Mackenzie Boyd is deeply worried about Charity Dingle in Emmerdale, completely unaware of what she is going through. Charity was sexually assaulted by Doctor Caitlin Todd a few days ago. She went to the police soon after and had to undergo a physical examination and questioning to collect evidence.
Doctor Todd was interviewed by DS Reid the next day but insisted that she and Charity had both consented to sex. She was let go, and DS Reid later arrived at Charity's house to update her. The detective explained that because Caitlin claims everything was consensual and Charity's physical examination came back inconclusive, there is not enough evidence to support her statement.
Doctor Todd left the village yesterday after accepting a new job in Sheffield. Feeling unsupported by the police, Charity is dealing with the trauma alone. It was Moses' birthday in today's episode, but feeling joyful and celebrating her son was incredibly difficult for Charity.
While Mackenzie was out shopping, Charity had time alone and felt the full weight of her trauma. When Mack returned, he realised Charity had been crying. She reassured him he had not done anything wrong but was not clear about what was bothering her. Mackenzie tried to tell Ross Barton he was worried about Charity, but Ross was focused on the truth about baby Leyla.
Mack eventually found support from Vanessa and later suggested to Charity that she might be struggling with postnatal depression. Charity was withdrawn and did not confirm or deny his theory. That evening, Mack came downstairs and found Charity sitting on the sofa alone. She told him she would ring Manpreet and look at getting an appointment, which Mack believed was a positive step.
In future episodes, Manpreet will prescribe Charity medication for PND, but it leaves her feeling even more overwhelmed, as it is another lie on top of everything else. Charity then discovers that Mackenzie has spoken to Sarah Sugden about her mental health. Unable to deal with reality, Charity grabs some wine and sleeping pills.
The heartbreaking twist is that Sarah will take full responsibility for how her Gran is feeling and begins drowning in guilt. She believes Charity is battling PND because she was Sarah's surrogate, making it all her fault. Charity tries to reassure her that there is more going on, but not being able to say what does little to reassure Sarah. Mack is left comforting Sarah as she sobs at being the reason Charity is unwell.
