20 January 2026

Gaynor is waiting . . .

Gaynor is standing in the kitchen at Llwyncelyn, looking anxiously towards the front door, waiting for the post to arrive.   

. . . for the post to arrive

When several items appear on the doormat she quickly picks them up 

She finds the one she wants . . .

and selects one.

. . . and opens it

Taking a deep breath, she opens it and discovers the result of comparing her DNA with that of Cheryl;  

'Full sibling relationship'

it indicates that there is a ‘full sibling relationship’.   

The implication sinks in

This comes as a terrifying revelation to Gaynor.

"Can you come to see Gaynor with me?"

Ffion is just emerging from the deli, when Mark hurries towards her;  “Can you come to see Gaynor with me?   I really want her to come to the vigil tonight.”

"I'm the last person she wants to see"

“I’m the last person she’ll want to see,” is Ffion’s reply, but Mark points out that Cai is away and it is the least she can do after everything.   

Colin is looking worried

Meanwhile, Colin is looking anxiously around as he goes into the deli.

“She doesn’t want to talk to me – she’s made that absolutely clear,” Ffion continues, but Mark does not regard that as a reason for giving up.

“You were such a good friends – don’t you want to try and make up for things?   

"You owe me a favour as well"

And you owe me a favour as well – you said the affair was over when it wasn’t, didn’t you?” he reminds her.   She reluctantly agrees to go with him, stressing that she does not think it is a good idea.

Colin is meeting Kelly

Colin has gone into the deli to meet Kelly;  “Thanks for agreeing to meet me like this,” he says, “Like I said, it’s a bit delicate – I should have come to talk to you and Griffiths last week, but I couldn’t quite find the words.”

"Spit it out, Col"

“Spit it out, Col – I’m missing the mid-afternoon trade here,” she urges him.   

"Anita thinks she's going to runaway with me"

He reveals that Anita thinks that she is going to run away with him, 

"Right!"

which causes Kelly some surprise.

"She gave me a big kiss on the lips"

Then he goes on, “And she gave me a big kiss on the lips the other day – I’m sorry – I’ve tried my best not to give her the wrong impression, but she’s determined that we’re meant to be together.”

"It's not your fault"

Kelly reassures him that it is not his fault, but Colin considers that it would be advisable if she did not come into the shop any more – at least not on her own.   

"I don't know how to deal with her any more"

“The last thing I want to do is impinge on her independence, but I’m not sure how to deal with her any more.”

Ieuan comes rushing in

At this moment Ieuan Griffiths comes rushing in to ask Kelly, 

"Anita's packing a case"

“Is it true that you and Anita are going away on a trip?   I just caught her packing a case.”   

Kelly . . .

Both Kelly 

. . . and Colin are concerned

and Colin look concerned.

Gaynor looks at the letter

As Gaynor looks disbelievingly at the letter, 

Mark comes in

Mark comes in through the back door;  “Mark, I’ve just had the result of the other DNA test . . .”   

"What is she doing here?"

However, she stops abruptly when she notices that Ffion has followed him in, and snarls, “What is she doing here?”

"I'm trying to support you"

Ffion is only able to utter the few words that she is there to support Gaynor before being told to go away.   

"Go, before I do something I'll regret!"

“Go, before I do something I regret!” Gaynor threatens.

"You know where I am"

“I’m not expecting you to forgive me overnight, but when you’re ready to talk, to discuss things, you know where I am,” says Ffion, before leaving again.

"Why did you think I'd want to see her?"

“Why did you think I’d want to see her?” Gaynor demands;  

"You need as many friends as possible"

he insists that she needs as many friends as possible, 

"She's no friend of mine!"

but is told, “She’s no friend of mine!”

Mark comes back to the subject of the DNA test, asking whether it was something to do with Cheryl.   

"Cheryl is my sister after all"

“Yes,” she replies, “The results say that Cheryl is my sister after all – but it doesn’t make sense, Mark, because the first test was negative.”

"So Cassie was right!"

Mark realises that Cassie was right;  “The swine!   He gave you that hairbrush when you did the first test!”   She wonders how he knows that and is informed that Hywel told Cassie and that is why she called the police when Cheryl disappeared.   

"She suspected Tom was connected with that"

She suspected something was not right with the original test and that Tom was connected to that – and her disappearance.”

"Why is Tom being blamed for everything?"

Gaynor wants to know, “Why is Tom being blamed for everything?”   

"Because he's a monster!"

Mark replies that he is a monster and this is a further evidence of that.

Anita is asleep

As Anita is asleep at number 7, Kelly is trying to get Ieuan to accept, 

"It's the dementia, yeah?"

“It’s the dementia, yeah?   You know, running away with Colin and all that – you know that.”

Diane is back from down under . . . 

There is a knock at the door and Diane is back from Australia, wishing them a happy New Year, if it is not too late to say it.   

. . . and has 'tucker' for Ieuan 

She has brought some ‘tucker’ for Ieuan.

Kelly remarks that Diane knows the lingo now, and enquires whether she has a kangaroo in her bag.   

