Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Mercedes McQueen has been left devastated after her son Bobby Costello blamed her for his actions and decided to cut off contact ahead of his lengthy prison sentence.
Following Bobby's confession that he was responsible for the death of Verity Hutchinson, Mercedes has struggled with the revelation that her son has killed an innocent person and forced him to reveal the extent of his crimes to the police.
In tonight's episode (January 27) Mercedes doubted whether she'd be able to face her son again, while the rest of the village remained in shock at the news that Verity's death wasn't an accident.
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At the police station, Mercedes was interviewed by DS Zoe Anderson about the events, who suggested she visit her son before he's moved to a secure children's unit. However Mercedes was unsure, feeling unable to face Bobby again.
Back in the village, she bumped into Diane who called her out over her public grief, however the pair were able to find common ground – with Mercedes asking Diane about how she handled the imprisonment of her son Finn.
The pair had a heart to heart as Diane urged Mercedes not to give up on her son.
"Bobby is your son, he's your own flesh and blood and no matter how painful this all might feel right now, he needs you to be his mum," she said.
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Later on, Mercedes decided to visit Bobby, reassured by Diane's words that she can still be a good mother.
However, the plans were interrupted by the arrival of Zoe, who handed her a letter from Bobby.
"Dear Mother," the letter read. "You promised you'd protect me from all the evil things in the world but you didn't. Now I will never get out of prison because you said I should tell the police about Verity.
"I hate you mum and I never want to see you again."
As Mercedes collapsed to the floor in shock, Bobby was taken away. Will this be the last contact she has with her son?
Hollyoaks streams first on All 4, with new episodes dropping each weekday morning. The show airs Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, and at 7pm on E4.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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