Next week on Home and Away in the UK, one of Summer Bay’s most fragile relationships implodes in heartbreaking fashion as Tane and Harper’s uneasy

co-parenting truce collapses into an all-out custody war. What began as a shared commitment to put their baby son first spirals into fear, betrayal, and an ultimatum

that could permanently tear their family apart. At the centre of it all is baby Archie—and two parents who believe they are fighting to protect him, even as they push each other to the brink.

Tensions between Tane and Harper have been simmering for weeks, but the situation explodes after a deeply confronting discovery. Tane learns that Harper has secretly allowed her estranged mother back into her life—a woman with a deeply troubled past and a history of addiction that Tane has never trusted. For him, this isn’t just a personal slight; it’s a terrifying threat to Archie’s safety. Old fears resurface, and the fragile trust holding their co-parenting arrangement together begins to crack.

Harper insists she’s doing what’s best. She believes people can change and argues that Archie deserves to know his grandmother, despite the mistakes she’s made. But Tane can’t see past the danger. His concerns quickly turn into panic, and in a moment that will haunt both of them, he makes a catastrophic decision—one that changes everything.

Overwhelmed by fear and anger, Tane takes Archie without warning and disappears. He doesn’t tell Harper where he’s going or when he’ll be back. As the hours tick by, Harper’s desperation grows. She calls Tane again and again, each unanswered call heightening her terror. Cut off, powerless, and imagining the worst, Harper is left in absolute agony, fearing she’s losing her child.

When Tane finally returns with Archie, he admits he handled the situation badly. He insists he was only trying to protect his son, but his apology comes too late. The damage is already done. For Harper, the incident crosses a line that can never be uncrossed. Her trust in Tane is shattered, replaced by fear of what he might do when he feels threatened or out of control.

Determined to protect herself and Archie, Harper makes a decision that sends shockwaves through their already volatile dynamic. She reveals she’s contacted a solicitor to put a formal custody agreement in place. For her, legal boundaries are no longer optional—they’re essential. What Tane saw as a momentary lapse, Harper sees as proof that she can no longer rely on him.

As next week unfolds, the conflict intensifies. Harper refuses to back down, making it clear that things can never return to how they were. She insists that every decision involving Archie must now be discussed in advance, agreed upon by both parents, and put in writing. No more informal arrangements. No more trust-based decisions. Everything must be documented and legally binding.

Tane is horrified. Desperate to keep lawyers out of their family life, he pushes back fiercely. To him, involving solicitors feels like an act of war—cold, impersonal, and completely at odds with the family he thought they were trying to build. He pleads with Harper to reconsider, insisting that they should be able to work things out as parents, without turning their son into a legal battleground.

But every argument circles back to the same explosive issue: Harper’s determination to involve her mother in Archie’s life. For Tane, this is the non-negotiable breaking point. He truly believes that allowing an addict—former or not—into Archie’s world could destroy everything. His fear isn’t abstract; it’s visceral, rooted in a desperate need to protect his child from harm.

Harper, however, refuses to be controlled by Tane’s fears. She accuses him of trying to dictate her choices and weaponising Archie to get his own way. She argues that cutting her mother out entirely would mean denying Archie the chance to know part of his family—and denying her the opportunity to heal old wounds. Neither parent is willing to compromise, and with every heated exchange, the gap between them widens.

Then comes the moment that leaves Tane completely shattered.

In a cold, controlled move that feels like a final line in the sand, Harper delivers the ultimate shock. She tells Tane that she and Archie are moving out. There’s no discussion, no room for negotiation. From now on, she says, any further communication must go through her solicitor. The words hit Tane like a punch to the chest.

Blindsided and reeling, Tane is forced to confront a horrifying reality: he may be losing his son, not all at once, but one legal decision at a time. The family life he thought he was protecting is slipping through his fingers, replaced by court documents and custody schedules.

The emotional fallout is immense. Tane is left questioning whether his actions—however well-intentioned—have cost him everything. Harper, meanwhile, steels herself against guilt and doubt, convinced that drawing hard boundaries is the only way to keep Archie safe.

As Home and Away plunges into this raw and devastating storyline, viewers are left asking a painful question: when both parents believe they’re doing the right thing, how do you tell who’s truly protecting the child—and who’s already gone too far? One thing is certain: the custody war has only just begun, and its consequences will echo through Summer Bay for a long time to come.