Summer Bay is bracing itself for another emotional explosion next week on Home and Away, as Leah Patterson’s grief-fuelled feud with Lacey Miller reaches

a disturbing new level. What began as raw heartbreak over Theo Pulos’s tragic death is now spiralling into a bitter obsession—one that threatens to tear

the community apart and permanently damage lives on both sides of the divide.

Leah’s pain has never been in doubt. Theo’s death shattered her world, leaving her struggling to make sense of a loss that feels senseless and cruel. But as time passes, her grief has hardened into something darker. Rather than easing, her belief that Lacey is responsible for what happened has become louder, sharper, and far more public. And now, Summer Bay is starting to fear that Leah may be crossing a line she can’t come back from.

The next chapter of this feud ignites when Leah comes across a newspaper article that stops her in her tracks. The piece paints Lacey as a courageous whistleblower, applauding her role in exposing corrupt counsellor Wendell. It praises her bravery, her integrity, and her willingness to take risks in the name of justice. What it barely mentions, however, is Theo. His death is reduced to a passing reference—a footnote in a story celebrating heroism.

For Leah, the omission is unforgivable.

To her, the article feels like a deliberate rewriting of history, one where Theo’s life and death are overshadowed by Lacey’s public redemption. A young man is gone forever, yet the headlines focus on triumph rather than tragedy. In Leah’s eyes, it’s not just insensitive—it’s proof that Theo has been forgotten.

“Leah is absolutely furious that Theo has been reduced to a footnote,” an insider reveals. “In her mind, this article confirms everything she’s been feeling—that Lacey is being celebrated while Theo’s loss is being brushed aside.”

Although Lacey had no involvement in the article’s publication, Leah immediately assumes the worst. Her grief twists into suspicion, and she convinces herself that Lacey must have orchestrated the coverage to clean up her image. The idea that Lacey could be benefiting from public praise while Theo lies in the ground is more than Leah can tolerate.

Justin tries to intervene, urging Leah to pause and think before reacting. He warns her that lashing out will only cause more damage—to herself and to everyone around her. But Leah is beyond listening. She insists she has every right to speak her truth, no matter how uncomfortable it makes others or how severe the consequences might be.

Meanwhile, Lacey is blindsided when she sees the article herself. Far from celebrating it, she’s horrified. The attention is the last thing she wanted, especially after she explicitly asked the journalist to stop contacting her. To Lacey, the piece feels exploitative, dragging a painful chapter back into the spotlight when she’s desperate to move forward.

Before she has a chance to process her own shock, Leah confronts her.

The encounter is explosive from the outset. Lacey tries to explain that she had nothing to do with the article, insisting she never wanted the praise and never asked for her role to be highlighted. But Leah isn’t interested in explanations. Her anger pours out in a blistering tirade, accusing Lacey of profiting from Theo’s death and putting her own reputation above the devastating cost of her actions.

“She refuses to hear anything that contradicts her version of events,” the insider explains. “Leah keeps insisting that Theo would still be alive if Lacey hadn’t taken such a huge risk to bring Wendell down.”

The confrontation quickly turns ugly. Voices rise, accusations fly, and the tension becomes unbearable. Lacey, already emotionally fragile, is pushed to the brink as Leah’s words cut deeper and deeper. It’s only when Lacey’s father, David, steps in that the situation is stopped from escalating even further.

Sensing the danger, David physically separates Leah from his daughter, ushering her away before things spiral completely out of control. His priority is clear: protecting Lacey from a situation that has become volatile and frightening.

Once they’re alone, David doesn’t mince words. Seeing Lacey in tears is the final straw. He makes it clear that Leah’s behaviour has crossed a serious line and can no longer be excused as grief alone. To him, Leah’s fixation is becoming dangerous—not just emotionally, but potentially physically as well.

David urges Lacey to consider taking out an apprehended violence order, a legal step that would force Leah to stay away from her. In his eyes, it’s the only way to prevent the feud from escalating further and to give Lacey the safety and space she desperately needs.

But Lacey refuses.

Despite everything Leah has said and done, Lacey believes an AVO would only deepen Leah’s pain and inflame an already unbearable situation. She understands the depth of Leah’s grief and fears that legal action would push her even further over the edge. It’s a decision that speaks volumes about Lacey’s compassion—but one that leaves David deeply uneasy.

Unwilling to let the matter rest, David changes tactics. If Leah won’t listen to reason, perhaps Justin will. He confronts him directly, issuing a firm warning that Leah needs to rein herself in immediately. David makes it clear that he won’t stand by while his daughter is subjected to ongoing harassment fueled by blame and unresolved grief.

Justin is left torn. He knows Leah is spiralling, consumed by pain she doesn’t know how to release. But he also understands that her actions are having real consequences, not just for Lacey, but for the entire community watching this feud unfold.

As Summer Bay looks on, the question becomes impossible to ignore: has Leah gone too far?

What makes this storyline so powerful is its emotional complexity. Leah isn’t a villain driven by malice—she’s a woman drowning in grief, desperate to find meaning in a loss that feels unbearable. But grief, when left unchecked, can become destructive, blinding even the most compassionate people to the harm they’re causing.

For Lacey, the situation is equally devastating. Branded a hero by the media yet vilified by someone she never intended to hurt, she’s trapped between public perception and private pain. No amount of praise can erase the guilt she carries or the knowledge that her actions, however well-intentioned, played a role in a tragedy that can never be undone.

As tensions continue to simmer, Summer Bay is left holding its breath. Will Leah finally be forced to confront the damage her obsession is causing? Or is this feud only just beginning, with consequences that could be far more serious than anyone anticipates?

One thing is certain: Home and Away is delivering a raw, unflinching look at how grief, blame, and unresolved trauma can tear people apart—and next week, the fallout promises to be even more explosive.