just another teen couple. They’re being positioned as legacy characters—the next generation of the Black, Brady, Donovan, and Jonas family lines. This storyline is their crucible, forging them into the super-couple the show needs them to be.

Will Tate reach Holly before she boards that plane? Will the truth about Sophia come out in time to change Holly‘s mind? And what happens when these two finally team up to take Sophia down?

One thing’s certain—October 13-17 is going to be one HELL of a week for Days of Our Lives fans. Clear your schedule, stock up on tissues, and prepare for the emotional roller coaster!

Catch all the must-know Days of Our Lives spoilers and updates here.