Summer Bay has never been a place where secrets stay buried for long, but next week the temperature rises dramatically as the arrival of a new authority

figure sends shockwaves through the community. A fresh face at Yabbie Creek Police Station should signal stability and renewed order. Instead,

Sergeant David Lang’s entrance threatens to rip open old wounds, strain fragile relationships, and place Cash Newman, Lacey Miller, and Theo Poulos on

a collision course with a past none of them are ready to face. For Cash, the trouble begins before his shift has even started.

Used to navigating the station with quiet confidence, Cash walks in expecting another ordinary day. What he finds instead is a new commanding officer already making judgments. Lang wastes no time asserting control, criticizing Cash’s punctuality and then summoning him into the interview room. The message is immediate and unmistakable: this sergeant intends to run a tight ship, and he has already decided Cash might be a problem.

What follows is less a meeting and more an interrogation.

Lang methodically combs through Cash’s record, dissecting former decisions and highlighting moments that, in his view, suggest recklessness rather than heroism. The River Boys takedown becomes the centerpiece of his scrutiny. Cash defends himself, explaining the extraordinary pressure of the situation and the desperate need for quick thinking. But Lang is unmoved.

Then comes the name that changes everything — Lacey Miller.

Lang’s interest sharpens. He wants her brought in again, despite the case being closed. Cash hesitates, knowing full well the emotional toll another round of questioning could take. Yet the order is clear. And Cash, bound by duty, has no choice but to follow it.

Unaware of the storm heading her way, Lacey is trying to build something resembling peace. After months of fear and upheaval, life with Theo has begun to settle. Their relationship remains delicate, shaped by trauma and recovery, but it is real. They are learning how to breathe again.

A dinner invitation from Leah and Justin offers the possibility of healing old rifts. Theo agrees on the condition that Lacey is welcome, and though nerves threaten to derail the evening, an apology from Leah begins to thaw the ice. By the time they leave with leftovers, there is cautious hope that the worst may finally be behind them.

But hope in Summer Bay rarely lasts.

The following day, Leah extends another olive branch, offering Lacey a job at the diner. The kindness catches her off guard, stirring memories of the mother she lost. With Theo’s gentle encouragement, Lacey allows her grief to surface. It is a breakthrough moment — raw, intimate, and fragile.

And then Cash arrives.

He tells her there are loose ends at the station. She senses something isn’t right, but she goes anyway. When she steps inside and sees Sergeant Lang waiting, the air leaves her lungs.

Because she knows him.

And he knows her.

In a revelation that detonates like a bomb, Lang admits the truth: he is Lacey’s father. The transfer to Yabbie Creek, he insists, was coincidence. Her name in the file merely confirmed what he suspected. But Lacey hears something very different — pursuit, intrusion, control.

Years of unresolved pain rise to the surface. When he attempts to question her about the River Boys, it is the final betrayal. She storms out, shaken and furious, leaving Cash reeling in confusion.

Suddenly, everything makes terrible sense.

Back at the apartment, Lacey’s world tilts. The safety she has built feels like an illusion. Panic takes over and she begins to pack. Running has always been easier than staying, especially when staying means confronting the father she tried so hard to escape.

Theo watches helplessly. Still battling his own physical recovery, he wants to be strong for her, but he fears he may not be enough.

And if Lacey leaves, he might lose her for good.

Elsewhere in the Bay, Abigail’s birthday brings brightness that masks deeper tensions. Her joy is infectious, her excitement impossible to ignore. Yet beneath the celebration, others struggle quietly. Mackenzie is haunted by uncertainty about her fertility, stepping away from the party to hide the tears she cannot quite contain. Levi follows, desperate to support her, but even comfort feels complicated.

When a lavish surprise gift — a brand-new car — is unveiled, reactions are mixed. Abigail is stunned. Eden is horrified at the cost. And Molly, who has poured his heart into a handmade portrait, wonders how love can compete with extravagance.

It is a perfect Summer Bay moment: happiness edged with heartbreak.

But the true storm still circles Lacey, Cash, and Theo. Lang’s arrival has rewritten the rules. Authority is no longer neutral. It is personal. And every decision from here on out carries emotional landmines.

Cash must choose between obedience and compassion. Theo must fight for a future he is terrified of losing. And Lacey must decide whether she can stand her ground — or whether escape is the only way to survive.

One thing is certain: Summer Bay will never be the same.

Next week, Home and Away delivers confrontations, confessions, and consequences that promise to echo long after the sirens fade.