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The Great Escape: Eric (Greg Vaughan) is enraged when Sloan (Jessica Serfaty) tries to fly the Salem coop.
“It’s just a volcanic eruption that is going to play out,” says Greg Vaughan (Eric) of the months-long saga involving the true parentage of baby Jude that Days of Our Lives is slowly but surely bringing to a boil. And his character is certainly poised to explode when he catches Sloan trying to flee Salem.
Eric has plenty of good reason to want his deceitful wife to pay for what she’s done. Points out Vaughan, “There were so many betrayals, and Eric was in the dark, oblivious to what had happened. He was taken in by this bundle of joy, this life-changing moment of having this ideal family that he wanted for so long. He’d been trying to get his family on board to not only support Eric and Sloan’s relationship, but to believe that Sloan was a better person.” Not only did he realize Sloan had duped him about her true nature, but he had to say good-bye to Jude. “It’s a painful experience, obviously, when you lose something that you feel is yours,” the actor sighs. “There’s a lot of pain, a lot of hurt, a lot of hostility when you realize that everything you’d hoped and wished for [is a lie]. The rug has been pulled out from under him.”
The fire for justice burning inside Eric intensifies over Sloan’s attempt to escape, and a heated confrontation ensues. “He wants Sloan to pay the price for what she did,” Vaughan asserts. “She kidnapped this child, there’s been all these lies and deceits and manipulations that have impeded upon so many individuals, and he wants Sloan to pay the price for kidnapping Jude.”
Sloan tries to stop Eric from summoning the authorities, hinting that there is more to the baby switch than he knows — but EJ intervenes, stopping her from revealing to Eric that he, not EJ, is baby Jude’s biological father. EJ ushers Sloan outside for a private confab — and later, EJ tells Eric that Sloan is long gone. Reports Vaughan, “Eric is caught off-guard, and he doesn’t know how she got away.”
It doesn’t occur to him in the moment that EJ had a hand in Sloan’s vanishing act. The actor explains, “Eric is always suspicious of EJ. He doesn’t trust him, and he keeps him at arm’s length. He’s got his eyes on him, but Eric is so caught up in his own family dynamics, he’s not remotely even thinking” that EJ has his own selfish reasons for wanting Sloan as far away from Salem as possible: namely, ensuring that both Nicole and Eric stay in the dark about who sired Jude, which EJ sees as paramount to keeping his marriage intact.
And while it may appear that EJ’s secret about Jude’s paternity is safe for now, his sigh of relief may prove fleeting. “Eric will do whatever it takes,” Vaughan assures. “The truth always comes out, and so many more things will come to light. Everything will unfold eventually, and the payoff will be great.”
