Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) did the bravest thing in standing up to her

violent and abusive husband Tom King (James Chase) after he attacked her at their

holiday home in Wales in Emmerdale. But she’s sadly not free of him by a long

shot. Having lost control of his wife, Tom is now in overdrive to get her back under his power. After Tom violently attacked her in Wales, Belle escaped and ran back to her family. She made the decision that their marriage was over, but on hearing this, Tom went out of his way to undermine her mental health with her family, blabbing that she’d had a termination and hadn’t been keeping up with medication. Charity (Emma Atkins) and Cain (Jeff Hordley) frustratingly chose to believe this.

Vinny (Bradley Johnson), not so. A showdown in the pub saw Vinny call Tom out for his abuse, which Belle quickly denied, and found herself further isolated. But she stuck to her guns on her decision to leave and packed bags ready for a trip to see her dad. Tom then tried to pull two aces out of his sleeve, he threatened to kill her, and threatened to kill himself. But he’s underestimated Belle Dingle. Belle left in a huge power move, putting distance between her and Tom, standing up to him despite his attempts to intimidate her. But it’s time for her to return and Tom is about to make his next power play.

He organises a celebration for her homecoming, which includes him buying her a car. He then lets himself into Dale Head and stresses out Belle as he pressures her into taking him back. But distance and head space has helped Belle find her inner strength and she stands up to him, stressing that there is no going back, and that she won’t take the car.

This is completely unacceptable to Tom. The master manipulator tries to guilt her into changing her mind, and though she’s terrified, Belle maintains her stance. She tells Tom she doesn’t want to have anything to do with him. This awakens the beast as Tom still craves control. As Belle thinks she’s finally getting free of him, Tom is formulating his next plan while sat watching her through more secret security camera feeds. Belle is very much not safe, but what is Tom plotting?