Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale's Victoria Barton faced a new rejection from David Metcalfe in Tuesday night's episode (September 14).
The pair have been forced to confront their feelings for each other after their involvement in last week's terrifying siege at The Hide.
David (Matthew Wolfenden) is currently in a relationship with evil Meena Jutla, but has secretly fallen for Victoria. Things recently came to a head when David took a bullet for Victoria while Russell Posner was holding them at gunpoint.
In Tuesday's visit to the Dales, David's son Jacob Gallagher put him under more pressure to make a decision between Victoria (Isabel Hodgins) and Meena (Paige Sandhu), who's currently away from the village.
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Jacob also told his grandfather Eric Pollard what's going on, which prompted David to open up to his dad about how torn he felt.
Later on, however, David was given food for thought when Leyla Harding shared fears for Jacob's wellbeing.
Paying a visit to David at the hospital, Leyla pointed out that Jacob is vulnerable after the death of his girlfriend Leanna Cavanagh.
As Leyla feared that the shooting incident could set Jacob back further, she reminded David that he desperately needed some stability in his life.
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Unaware of what Meena is really like, Leyla suggested that David's devoted girlfriend could play a key role in keeping an eye on Jacob.
David reluctantly decided that he needed to put Jacob first, so chose to spare him any further upheaval.
When Victoria visited and declared her love for David, he lied by insisting that he didn't feel the same way.
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Referring to how close they became during last week's hostage situation, David told Victoria: "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. But I don't love you, alright? I don't love you – I'm sorry."
Victoria accepted David's decision, but broke down in tears after leaving his hospital room.
Viewers can expect more twists and turns ahead for this storyline in the coming weeks, as a huge October stunt plot has been confirmed for Victoria and David.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
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Daniel has been writing about soaps on Digital Spy since 2004 and took over as Soaps Editor in 2010.
He has interviewed hundreds of soap stars over the years, from Bill Roache to Lacey Turner, and regularly visits the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks for behind-the-scenes trips and press events.
He has served as an awards judge on numerous occasions for the likes of the BAFTA TV Awards, RTS Programme Awards and British Soap Awards. In 2020, he was Highly Commended for Best Section Editor at the BSME Awards.