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Eric is finally wising up on Days of Our Lives. At least, we hope so. But the very fact that he’s determined to find out what’s going on with Sloan’s funds means she won’t be able to keep up the adoption charade for long. Tomorrow, he’s going to start digging deeper into the missing money and, we know from spoilers, by next week, the trail is going to lead him right to Leo’s doorstep.

There’s a lot of things Sloan can talk her way out of, but the very fact that Eric is looking deeper into her funds means that her last attempt to throw him off the scent didn’t work. So we don’t see him taking her or Leo’s word for whatever wild excuse they make up this time. And that means that we’re likely getting dangerously close to the truth coming out.

That’s not good for Sloan — but it may not be good for Nicole, either! Or rather, we might amend that to it may not be good for Nicole fans! For one thing, she just admitted to EJ she’s at a crossroads. She’s finally coming out of her depression about losing her baby — thanks in part to the crisis the family’s been under with Holly overdosing. Holly’s back and healthy and the pain of losing her son isn’t as overpowering.

Sloan sheepishly holds a notepad. Eric looks at it with bulging eyes

More: Salem alum celebrates… in his birthday suit?!

But, she told EJ, she’s not sure what she should do now. And between Eric’s search for the truth and Nicole’s talk with EJ about her future, we have a sinking feeling that time may be winding down for Zucker and Nicole. Because we all know that Arianne Zucker is no longer with the show. It’s sadly just a matter of the shooting schedule catching up with what they’re showing onscreen.

There hasn’t been any word so far about whether Nicole would exit with Zucker or be recast with a new actor — which is something that’s never been done since the character’s debut. The thing is, we can imagine Nicole getting Jude back and deciding that this last horror was the final straw, she’s done with Salem. It would be much the same as Sami’s vow that she’d never set foot in Salem again. (We’re sure knowing how similar they were would drive both ladies crazy.)

But would Nicole take Jude with her or leave him behind in Salem? We can’t imagine her wanting to give him up after getting him back from Sloan. But if she learns the truth about Jude’s father, she might be willing to leave him in Eric’s care for a bit while she leaves town to sort things out for herself. That though, might buy us a little more time, as she’d at the very least want to bond with her baby.

Holding a bundle of blankets that's supposed to be Jude, Nicole grins at Sloan. Sloan offers a polite smile. Eric rolls up his shirtsleeve as he watches from the other side of the apartment.

But that would imply that Nicole might be back someday, something we’re sadly unsure of with the legal action Zucker’s taken with Days of Our Lives, producers and Sony. One thing we are pretty certain of is that the closer we get to Sloan’s lies blowing up in her face, the closer we’re likely getting to saying farewell to Zucker. It’s a bittersweet realization that Nicole’s happiness may mean our sadness.

Take a look at our photo gallery of Nicole’s life in Salem as we get closer and closer to the end of it.

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