Rafe Hernandez and Nicole Walker couldn’t seem to stay away from each other on “Days of Our Lives,” despite the fact that Rafe was involved with Ava Vitali. Their friendship turned into something more, and after months of trying to hide their feelings, the pair finally let their emotions out and engaged in a surprising affair, which Ava quickly found out about (via Soap Opera Spy). However, instead of confronting Nicole and Rafe about their betrayal, Ava kept the knowledge to herself and devised a plan to make the couple pay for going behind her back.
Rafe eventually chose to be with Nicole, and Ava made her move. The daughter of the former mob boss put her revenge plot into play by framing Rafe as a dirty cop and having him arrested for police brutality. Both Rafe and Nicole eventually suspected Ava of having something to do with the setup, and while Rafe awaited his day in court, Nicole searched for evidence to prove his innocence, along with Rafe’s friend Shawn Brady (Brandon Beemer), per Soap Dirt.
But all hope is not lost for Nicole and Rafe’s relationship, despite Ava’s devious plans.