Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale fans see John Sugden's worst fears become reality next week, when Aidan Moore wakes up from his coma – and Moira Dingle reveals that the village lake must be dredged. Is the end in sight for the cold-hearted killer?
While visiting his nephew Harry at the hospital following the contaminated water scandal, John is delighted when his sister Victoria expresses her gratitude for his support.
However, John is thrown back to earth when he crosses paths with Aidan's mum, Cathleen, who assumes that John has heard news about Aidan – and insists that he join her to go see him…
"This news is very unsettling for John," reveals our Emmerdale source. "So far, he has been able to visit Aidan undetected, but he now realises how dangerously close his ex-fiancé is to his nephew at the hospital.
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"That quickly becomes the least of his worries though, when Aidan's eyes ping open at the mention of his name.
"We'll have to see whether it's odd timing, or whether Aidan understands what's happening – but either way, Emmerdale fans should brace themselves for what's to come…"
The next day, John receives word that Aidan has officially woken up from his coma. Petrified, John races to his former lover's bedside and tries to gauge just how much danger he could be in.
Luckily for him, Aidan remains non-verbal, and he also hears that Harry is fit to return home – but little does he know that another one of his fellow villagers is about to make his life even harder…
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After Belle Dingle shares a chat with Tracy Robinson, she starts to suss out that something isn't right about Nate Robinson's disappearance. Before long, Belle decides that she should travel to Scotland to search for her nephew, before informing Sam Dingle that Nate never arrived for his new job.
"Belle is a clever cookie," our insider continues. "She senses that it isn't in Nate's character to vanish without a trace. Cain eventually gets wind of the situation too, and he struggles to process that his son could be missing.
"But his panic is nothing compared to John's, as he battles to convince Belle that Nate's absence isn't worth reporting as he won't want to be found. At this rate, John should win a Guinness World Record for the number of plates he's spinning!"
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With John's words on her mind, but also for Tracy and Frankie Robinson's sake, Belle decides against contacting the police. In fact, the wedding planner puts her worries to the back of her mind as her family prepare for Aaron Dingle's big day.
Sadly, though, Belle's lack of focus doesn't end up offering the reprieve that John might have hoped for. Just as things start to look up, the medic overhears Moira reveal to Cain that the water company are set to drain the lake.
As Nate's arm drifts just below water level, is John's web of lies about to come crashing down around him? And if so, will he go quietly – or put up a deadly fight?
Don't miss our big interview with the culprit in Emmerdale's 'Who Pushed Joe Tate?' mystery
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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