Hollyoaks spoilers follow for Wednesday's (August 26) episode, now available on Channel 4 streaming, with the episode airing on E4 at 7pm.
Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) and Beth Keane (Rebecca Ryan) were left reeling after discovering that Martin Frost (Darren Tighe), the man who framed Cindy for Rex Gallagher's (Jonny Labey) demise, was dead. Rex, as viewers will recall, was shot dead by an unknown assailant last month during a late-night shift at the garage.
Martin's death revealed
James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) was swiftly considered the prime suspect given that he and Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) had recently reconnected – but the lawyer professed his innocence time and again. Cindy, meanwhile, was subsequently framed for the crime after James paid Martin cash to claim that the beloved village legend was the one who pulled the trigger.
Viewers will recall that Cindy was in a relationship with Dave 'Blue' Williams (Dominic Power), which led to her departing the village two years ago. Blue's associate and right-hand person was none other than Rex, so with Rex's demise lining up with Cindy's comeback, it didn't take too much effort for the police to join the dots after Martin's claims.
Beth's confession
Martin subsequently recanted his claim and accepted sole responsibility for Rex's demise, but Cindy was utterly baffled by the accusations and made it her mission to find out why he would accuse her of something she didn't do. It turned out that Beth asked James for help in framing Cindy for the crime, which is why James paid Martin to make such allegations. Beth, as viewers know, is fearful that Cindy will reveal that she is Maddox's (Sam Meyer) biological mother and thus came up with this plan to get her out of the picture.
Beth, however, soon regretted her antics and was afraid Cindy would work out the truth. As a result, she accompanied her nemesis on a trip to find out more about Martin. Cindy encountered Martin's son Xander (Indigo Kamal-Poole) and demanded answers relating to why his dad attempted to frame her. Xander, however, dropped a big bombshell, confirming that Martin is dead.
Xander's bombshell
Xander revealed that his dad never fully recovered from the death of his daughter, who had been trafficked by Rex's gang. 'My dad spent his last moments heartbroken over her!', he said. As the showdown got heated, Beth interjected and revealed to Cindy that she was the one responsible for framing her, which led to Cindy retaliating with a slap.
Later, Xander was seen at a flat talking to his friend – who was revealed to be none other than Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis), who is back on screens following a stint in prison.
Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 6am on Channel 4's streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
