EastEnders has turned up the intensity yet again as Nicola Mitchell’s darkest secret edges dangerously close to exposure — and her desperation is leading her straight toward disaster.

Played by Laura Doddington, Nicola has already proven she’s willing to cross any line to protect her family — even committing murder. In a desperate move to safeguard her twisted cover-up, Nicola returned to the scene of her unforgivable crime armed with nothing but a shovel and sheer determination.

Fans will recall that Nicola originally orchestrated a plan to intimidate Harry Mitchell’s (Elijah Holloway) ex-girlfriend Shireen into staying silent. But that plan spiraled fatally out of control when Shireen was killed and buried at a derelict business park in Dartford. For years, Nicola lived under the shadow of that terrible secret.

But with Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) now spearheading a redevelopment project at that very same site, the skeletons in Nicola’s closet were at risk of being unearthed — literally.

When the truth finally came to light, Teddy was blindsided. Furious that Nicola had hidden the crime from him, he demanded that she leave Walford and their lives behind, seeing no other way to prevent their family from being destroyed.

However, true to her manipulative and desperate nature, Nicola had no intention of disappearing quietly. Instead, she returned to the business park, shovel in hand, determined to exhume Shireen’s body and destroy any evidence linking her to the murder.

As Nicola feverishly dug into the gravel, driven by fear rather than remorse, it became horrifyingly clear — she didn’t regret killing Shireen. In fact, she admitted aloud that if faced with the same situation again, she would make the same deadly choice to protect her family.

But just as she was about to dig herself even deeper into the abyss, Teddy appeared, racing to the site in a desperate attempt to stop her.

“Nic! Are you mad or stupid?” he shouted, confronting her as she stood amidst the chaos she had created.

Through sobs, Nicola cried out, “No, I’m desperate, Ted. I can’t lose you all again, I can’t!”

In an emotional moment, Teddy grabbed her by the shoulders and issued a stern warning: “Listen to me! If we are going to fix this, you need to do exactly what I tell you to do, okay?”

The broken, frantic Nicola clung to Teddy, sobbing in his arms — but the real question now is: what exactly does Teddy plan to do?

Nicola’s situation has become more volatile than ever. Will Teddy decide to shield her from justice for the sake of their family? Or will he realize that there’s no salvaging a future built on blood and lies?

EastEnders viewers are now on high alert, anticipating Teddy’s next move. Will he protect Nicola, or finally turn her over to the authorities?

Meanwhile, with emotions running high, many fans are speculating whether Nicola’s desperate attempts to bury the past will instead lead to new betrayals, broken relationships, and even more tragedy for the Mitchell family.

With every passing episode, the walls are closing in on Nicola — and her fate hangs in the balance.

Catch EastEnders Monday to Thursday at 7:30 PM on BBC One, or stream the latest episodes early from 6 AM on BBC iPlayer.