While viewers are still mourning the broken relationship between Lewis Barton and Vinny Dingle, Emmerdale has thrown a shocking twist:

Lewis returns to the village overnight, after weeks of being missing – and this time, he is no longer a weak boy, but a man with a dark secret on his shoulders.

The opening scene of the new episode left everyone breathless: in the middle of a rainy night, a bus stopped at the entrance to Emmerdale village.

A man got off, wearing a hood, his eyes looking around warily.

When the lights came on, the audience recognized – it was Lewis Barton. His face was gaunt, his eyes were deep, but his gaze was cold and creepy.

Lewis returned without warning. No one in the village knew where he had gone. Rumors spread quickly: some said he had fled after a love scandal, others claimed Lewis had been blackmailed by Kammy and was returning for revenge. There were even rumors that he had done something shady while in Leeds – and was now returning to “clean up the mess.”

In the viral scene that was revealed, Lewis stood silently in front of the Dingle house, looking inside where Vinny was laughing with friends. He raised his hand to knock, but stopped. For a few brief seconds, tears streamed down his cheeks – then he turned away, disappearing into the night. The scene was shot with a telephoto lens to make Lewis feel “like a ghost lost in old memories.”

According to AOL Entertainment, the producers confirmed that Lewis’s return was not just for love – but also because of a secret related to Kammy. In the next few episodes, the audience will learn that Kammy used Lewis for an illegal scheme.