In future episodes of Emmerdale, Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick), who has made the decision to conceal her experience with rape, is having difficulty.

When she went to submit her resignation, she was attacked by Craig Reed, a former coworker and friend (Ben Addis). After visiting Toby’s final resting place, Lydia and Craig enjoyed a tender moment in the car, which made Lydia feel apprehensive.

She felt that leaving her job and staying away from Craig was the best course of action because she didn’t feel comfortable continuing to work with him. But when she informed him of her choice, he was devastated and said he believed Toby or fate had brought them back together on purpose.

When it became apparent that Craig had feelings for Lydia that went well beyond what she was comfortable with, he forced himself on her as Lydia tried to decide how to handle the situation.

He didn’t seem to care that she was shocked and upset after the rape; he even insisted on driving her home as if it were perfectly normal.

Lydia had already made up her mind to keep the incident a secret in order to protect Sam (James Hooton) and the rest of the family as she arrived at Wishing Well.

According to Karen Blick, “She feels guilty, ashamed, like it’s somehow her fault, like she put herself in that situation, which is totally false.”

She is worried about being taken seriously and does not want to offend her family. That is significant.

When Lydia returns to the Dingles in the aftermath, Sam and Mandy (Lisa Riley) are present. “What will this do to Sam?” she asks herself as she considers others. She only wants it to end. I’ll go past this, like it never happened, and carry on with my life. I absolutely comprehend her decision,’ she said.

As a result, Lydia struggles more and more as the days pass. She tries incredibly hard to go about her daily activities without mentioning the horrible, life-altering event that has occurred to her.

Karen Blick also mentioned that the shock is made worse by the fact that she must continue working for Craig in order to continue supporting Amelia (Daisy Cambell) and Esther financially.

When she sees him, Karen claimed, “She’s retraumatized.” She exhibits a physical reaction, akin to post-traumatic stress disorder, as a result of what she has gone through. The memories of what happened, the thoughts, and the emotions associated with it are brought back by seeing him again. She is now attempting to comprehend that. She must return to work pretty much every day. Observing the offender, who denies it even occurred, and her account of the events, we can determine that that is the location where it occurred.

Lydia will finally be able to receive some support, therefore there will eventually be some light at the end of the tunnel for her.

As Karen pointed out, “Emmerdale are taking their time with this and it’s not something that will just go away for Lydia.”

There are long-term effects, but Lydia’s healing is also something to consider. She is a strong woman who has endured a great deal in her life, as have many other women. What she does to get herself together after this with the assistance and support of whichever path she chooses.