2256: Frankie's forced to admit the truth about Jake

Despite Jack and Steph's reassurances, Frankie is fraught as she tries to track down Jake, terrified that he may have killed himself. Nancy refuses to leave Charlie's bedside, worried that Jake could return at any moment, as Jack tries to coax her into telling him if she'd intentionally left Jake to die. Frankie's distress heightens as time passes with no news of Jake and she lashes out at Steph, blaming her for the entire situation.

Justin and Nancy come to an awkward truce at the hospital and she agrees to let him see Charlie, but his tender moment with his son is shattered by the arrival of a furious Frankie. As everyone sides against her, Frankie is forced to admit the heartbreaking truth that Jake has gone off the rails and her fear that she'll never see him again. But as night falls in Hollyoaks Village, an eerily calm Jake emerges from the shadows, gazing up at the window of Nancy's flat…

Zak attempts to broach his illicit kiss with Katy but she's too preoccupied with Justin to listen. Kris's good-natured endeavours to include Katy and Justin in his and Zak's St. Patrick's Day celebrations only succeed in distancing the couple from each other even further. Justin dashes off to see Charlie, leaving Katy feeling even more isolated from him as she reluctantly joins the boys for a drink.

When Kris notices Zak's deflated mood, Zak admits that the girl he's interested in is already with someone. Regardless of Kris's warning that this can only spell trouble, Zak tries to discuss the kiss with Katy but she quickly shuts him down, telling him that her only thought can be Justin right now. But when Justin arrives home to find a seemingly carefree, tipsy Katy having a laugh with Kris and Zak, it seems to him that he's the last thing on her mind…

As Mercedes totals up her debts, Jacqui is frustrated by her sister's inability to manage her finances. When Jacqui advises that Mercedes should either get a decent job or a rich man like Tony to pay her way for her, Mercedes does just that and texts Tony to tell him the blackmail price has gone up. At first Tony is reluctant to hand over the cash, but Mercedes' threats aren't worth the risk and as he counts out the exact amount to pay off her credit cards, they're both unaware that Jacqui is watching. When Jacqui confronts them, they think that their affair has been rumbled, but will Mercedes and Tony inadvertently admit their sordid secret?

Concerned about Leah, Sarah asks Suzanne if she'll try to convince Amy to let her and Mike help out. Amy is plagued by guilt but Ste manages to convince her that their lies are a temporary measure to get them by. Amy's relief quickly turns to panic when Suzanne shows up and starts asking awkward questions about Leah. As Suzanne moves to leave, Leah starts to cry in the other room. Will Amy and Ste have to confess all their lies or will they manage to convince Suzanne that Leah is really sick?