Abuser Tom King (James Chase) promised Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor Draper) that she would regret ending their relationship, and boy is he playing true to his word in Emmerdale.
He’s upped his campaign of psychological abuse through maiming Piper with the car and pretending to put her down before giving her away, all the while undermining Belle’s credibility around her mental health with her family.
He’s also just hacked into her laptop and helped himself to her personal files for a purpose that will shortly become evident. All of this signifies that his evil is escalating, and Belle is facing severe danger.
So far, Belle has not been perturbed by his attempts and is now laser focused on uncovering the truth about him. Believing him to be a long-term abuser, she went to the police to apply for a Clare’s Law disclosure – which would reveal whether he’s done the same to previous partners.
But Belle is hit with bad news – she reads an email saying there will be no disclosure following her Clare’s Law application – leaving her with no proof of Tom’s terrible behaviour.
No doubt Tom had some kind of hand in this, having hacked her computer and witnessed her email application first hand.
This is a huge blow for her, and Tom gleefully watches her disappointment through his hidden cameras. He’s won yet another round and is particularly taken with how distressed she’s been made.
In his delight, he gives her a coded message that alerts her to the fact he knows what was in her email. This could turn out to be vital information for Belle.
He then makes his next nasty play – revealing to her that he has photos of her that she’d never want to see the light of day, and he’s just itching to release them.
Fearful of his threat, she’s left distraught to realise the password to her photos has been changed, but this spurs her on to begin formulating her own plan, which starts with stealing his iPad.
Belle’s left in an incredibly vulnerable state (Picture: ITV)
Things aren’t over yet for Belle (Picture: ITV)
With her own revenge plot ready to go, she confronts him in the Woolpack with what she knows. But given Tom’s plays against her mental health, it’s unlikely anyone will believe her.
Then comes Tom’s next move – Amelia (Daisy Campbell) unwittingly reveals that she is now in a relationship with Tom. What the actual heck!?
While this is a shock to everyone, there have been signs that it was on the cards – Tom made a grotty comment about ‘throwing his hat in the ring’ when he learned Gabby (Rosie Bentham) was single, clearly on the lookout for someone to make Belle jealous. And Amelia showed her hand when she bizarrely gave Belle an earful in the pub about being mean to Tom a few weeks ago.
But she’s young, very young, and naïve and Belle is aware of this. She’s horrified to hear of this new relationship, not because of the jealousy Tom is hoping for, but because she fears for Amelia’s safety. When Tom once again lets himself into Belle’s house, she gives him the riot act to leave Amelia alone.
Their standoff is intense and leaves Belle in a trance-like state. She wanders out of the house and down main street, completely vulnerable to whatever Tom might do next.
Will he seize this opportunity to do something terrible, kidnap her? Will he do another Piper and hit her with the car? Whatever it is, she is not safe, and now neither is Amelia.
