If the abuse and Christmas crisis weren’t enough to shake Weatherfield, the affair between Carl Webster and James Bailey is the third bombshell that Coronation Street dropped this week.

And as if the writers didn’t have enough drama, the person chosen to “catch” is none other than Abi – an expert at uncovering secrets and blowing everything up into a scandalous peak.

From previous episodes, observant fans have begun to suspect: why do Carl and James keep looking at each other longer than necessary?

Why do they often disappear at the same time, their shifts overlap, their seemingly harmless words but behind them is a ton of chemistry.

Corrie doesn’t rush to confirm it right away, but lets this relationship smolder like embers under the ashes – just waiting for the right blow to burst into flames.

That blow came on a seemingly normal night at a hotel. Carl goes to work his shift, James appears “by chance”, the atmosphere between the two gradually heats up in short but tense conversations: one side wants to be clear, the other side wants to keep everything in the dark because of the constraints out there – lover, family, reputation. In a moment of weakness, all reason disappears, only the forbidden kiss remains.

And at that moment, Abi appears. Not the “accidental” type, but the type of talking to the staff, turning around to see Carl – James kissing. Abi’s stunned eyes are what the audience is waiting for: a classic catch that doesn’t need dialogue, just a “What the…?” on her face is enough. In a few seconds, both men realize their secret world has officially collapsed.

For Carl, this is a situation worse than a nightmare. Not only was the affair with James exposed, but there was also a hint of a “second affair” behind it – old secrets he had worked so hard to bury were now in danger of being dug up. Carl’s first instinct was to cover it up: lie, mislead, beg Abi “not to tell anyone”, using all sorts of excuses from “misunderstanding” to “private matters”. But Abi, with her own history of hurt and betrayal, couldn’t swallow those words.