"Sorry – she's asleep"

Then Diane realises that Anita is asleep, 

"She can sleep through anything"

but Kelly tells her, “If she can sleep through Ieuan’s snoring, she can sleep through anything.”

Ieuan adopts his best Australian accent to welcome Diane home 

"How have things been here?"

and she wants to know how things have been there.   

"Pretty good, on the whole"

He replies that some days are worse than others, but it is pretty good on the whole.

"Oh, Diane!"

Anita wakes up at this point and is delighted to see Diane;  

"Do you fancy coming to the Deri?"

“Do you fancy coming to the Deri for a drink with me?” she is asked.   

"It's cold outside"

Ieuan reminds her to do her coat up to the top as it is cold outside and the two of them head for the Deri.

"Why did you say things are hunky-dory?"

Kelly asks Ieuan, “Why did you tell Diane that everything is hunky-dory, just now when they clearly aren’t, like?”   

"Everything will be all right again"

He anticipates that once they have had a chat with Anita, everything will be all right again.

"You think?"

“You think?” she demands, as he goes upstairs.

Colin has sink problems . . .

Colin is doing the washing up at the MFC flat when it appears that the sink waste is blocked, 

. . . and makes a discovery underneath . . .

so he looks underneath in the cupboard, finding, much sooner than expected, 

. . . Christmas presents . . .

the presents which were allegedly taken to Catrin in London.   

. . . which he finds strange

He finds it very puzzling.

Then he has a visitor

The buzzer sounds and he finds that it is Gaynor outside, so he lets her in;  

"I didn't know where else to turn . . ."

“Sorry to disturb you – I just didn’t know where else to turn.   

". . . Cheryl is my sister"

“I’ve just had the DNA results that say Cheryl is my sister.”

"Sit down, Gaynor"

Colin tells her to sit down,

"Mark thinks~Tom was responsible . . ."

but she continues, “Mark thinks Tom was responsible for making sure the first test was negative, but I don’t understand – 

". . . but why would he do that?"

“why would he do that?”

Colin suggests that it was to keep her and Cheryl apart, 

"That's what abusive people do"

because that is what abusive people do;  “They want to isolate their partners.”   

"Cheryl was the violent one"

Gaynor is still convinced that Cheryl was the violent one, not Tom.

"He was strung to control you"

Colin tries to explain to her, “Tom was trying to control you, like he did with Cheryl.   He deceived us all.   You need to be there for Cheryl now.”

"I don't know what to believe!"

Gaynor exclaims, “I don’t know what to believe!” but Colin believes that she knows in her heart that Cheryl is her sister.

The table of remembrance

In the Deri, a table has been set up with the photo of Cheryl surrounded by flowers and candles together with a book of condolence.   

"Why is she still defending him?"

Ffion approaches Mark, commenting that it is hard to believe that Gaynor is still defending him.   

"She was abused by him, wasn't she?"

“Well, she was abused by him, wasn’t she?   Just like Cheryl,” he answers, “And you, to a degree.   How is Arwen?”

"I don't see much of her, to be honest"

Ffion says that she thinks that Arwen is fine;  “I don’t see much of her to be honest.”  (neither do we these days, since she deployed the skateboard to save her mother’s life)   “She’s out with Ethan and her friends every night,” which Mark regards as a typical teenager.   

At least the police have closed the investigation"

“But at least the police have closed the investigation into her hitting Tom.”   Mark says that is good news.

"Do you know where Britt is?"

Colin comes in, wanting to speak to Iolo;  “Do you know anything about where Britt is?”   

"I thought she was in London with Catrin"

He replies that he thought she was in London with Catrin.   “Well, that’s what I thought, but Catrin says she’s not there – nobody knows where she is!   She didn’t say anything to you the other day while you were off swimming, did she?”

"I don't now anything"

When Iolo continues to maintain that he does not know anything, 

"I shall have to phone the police, then"

Colin is determined that he will have to phone the police, but is urged not to do that.   “But nobody knows where she is,” frets Colin.

"Britt is fine – that's all I can say"

Iolo assures him that Britt is fine, but cannot say any more than that.   

Colin is furious

Colin appears to be getting very angry, but they are interrupted by Mark welcoming everyone to the vigil.

"Thank you for coming tonight"

“Thank you for coming tonight,” he begins, 

Hywel arrives

as Hywel arrives at the Deri, “As you know, we’re here to remember a dear friend, Cheryl Thomas.   

"Cheryl was a feisty woman – and funny"

“Cheryl was a feisty woman – and funny.   She was a super-fan of Wrexham F C, as we all know – and she loved Star Trek, like me.   But there was so much more to Cher than that.   

"Unlike most of us, she had a backbone"

“Unlike most of us here, she had a backbone.   

"She stood up for Cwmderi"

“She stood up for Cwmderi against Quantum Hydro Works.”

Cassie looks directly at Hywel . . .

