Zoe Slater’s plans to leave Walford are thrown into chaos tonight, but viewers are left horrified by a dark secret that could change everything.
While Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan)struggles to feel safe amid her ongoing stalker ordeal, Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) is carrying what she believes is the most heartbreaking truth imaginable. Before the fire, Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey) tells Kat that neither of Zoe’s twins survived. He claims there was nothing that could be done, but the audience knows something Kat doesn’t.
Anthony is lying.
In reality, both babies are alive. Convinced that he is their father and furious that Zoe ‘took them away’ from him, Anthony is determined that Zoe should believe her children are dead so he can track them down and keep her away from them.
Unaware she’s being manipulated, Kat is completely broken by what she’s been told. She begs Anthony not to tell Zoe the truth, insisting that she needs to be the one to break the news herself, but only after Christmas. Kat wants to protect Zoe from yet another trauma while she’s already struggling with fear, guilt and exhaustion. Kat wants to finally have a Christmas with all her children under one roof, but she knows if Zoe finds out, she could flee.
Alfie grows increasingly worried as Zoe’s stalker situation continues to loom over the family. He suggests the unthinkable: maybe they should all leave Walford if Zoe really isn’t safe. But Kat shuts him down immediately. This is their home, she insists, and they shouldn’t have to run because of someone else’s actions.
Trying to regain control, Kat calls a family meeting at the Vic. Tensions are high, but Zoe surprises everyone when she admits she no longer believes Jean was responsible for the fire or perhaps the recent incidents.
In a move driven by pure maternal instinct, Kat then asks Zoe to move back into the Vic. She wants her close, surrounded by family, where she can keep an eye on her and make sure she’s not facing everything alone. After some hesitation, Zoe agrees.
Determined to lift Zoe’s spirits, Kat throws herself into preparations for her Christmas Day event at the Vic. She hands out flyers around the Square, dragging Zoe along and encouraging her to get involved. It’s a fragile attempt at normality, but one that shows how hard Kat is trying to keep her family together while hiding the truth she believes will destroy her daughter.
However, the calm doesn’t last.
Vicki confronts Zoe and Kat in a tense showdown, bluntly blaming Zoe for the fire. Overwhelmed, Zoe tells Kat that she thinks she should just leave Walford and return to Spain. She tells Kat it would be easier for everyone if she just went away and stopped causing trouble.
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Kat’s response is immediate and fierce. If Zoe goes, then they’re all going. She refuses to let her daughter walk away thinking she’s unwanted or to blame for everything that’s gone wrong.
Faced with Kat’s unwavering loyalty, Zoe finally relents. She agrees to stay, her exit plans officially scrapped, at least for now.
But while Zoe remains in Walford, the audience is left with a chilling sense of dread. Anthony’s lie still stands. Zoe believes her babies are gone. Kat believes she’s protecting her daughter from unbearable pain. And the man at the centre of it all is quietly pulling the strings.
With the stalker threat unresolved and the truth about the twins buried beneath deception, tonight’s episode makes one thing painfully clear: Zoe may be staying put, but the real danger is far from over.
