Emmerdale's Charity Dingle holds onto huge secret after baby scan bombshell

Charity Dingle (played by Emma Atkins) finally begins to worry that the baby she's carrying might actually be hers. Emmerdale fans will recall how Charity agreed to be her granddaughter's surrogate after a complication during surgery meant Sarah can never carry her own child. But around the time Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) and her fiancé Jacob Gallagher's (Joe-Warren Plant) embryo was implanted, Charity slept with Ross Barton (Mike Parr). Charity fell into the arms of her former flame after a tense argument with her husband Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), who admitted he couldn't accept that she had offered to be Sarah's surrogate.

In recent scenes, Ross has been pressuring Charity to take a test to find out if the baby is really his. Despite Charity claiming to have done a test which confirmed he is not the father, she explained that she couldn't show him the results because the hospital had the details. But this only infuriated Ross and he declared that he wouldn't rest until he was given a paternity test. Next week, Jacob surprises Sarah and Charity with an early ultrasound.

But the sight of the baby casts a shadow of uncertainty for Charity, who worries that the child might not be Sarah and Jacob's. Meanwhile, the couple are admiring the scan when Ross arrives with Moses, and Sarah proudly shows him the photo.

Ross does everything in his power to cover up the fact that he could be looking at his own child. Charity will be left heartbroken later this week when Mackenzie ends their marriage by leaving her a voicemail.

Little does she know that her husband is actually being held hostage by killer John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth). Things come to a head next week when Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) attempts to find his best friend after linking his disappearance to John.

Aaron desperately searches for the bunker where John was holding Mack, but he fails. His search comes to an abrupt end at a gorge, moments before he comes face to face with his husband.

Aaron finally sees through John's lies and pleads with him to reveal Mack's whereabouts. Just as John is about to confess to the police, Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) arrives, hoping to save his ex-husband.

But John's fury is reignited by Robert's appearance. He accuses Aaron of orchestrating the encounter, and as tensions escalate, he calls the police and frames Robert. In a shocking turn, John throws himself off the gorge, dragging Aaron with him.

A stunned Robert watches in horror as both men lie motionless below and immediately calls the police. But because of John's earlier phone call, suspicion falls squarely on Robert, with authorities and everyone in the village convinced he pushed them.

As Robert fears for Aaron's life, Chas vows to make him pay. Meanwhile, Cain (Jeff Hordley) and Moira Dingle (Natalie J. Robb) sever ties with the Sugdens, declaring they want nothing more to do with them.