What's next for Nicole after Ericole on Days of Our Lives
Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

The big question now: What’s next for Nicole?

With Nicole’s secret about sleeping with Xander hanging over her head on Days of Our Lives, it didn’t come as too much of a surprise that Greg Vaughan’s return as Eric led to the end of their marriage. Though it was tough to watch their relationship implode, it does open up a lot of possibilities for the former bad girl.

Nicole and Eric’s love story was a long and tortured one, so they deserved a happy ending. And they got it for a brief shining moment. However, as Nicole pointed out to the ex-priest as they acknowledged the fatal flaw in their relationship, “The problem with us is that I will always be a sinner, and you will always be a saint.”

Nicole cries as Eric kisses her hands on Days of Our Lives

While the whole “opposites attract” dynamic is the basis for many a great soap opera coupling, their union muted Nicole’s more, shall we say, colorful side. The former vixen was reduced to fretting about her absentee husband and taking care of his niece and her baby.  Aside from her recent slip with Xander, Nicole hasn’t really been a sinner in a long time.

But now, her marriage to Eric is over, which means Nicole doesn’t have to rein in her darker impulses anymore. While we’re not advocating for her to be a full-on bad girl, we’re definitely up for scheming Nicole to return. So, what exactly is next for the soon-to-be ex-Mrs. Eric Brady? She might have rationalized her infidelity by telling Eric, “I wanted to blow things up because that’s the one thing I’m actually good at… self-destruction.” But we know there’s so much more to the character. And now that she doesn’t have to rein in her bad girl ways, we can’t help but wonder in which direction the writers will take her.

More: Looks like Sami’s marriage is about to implode!

Currently, Nicole is running Basic Black, so, she could throw herself into her work and become embroiled in Salem’s corporate shenanigans and rivalries. However, we suspect seeking vengeance on Sami for paying Xander to blow up her anniversary party might be at the top of Nicole’s to-do list.

Sami confronts Nicole about Xander on Days of Our Lives

While we can’t wait to watch more fireworks explode between the longtime enemies, this being a soap opera, we also have to wonder who will be there to help heal Nicole’s broken heart. And heaven knows there’s no shortage of men — available or otherwise — who would be well-suited to the task.

Now, tell us what you want to see happen for Nicole and then look through our photo gallery of five men Nicole could move on with. And make sure to get your free daily soap-opera fix for Days of Our Lives — and all of the other daytime dramas — delivered straight to your email inbox by signing up for Soaps.com’s newsletter.