There’s serious trouble brewing in EastEnders next week, as Nicola’s attention shifts in a big way, and it looks like Penny could be firmly in her sights.

What starts as a happy milestone quickly spirals into chaos when Penny and Vinny head off for their first baby scan. It should be a moment to celebrate, but things don’t quite go to plan.

Before they even get there, Vinny is thrown by a call from a potential investor interested in backing Penny’s business. Keen to make things work, he agrees to meet them, despite warnings from Priya, who overhears and urges him to steer clear of anything dodgy.

With Vinny distracted, Penny ends up going into the scan alone, and what she hears completely shakes her. The baby is further along than expected… a detail she chooses to keep to herself when Vinny eventually turns up.

And it’s not hard to see why.

Later, clearly overwhelmed, Penny confides in Lauren and Oscar Branning, admitting that if the dates don’t add up, then Vinny might not be the father after all, and there’s a real chance the baby could be Harry’s.

It’s a bombshell that threatens to blow everything apart.

Meanwhile, Nicola is dealing with worries of her own. As George gears up for the launch of Knight Fusion, Harry notices that Nicola is on edge.

She admits she hasn’t felt her baby move, but doesn’t want to stress George out ahead of the big day. In the end, Harry and Gina Knight convince her to get checked over, and thankfully, everything is fine.

But Nicola’s focus quickly shifts, and it’s Penny who ends up under the spotlight.

After a tense run-in between Penny and Suki Panesar over Vinny’s risky business decisions, Nicola steps in and offers support, even taking Penny to Harry’s barn to calm down. On the surface, it looks like she’s being kind… but there’s more going on.

Behind the scenes, the pieces are starting to fall into place.

Harry later opens up to Nicola, revealing that he and Penny slept together once last year, and with Gina not wanting children, it’s clearly been playing on his mind. Combined with Penny’s earlier behaviour, it’s enough to make Nicola seriously suspicious.

And she doesn’t waste any time.

Confronting Penny, Nicola lays it all out and demands answers, insisting she takes a DNA test immediately. If she refuses, Nicola threatens to expose everything to both Vinny and Harry.

Suddenly, Penny is completely trapped.

Desperate and emotional, she turns back to Lauren and Oscar for advice before finally confronting Nicola again. But the situation quickly escalates into a heated showdown, and just when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, Nicola is suddenly hit with waves of pain.

It’s a shocking moment that stops everything in its tracks.

Despite Harry urging her to go to the hospital, Nicola stubbornly refuses, insisting she just needs to rest at home. But as the launch of Knight Fusion gets underway, things take another dramatic turn when she’s struck by what feels like contractions.

With tensions at an all-time high and secrets threatening to be exposed, Nicola’s grip on the situation seems stronger than ever, but could her health scare change everything?