The Secret One-Night Stand That Broke Up Days Of Our Lives' Hope And Rafe

"Days of Our Lives" has given fans many iconic couples to swoon over during its more than 55-year run on television (via Fame 10). 

The NBC soap opera has become known for creating epic duos such as Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso), John Black (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), and Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans) and Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols). Others include Will Horton (Chandler Massey) and Sonny Kiriakis (Zach Tinker) as well as Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) and EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel).

While many of these couples' romances last for years and even decades, other fan-favorite couples have their love stories cut short. Pairs such as Gabi Hernandez (Camilla Banus) and Stefan DiMera (Brandon Barash), Ava Vitali (Tamara Braun) and Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering), Xander Cook (Paul Telfer) and Gwen Rizczech (Emily O'Brien), and Allie Horton (Lindsay Arnold) and Tripp Dalton (Lucas Adams) simply don't make it, per Soaps.com.

While the pairing of Hope Brady and Rafe Hernandez had a lot of potential, it never matured due to a scandalous one-night stand.

"Days of Our Lives" viewers who followed Hope Brady and Rafe Hernandez's romance will remember that they were co-workers at the Salem Police Department. The pair partnered up and created a strong friendship. Rafe was there for Hope as she worked through the absence of her husband, Bo Brady, who had left Salem to go on a mission for the ISA, per Soaps in Depth.

Eventually, Bo returned and revealed that he had been held prisoner. Hope was thrilled to see him, but the couple's reunion was short-lived. Bo was soon diagnosed with a brain tumor. He knew his time was limited, so he made the most of it, ensuring that he spent plenty of time with Hope and the rest of his family before his passing.

One thing he made sure to do was to have a heart-to-heart with Rafe. Bo seemed to sense that Rafe had strong feelings for Hope and made Rafe promise that he would always look out for Hope once he was gone (via TVOvermind). Rafe agreed to be there for her, and he helped support her after Bo died in Hope's arms.

Hope and Rafe grew even closer after Bo's death and fell in love. The couple quickly tied the knot, but they never got their happy ending.

In the early stages of Hope Brady and Rafe Hernandez's marriage, it was clear that Hope was struggling. "Days of Our Lives" viewers had watched her lose the love of her life, Bo Brady, and later shoot and kill his captor, Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) — a crime that Rafe helped her cover up. Hope was traumatized, and Rafe seemingly couldn't make things better for her.

Amid their marriage struggles, Rafe's ex-wife, Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney), returned to Salem (via Soaps in Depth). She was also struggling in life, and the two leaned on each other for comfort. The exes fell into bed together and then promised not to say a word about it as they didn't want to ruin their friendship or Rafe's marriage to Hope.

However, secrets never stay buried for long in Salem, and Hope eventually found out about her husband's infidelity (via TVOvermind). Although they attempted to work things out for a short time, Hope appeared to be too hurt and angry to forgive Rafe for his betrayal. So, she asked him for a divorce, per Soap Dirt. 

The couple eventually called it quits but remained friends. Rafe even helped discover that Hope had been brainwashed to believe she was Princess Gina by Stefano's right-hand man, Dr. Rolf. The two were friendly up until the day that Hope decided to leave Salem.

Although Hope and Rafe didn't get their happy ending, fans still enjoyed the drama that the couple brought to "Days of Our Lives" with their romantic storyline.