Emmerdale fans were left heartbroken tonight as Archie Breckle's bullying ordeal continued.
In previous scenes, viewers have seen Archie being hurt and tormented by Arthur Thomas, with Jimmy King getting involved in the process after he was wrongly accused of causing the bruises on Archie's arm.
In Tuesday's episode (December 10), poor Archie couldn't take it anymore and he slapped Jimmy's daughter Angelica after she and Arthur made fun of him.
Related: Emmerdale teases Christmas storylines in 8 pictures
"Everyone hates you, Archie," Arthur taunted while Angelica was giggling at his side.
"Stop it, stop it," Archie shouted at the bullies, before slapping Angelica across the face.
What to Read Next
Seeing the showdown between the kids outside, Jimmy (Nick Miles) immediately pulled Archie away, but Archie's father Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) confronted Jimmy, telling him that things between them are far from over.
Later on, Jai tried talking to Archie to understand why he had really slapped Angelica, and while Archie admitted that Angelica said things that had hurt him, the arrival of Arthur afterwards left Archie too intimidated to confess anything else.
However, with Arthur left afraid that Archie might finally reveal the truth, he then told Archie that everyone would be better off without him, suggesting that Archie should hide in the woods.
The episode then ended with a heartbreaking scene showing that Archie had taken Arthur's words to heart, and Emmerdale ended with Archie leaving the house in the dark as he prepared to run away from home.
Viewers at home were devastated – and many praised young actor Kai Assi for his work in the hard-hitting scenes too.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 (www.nspcc.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline on (1-800-422-4453) or the American SPCC (www.americanspcc.org).
Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
Read more news, spoilers and gossip on our Emmerdale homepage
Digital Spy Soap Scoop video – hit play below for all the latest Emmerdale spoilers, as Aaron terrorises Wendy and Luke, and Ellis makes his return.
50 Years of Emmerdale: The official Story of TV's most iconic rural drama
Request video message from selected Emmerdale stars past and present
If the Cap Fits: My Rocky Road to Emmerdale by Steve Halliwell
![Emmerdale Farm - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1972]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1568651758-515sfWjRcqL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Emmerdale Farm - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1972]")
![Emmerdale - The Dingles For Richer For Poorer [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1568651981-51KI1Ifvg-L.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Emmerdale - The Dingles For Richer For Poorer [DVD]")
Emmerdale - The Dingles For Richer For Poorer [DVD]
Want up-to-the-minute soaps news, spoilers and gossip on your social feeds? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Soaps Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @soapscoop Twitter account.
