Emmerdale's Laurel Thomas has been left with the burden of or Arthur's bullying secret following Jai Sharma's early return from rehab in tonight's episodes.
Viewers know that Arthur Thomas (Alfie Clarke) has been bullying Jai's (Chris Bisson) son Archie (Kai Assi) in recent weeks, with Jimmy King (Nick Miles) falsely accused of hurting Archie at the end of last year when it was Arthur who was hurting and tormenting him.
In tonight's (February 6) double bill, Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) and her family were left reeling from the news that Sandy Thomas had died. Laurel's son Arthur ended up taking the news particularly hard and blamed himself for Sandy's death, believing it was a result of his recent nasty behaviour.
Related: Emmerdale star Charlotte Bellamy addresses Sandy Thomas' death storyline
"Arthur, Sandy was an old man and I wished he'd lived to 100. But he lived a long, rich life and this isn't your fault," Laurel later told her son.
"You can't say that, he only started getting sick after –" Arthur began, before cutting himself off.
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"After what?" she questioned. "What are you talking about?"
Following a bit more prompting from his mum and after wrestling with whether or not to come clean, Arthur did eventually confess to bullying Archie, leaving Laurel stunned.
"Please, don't make me say it," he said. "I hurt Archie. It wasn't Jimmy. I was the one who bruised him. I made him run away. It was all me."
After hearing all of Arthur's confessions, a conflicted Laurel ultimately started to blame herself in part, saying she should have paid her son more attention, but she also stated her intention to tell Jimmy the truth about Archie's bruises.
"You blamed Jimmy for hurting Archie, and we need to put that right," Laurel told Arthur. "We need to tell Jimmy the truth."
Before Jimmy could arrive, however Jai returned home from rehab early, explaining that he checked himself out after hearing about Sandy's death.
After Jai's unexpected return, Laurel ended up not telling Jimmy about what she'd recently learned and ultimately decided to keep Arthur's confession to herself for now, especially after Jai outlined all the stresses that led to his drugs relapse.
"I know you were upset think that Jimmy hurt Archie [...] There's stuff that went on that you weren't really aware of," Laurel began, only for Jai to interrupt her.
"I am sorry for everything I have put you though, but I realise now what's important: you and Archie and Arthur and Dotty, you are all that really matters," Jai told her.
And at the end of it all, Laurel couldn't tell Jai what she knew, later admitting to Arthur that she doesn't know what to do with her newfound knowledge.
"I'm stuck, Arthur," she said. "Your lies have hurt everyone but the truth will too.
"And right now, I don't know what to do for the best."
Speaking about the new storyline last month, Laurel actress Charlotte Bellamy said that Arthur's confession marks a "real turning point" in the story.
"Laurel blames herself and not Arthur," she said. "She's disappointed in him and shocked, of course, but she thinks she should have paid her son more attention – that Arthur's vulnerable and didn't know what he was doing.
"It's a real turning point in the story. But Laurel is also in denial. It's a complicated, emotional journey that we're embarking on here, which will get a lot worse. And there are other things in store that will make it even more complex."
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode on Thursdays at 8pm.
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