EastEnders has hinted that Stacey Slater’s short-lived reunion with Martin Fowler may not stay under wraps for long.
Stacey was overheard in Wednesday’s episode as she discussed the bittersweet reconciliation that she’d shared with her ex-husband before his death.
Martin’s final moments after the Queen Vic explosion saw him acknowledge his feelings for Stacey – and the former couple ultimately agreed to give their relationship another try.
In a tragic twist, their chance of happiness was destroyed due to Martin being crushed by a beam amid the chaos of the blast aftermath.
Martin ultimately died from his injuries, as he suffered a cardiac arrest when paramedics tried to save him.
Following Martin’s demise, Stacey tried to keep quiet about what had really happened between them.
Stacey concealed the truth out of respect for her on-off friend Ruby Allen, who was in a relationship with Martin before he passed away. However, it’s now clear that she’s grappling with her secret.
In Wednesday’s episode, Stacey finally broke down as she shared the truth with her friend Eve Unwin in a heart-to-heart at home.
She explained: “He told me the night he died [that] he loved me. It all made sense when he said it. I knew he meant it. It was before I knew that he was going to die and I thought that we had a future together.
“He told me that he wanted to be with me, and I told him I wanted to be with him. And we was going to get married and grow old together.”
As Stacey continued, her teenage daughter Lily came downstairs and overheard the conversation as she crept towards the kitchen.
Struggling with the weight of her secret, Stacey reflected: “I know it sounds like we were caught up in the moment, but I love him. And now I can’t even say that out loud.
“There’s another woman out there, who is a good mum with an innocent kid. How can I trample all over a family? No-one needs to know.”
As Eve openly questioned whether keeping quiet was the right thing to do, Lily walked into the room and revealed that she’d overheard everything. Stacey immediately swore Lily to secrecy, warning that Ruby could never know.
Will Lily keep her mum’s secret, or will the truth come out and cause further heartache?