During the latest episode of Emmerdale, Manpreet Sharma (played by Rebecca Sarker) had to deliver the gutwrenching news that Ethan Anderson (Emile John) had died.
His father Charles Anderson (Kevin Mathurin) and his mother Claudette Anderson (Flo Wilson) broke down in tears as they could not understand why a healthy young man would suddenly pass away.
As Manpreet tearfully explained there would be an autopsy, a raging Charles said in front of Ruby Fox Milligan (Beth Cordingly): “We know what happened, he was run over. Come on, someone knocked him down and a few days later he’s… It’s murder.
“I swear by all mighty God I will not rest until this person pays for what they have done.”
Last week, it came to light that Ruby had run Ethan over and left him bleeding on the side of a country road – so will she end up leaving the village before the autopsy is carried out?
Elsewhere, evil veterinarian Tom King (James Chase) gave his dog Piper a dose of a lethal injection, causing the little animal to fall seriously unwell.
It is not known if he gave the pup a high enough dose to end her life, but he purposely injected her in a desperate bid to get his abused wife Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor Draper) to visit him.
Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) delivered the upsetting news to Belle about Piper’s poor health, leaving her heartbroken.
Belle’s currently at a mental health facility following months of abuse at the hands of Tom – but she appears to be blaming herself when speaking to the staff at the centre.
She is bound to spiral if Piper doesn’t pull through as that dog means an awful lot to her, and she already feels guilty leaving the pooch with vile Tom.
Viewers know how controlling and violent Tom is, but is he twisted enough to murder his own dog on the ITV soap?
Will he end up fleeing the village too if Belle suspects he killed their dog? He’d most definitely end up losing his job as a veterinarian if his sick secret came to light.
Viewers have been shaken over the distressing scenes involving Tom and Piper for the past few days, with an influx of fans taking to Twitter to voice their concerns.
Maddie said: “You shouldn’t show such disturbing scenes, the human abuse is bad enough, it needs to be over asap.”
Another said: “No I’m sorry! But this is too much now, I understand these storylines are for awareness but this storyline needs to end now, I refuse to watch anymore until Tom is gone!”
Emmerdale assured viewers in a post on Monday night: “These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set! We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm ITV and ITVX.