Pierce Harris’ mother, Martha, left Pierce rattled when she arrived in Emmerdale just before his ill-fated marriage to Rhona Goskirk.
Read more: Pierce returns to ruin Rhona
We’re still not sure what happened between them that’s made Pierce want to be as far away from her as possible. But we suspect it might give us a clue as to why he’s such a hideous monster.
Jonathan Wrather, who plays evil Pierce, told Inside Soap: “Martha is coming back. She’s so charming, nice and plausible – but there is something mysterious about her.
“She’s clearly harbouring a secret, which could be about what Pierce has done in the past.
“Do we believe Martha or Pierce? He’s a disturbed character, so there is definitely something lurking there.”
Pierce arrives back in the village for the first time since his brutal attack on Rhona on their wedding day.
Paddy Kirk, who doesn’t know about the rape, unintentionally brings him back into Rhona’s life by asking him to come back, for her sake.
Since the attack, Rhona has fallen back into her painkiller addiction. She’s been to rehab, but is still struggling to cope without them.
But even though she went straight to the sexual health referral centre after the rape and gave them all the physical evidence, she couldn’t bring herself to report Pierce.
The only other person who knows exactly what happened to her, and who did it, is her best mate Vanessa Woodfield.
“Pierce has been lying low somewhere, figuring out his next move,” actor Jonathan continued. “But then Paddy calls to say that Rhona needs him.
“Pierce discovers that she’s been in rehab and taking drugs, and we know he has form for manipulating situations and turning them to his advantage.”
He brazenly turns up at the cottage and acts like everything is normal and nothing happened between them.
Read more: Lachlan’s obsession with violent films leads to gun rampage
His behaviour freaks Rhona out as she stands terrified, faced with him in the kitchen.
She doesn’t want him there and after a difficult and draining conversation with her monster ex, she makes a huge decision about what she needs to do next.
Maybe Martha is the person who can help her figure it out…