EastEnders fans are wracked with concern that Lily Slater, portrayed by Lillia Turner, could face losing her young daughter Charli in an unnerving plot development.
The character has been shown grappling with grief following the unexpected death of her father, Martin Fowler, played by James Bye, back in February.
Compounding her distress, her mother, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) has departed Walford as she struggles to process the loss of her former spouse, Martin.
On March 31, a fraught episode saw Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) tempting Lily with drugs after enduring what was dubbed a "week from hell".
Viewers will recall Avani's ordeal of being strip-searched by police and subsequent arrest over false drug possession charges when officers discovered pills near her, reports Plymouth Live.
In the aftermath of her own drama, the teenager begins to use cannabis and now appears to have involved her susceptible friend Lily into joining her escapade.
During a poignant Mother's Day episode, a distraught Lily confessed to Avani, "My dad is dead and my mum has legged it", before they both set out to get "obliterated".
With Lily reaching for narcotics as a crutch, the spectre of social services potentially taking Charli looms large amongst fervent EastEnders enthusiasts, which would indeed shatter the Slater family to its core.
Concern spilled over onto Facebook with one viewer cautioning, "Lily wants to be careful. She will have her daughter taken away if she carries on. I know she's missing Martin, but smoking weed with Avani won't do her any good."
Another person commented: "She's way too young and immature to even realise what could happen!", while a third added: "I think she is a bad influence on Lily, she needs her mum, I mean Lily.
"I'm sure Lilly has Bipolar because she's doing irrational things", one viewer exclaimed.
"Especially with Jean and Stacey having it, maybe they might do a storyline about it in young girls", another viewer suggested.
EastEnders airs Monday - Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer
English (United States) ·