Emmerdale’s Cain Dingle sets out to destroy his marriage next week – as a special two-hander episode sees him lean in for a kiss with his ex-partner Charity. Reeling from his latest hospital appointment, and terrified by what his life will look like after surgery, Cain unleashes his fury in a total meltdown. Can Charity convince him that life is still worth living for?

“Cain wants to wreck his life before things get any worse with his health,” our Emmerdale source explains. “The side effects he could face after his operation would be life-changing – and Cain’s already lost so much. He can’t bear the thought that his marriage might fall apart…”

As well as his ongoing battle over the farm, Cain has far more serious matters to worry about when he arrives at the hospital for his pre-op appointment. Sarah Sugden can sense his reluctance, but she encourages him to attend a support group and hear the realities of life after surgery.

However, when Cain witnesses one patient getting upset over his relationship problems post-diagnosis, he flees the meeting. The village mechanic is struggling with his own worries about Moira – deep down, he doesn’t believe their marriage can survive this…

“Cain is terrified the operation will change him too much,” explains our source. “His identity is tied up with his masculine self-image, but both the cancer and losing the farm make him feel like a failure. He can’t imagine Moira looking at him the same way again.”

Later, Sam makes a simple mistake over the farm machinery which sends Cain raging, and he storms off in a terrible mood. Worried about his bleak mentality and the amount of booze he’s drinking, Charity follows him home and encourages him to offload, as a special two-hander episode begins…

Feeling cornered and judged, Cain loses his temper and throws a bottle of whiskey, which collides with Zak’s precious ale tankard – smashing it to pieces. A despairing Charity pushes Cain to open up and he finally breaks down, but ends up trying to seduce her.

“Charity knows exactly what he’s trying to do,” reveals our spy. “He tells her he’s looking for a distraction and begins reminiscing about the old days and their past romance, before leaning in for a self-destructive smooch…”

Will Cain come to his senses and realise his marriage can survive any setback? Or will Charity be forced to stop Cain making a huge mistake and find out exactly what’s bothering him?