Cassie looks accusingly across at Hywel, 

. . . who tries to avoid her gaze

who tries to avoid her gaze,

"We all have a responsibility"

as Mark goes on, “And we all have a responsibility now for her sake, to make sure that we continue that fight – but there’s another battle to fight as well.   It’s the battle to make sure that no one else suffers like Cheryl.   

"We have to protect people from bullies"

“We all have to learn to be better, to protect people from bullies.   You all know that Cheryl and I were in a relationship and we loved each other.   I will always regret that I failed to protect her and save her.   

"Love you, Cher!"

“Love you, Cher!”

Kath comforts him

He goes over to his mother who tries to console him with a hug.

Gaynor has found a photograph . . .

Gaynor is alone at Llwyncelyn, looking at a photograph, 

. . . and sweeps aside the snow globe to display it

then clears a space on the sideboard to display it;  

She studies the photo . . .

a photo is of herself and Cheryl in much happier times.   

. . . then gets Cheryl's scarf

Then she looks in the cupboard, finding Cheryl’s Wrexham F C scarf, which she holds close.

Cassie is more forthright 

In the Deri, Cassie is now speaking, “Damn you, Dave, for what you did to Cheryl – and his name was Dave!”

Gaynor quietly comes in . . .

The door quietly opens and Gaynor comes in, wearing the scarf;  

. . . with Ffion and Mark very pleased to see her

Cassie notices this 

"And damn us, too, for letting it happen"

and continues, “And damn us, too, for letting this happen right under our noses here in Cwmderi!   

"We failed to see the signs"

“We failed to see the signs – ignored the signs – we denied them, even.

"I'm so sorry, love, that I let you down"

“But this isn’t the only case, of course, because domestic violence goes on everywhere, unfortunately.   I’m so sorry, love, that I let you down – and we all need to learn a lesson from this.   

"We'll never forget you, Cher!"

“We’ll never forget you, Cher!   You’re one of us!”

"It brings back memories of Steffan"

When she returns to Kath, she says that it is all too much;  “It brings back memories of Steffan,” [her son] and she walks away.

"Can I buy you a drink . . ."

Mark is glad to see Gaynor there and she offers to buy him a drink – 

". . . and you, Ffion?"

and Ffion.   Mark will have a lager 

"I'll have an orange juice"

and Ffion an orange juice.   

They are delighted

Mark and Ffion are very relieved, 

Gaynor is also off the alcohol

as Gaynor goes for the drinks, including an orange juice for herself.

She goes over to the display . . .

Then she turns, goes across to the display, 

. . . and adds Cheryl's Wrecsam scarf

takes off the Wrexham scarf and places it on the table.

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone"

Iolo is becoming increasingly anxious as Colin faces him again;  “Please, Col, I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone.”   

"I'm not 'anyone' – I'm her husband!"

Colin insists that he is not ‘anyone’, but is her husband – and is worried sick.   

"Some retreat somewhere"

“All  right, all right, all I know is that she’s gone to some retreat somewhere,” says Iolo, making a hasty retreat from the Deri.   

Colin is again puzzled

Colin is left very puzzled.

Anita heads for the table . . .

Anita goes over to the table, 

. . . under the watchful eye of Kelly

watched carefully by Kelly, while Diane comments that she seems well;  “I was worried that she would have deteriorated a lot.”

Kelly asks when they came to the Derry for a drink, whether Auntie Neet said anything about moving away.

She tries to write something . . . 

Anita is attempting to write something, 

. . . but her hand will not co-operate

but cannot get her hand to comply, 

"What do you want to say?"

so Kelly steps in to help;  “What do you want to say?”

"I'm sorry, Cheryl – this world isn't fair sometimes"

“I’m sorry, Cheryl – this world isn’t fair sometimes.”   

Kelly tries to comfort her

Kelly tries to comfort her.

Cassie looks letters . . .

Upstairs in the Deri flat, Cassie opens a box containing some letters and photographs.   

. . . and photographs

She looks at some, featuring Steffan 

She is in tears

and is reduced to tears.  

There is a sender's address

Packing them back away into the box, she looks at one, obviously recent, as it has a King Charles stamp on it;  she finds a sender’s address on the back, ‘Ifan Owain Wilson, Ffordd y Coleg, Llanelli’, stares at it for a moment, before putting it back and shutting the box.

There is a knock on the back door

Later, Gaynor is standing in the kitchen at Llwyncelyn, when there is knock at the back door 

Mark has come to check on her

and she finds Mark there, wanting to check if she is OK.   

"Cheryl would have been proud of you"

“I’m sure Cheryl would have been very proud of you being there tonight – I know she would.   You know where I am if you want anything  – I’m here for you, OK?   

"You're not alone in all of this"

“You’re not alone in all of this.”

"I can't believe it was all a lie"

As he is about to go, Gaynor tells him, “I know he’s deceived me in more ways than one, but I can’t believe that it was all a lie.”

"You'll come through this even stronger"

Mark assures her that she is strong and will come through this even stronger.   

She looks at the photo . . .

When he leaves the house, she goes across to the photograph 

. . . and weeps bitterly

and is in floods of tears.