A tough decision looms for Emmerdale’s Laurel Thomas next week as she faces further heartache in her relationship with Jai Sharma on the ITV soap.
Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) and Jai’s (Chris Bisson) relationship on Emmerdale has been on the rocks for weeks after he took out a loan in Laurel’s name.
Although Jai hoped he would get away with the fraud, the truth came out and Laurel was left devastated by his betrayal after he was short on cash at HOP.
When ruthless businesswoman Kim (Claire King) announced she was going to sell Mulberry Cottage, Laurel then attempted to apply for a mortgage.
But Jai's lies unravelled when the bank informed Laurel there was a problem due to her low credit score, resulting from a large loan she had taken out.
Jai initially bluffed, but as Laurel decided to call the police and report the fraud, he was forced to come clean and admit the loan, leaving Laurel horrified.
Things went from bad to worse when Laurel then realised that she can't afford any of the houses in the village and said she would have to move away from the Dales.
To make matters worse, Kim told her that she had found a buyer for Mulberry Cottage and they have 30 days to move out.
However, later on the businesswoman said that if Jai gave her shares in the Hop, it would be enough money to pay off his loan and put a deposit on the cottage - leaving him making the difficult decision to sign over his stake.
ITV spoilers now reveal that in the wake of Marlon Dingle’s (Mark Charnock) shocking stroke on Monday evening, Jai will be a crucial support to Laurel as the villagers reel.
Emmerdale fans were horrified at Marlon’s frightening health battle when he was found collapsed by his young daughter April, before he was raced to hospital for emergency surgery.
Next week on the soap, Jai will continue to support Laurel in the aftermath of Marlon’s health terror, leaving Laurel to fill Bob (Tony Audenshaw) in on her situation.
Supportively, Bob tells her that Brenda forgave him in a similar situation, giving Laurel food for thought.
Later on, Laurel meets Jai in the café to return the rest of his things, but she begins to agonise over the decision, wondering if she’s made a mistake.
Confused and emotional, Laurel later gives in to her feelings and kisses Jai, but will she regret her actions? Or are the pair now on track for a reconciliation?
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV.
