EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders has revealed that Linda Carter will go into labour in dramatic fashion next week, just as she is being confronted by Jack Branning.
After Linda (Kellie Bright) discovered that she was pregnant earlier this year, it quickly became clear to her that the father of her baby was her former lover Max Branning (Jake Wood) and not her husband Mick Carter (Danny Dyer).
Linda and Mick have decided to pretend that the baby is Mick's in order to avoid having Max turn up and get involved in their lives again, but their ruse is starting to crumble as both Max's brother Jack (Scott Maslen) and ex-wife Rainie Highway (Tanya Franks) are starting to suspect that Linda is hiding something.
Related: EastEnders lining up new love interest for Sonia
Jack's suspicions were aroused last month when he overheard Linda tell a police officer that she was 36 weeks pregnant, with Jack quickly working out that she would have still been with Max at the time she conceived.
Having sat on the information for a little while, Jack bursts into the Queen Vic to confront Linda and Mick and he won't let the subject lie.
Unfortunately for Linda, when Jack shows up in her home to question her over the baby's parentage, she is experiencing contractions.
Jack asks Linda again if Max is the baby's father and she denies it, but soon her waters break. Will she be able to keep her secret as she prepares to give birth?
Related: EastEnders shares details of Stacey's return story
Jack isn't the only person the Carters need to be wary of as Rainie is also on their case.
After Violet Highway (Gwen Taylor) points out to Rainie that Linda looks pretty big for how far along in her pregnancy she supposedly is, Rainie decides to investigate and manages to get a good look in Linda's hospital bag as she hunts for clues.
With Rainie desperate to get Max back to the Square after he disappeared with his granddaughter Abi – who Rainie had wanted to bring up – Linda and Mick are in an increasingly dangerous position.
EastEnders boss Jon Sen recently hinted that the Carters might not be able to keep up their baby charade for long, saying that Rainie in particular "is intent on finding out the truth", and with the baby's arrival imminent, things are sure to get even more complicated for the Carters.
EastEnders airs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Request video message from past EastEnders stars
One of Them: From Albert Square to Parliament Square by Michael Cashman
BBC EastEnders: Christmas Specials collection
