Emmerdale’s Charity Dingle has been a master of secrets for years, but her latest one might just be her most dangerous. After agreeing to be a surrogate for her granddaughter, Sarah Sugden, Charity is now facing a terrifying possibility: the baby might not be Sarah’s at all. The truth came crashing down during a seemingly joyful baby scan, leaving Charity with a terrible feeling that could unravel her life.
The drama began when Charity and her husband, Mackenzie Boyd, hit a rough patch. In a moment of anger, Mackenzie admitted he couldn’t accept her decision to be a surrogate for Sarah, who can no longer carry a child of her own. Heartbroken and furious, Charity sought comfort in the arms of her ex, Ross Barton, and slept with him around the same time Sarah and her fiancé Jacob Gallagher’s embryo was implanted.
Since then, Ross has been hounding Charity to take a paternity test, convinced that the baby is his. Charity has repeatedly lied, claiming a test already proved he isn’t the father, but her flimsy excuses have only made Ross more suspicious. With his patience wearing thin, Ross declared he wouldn’t rest until he had the results of a proper paternity test.
Just as Charity’s anxiety reaches a fever pitch, Jacob surprises her and Sarah with an early ultrasound. But what should have been a beautiful moment is filled with dread for Charity. As she looks at the image of the baby on the screen, a dark cloud of uncertainty hangs over her. The sight of the tiny life inside her body fills her with a nagging fear that the baby might not be Sarah and Jacob’s after all.
The tension only gets worse when Ross arrives while Sarah and Jacob are admiring the scan photo. Sarah, proud and excited, innocently shows him the picture. Ross, however, has to do everything in his power to hide his shock, knowing that he could be looking at a picture of his own child.
Meanwhile, Charity’s life continues to fall apart. Heartbroken by her husband’s rejection, she soon receives a devastating voicemail from Mackenzie, who ends their marriage. Little does she know, Mackenzie’s call isn’t what it seems.
While Charity is reeling from the end of her marriage, Aaron Dingle is on a desperate search for his best friend. Aaron has finally seen through his husband John Sugden’s lies and has come to believe that John is a killer. With a terrible feeling that John is responsible for Mackenzie’s disappearance, Aaron sets out to find him.
His search leads him to the bunker where John was holding Mackenzie, but he fails to find the right location. His search comes to an abrupt end at a deep gorge, where he finally comes face to face with his husband. Aaron, now certain of John’s guilt, pleads with him to reveal Mackenzie’s whereabouts. Just as John is about to confess to the police, his ex-husband, Robert Sugden, arrives hoping to save Aaron.
But Robert’s appearance only reignites John’s fury. He accuses Aaron of setting up the encounter and, in a fit of rage, frames Robert by calling the police and throwing himself off the gorge, dragging Aaron with him. A stunned Robert watches in horror as both men lie motionless below. He immediately calls the police, but because of John’s earlier phone call, suspicion falls squarely on Robert, with the police and the entire village convinced he pushed them.
As Robert fears for Aaron’s life, Chas vows to make him pay for hurting her son. The fallout from the incident is immediate and far-reaching, with Cain and Moira Dingle severing ties with the Sugdens for good, declaring they want nothing more to do with them.
