Grief hangs heavy over Summer Bay as Home and Away plunges viewers into one of its most emotionally charged storylines yet. The fallout from

Theo’s devastating death continues to ripple through the community, drawing old wounds back to the surface and forcing its residents to confront uncomfortable truths

about blame, healing, and how—if at all—life can move forward after unimaginable loss.

At the center of the storm is Lacey, whose return to the spotlight is anything but welcome. What should have been a quiet attempt to rebuild her life instead becomes a public spectacle when coastal news reporter Peter Rolf arrives in the Bay, determined to frame her as a hero for helping bring counselor Wendell to justice. Viewers will remember Peter’s previous visit, when his relentless pursuit of a headline caused chaos after Tane found a baby on the beach. This time, his presence proves just as incendiary.

Despite Lacey’s repeated insistence that she wants no part in the media frenzy, Peter refuses to let the story go. When she turns him away, he simply redirects his attention to others in the Bay, asking questions, spreading half-truths, and stoking tensions that were already close to boiling over. For Lacey, the attention feels cruelly misplaced. Justice, in her eyes, has come at an unbearable cost—and being celebrated for it only deepens her sense of guilt.

Hoping to find some measure of peace, Lacey reaches out to Leah, suggesting they put their differences aside and remember Theo together on his birthday. It’s a gesture born of desperation and shared loss, but it lands with devastating force. Leah’s response is immediate and brutal. “As if I’d want to spend Theo’s birthday with the reason he’s dead,” she snaps, her words cutting straight through Lacey’s fragile composure.

The confrontation leaves Lacey reeling. In the aftermath, she finds herself walking along the beach with Cash, struggling to process Leah’s pain and her own. Tearfully, Lacey admits she’d hoped Leah might be open to sharing their grief, but instead she accepts Leah’s anger without resistance. She confesses something she’s never said aloud before: a part of her agrees with Leah. No matter what the courts decide or how the story is framed, Theo’s death is something she believes she will carry forever.

While Lacey wrestles with guilt, Leah channels her grief into work, throwing herself into shifts at the coffee cart in a desperate attempt to stay busy. But distraction proves fleeting. When her eyes fall on a newspaper left on a nearby table, the dam breaks. The article—written by Peter—credits Lacey with bringing Wendell to justice, reducing Theo to little more than a footnote. For Leah, it feels like a betrayal not just of the truth, but of her son’s memory.

Convinced Lacey must be behind the story, Leah’s anger reignites. Justin steps in, urging her to leave Lacey alone and warning that confronting her again will only cause more pain. But emotions are running too high for reason to prevail.

At the board shop, Lacey comes face-to-face with the article herself—and is horrified. She had been clear with Peter that she wanted no part in his narrative, and seeing her name splashed across the page feels like another violation. Before she can even process it, Leah storms in, unleashing her fury. Lacey insists she told the reporter to back off, but on Theo’s birthday, the wounds are too raw. Leah once again blames Lacey for Theo’s death, her grief spilling out in sharp, unforgiving words.

The situation escalates until David and Alf intervene, stepping between the two women before the confrontation turns physical. They urge Leah to walk away, leaving Lacey shaken and in tears. David stays behind to comfort her, appalled by what she’s endured, and later suggests she consider taking out an AVO against Leah—an idea that only underscores how far things have spiraled.

Leah, meanwhile, is not finished fighting. Still consumed by rage and heartbreak, she calls Coastal News herself, demanding they retract the story. Lacey is no hero, she insists, and the truth deserves to be told. It’s a moment that reveals how deeply Theo’s death has fractured Leah’s sense of the world—and how desperate she is to reclaim some control over the narrative.

When Sonny comes across the article, he heads straight to Leah’s place, worried about her. In a rare moment of quiet, he makes her a cup of tea and sits with her as she talks through her grief. He doesn’t try to fix anything or offer platitudes; he simply listens. Searching for a way to lighten the heaviness of the day, Sonny gently suggests they play video games together in Theo’s memory.

For a brief, fragile moment, it works. Leah allows herself to laugh as she beats Sonny, grateful to feel something other than crushing sadness. The scene is tender and human, a reminder that even in the darkest moments, connection can offer a lifeline.

Justin returns home to find them together and is taken aback by the sight. He’s conflicted—unsure how to feel about Leah leaning on someone else as she navigates her grief—but he can’t deny the relief of seeing her smile again. That relief, however, is short-lived. In a heartbreaking slip, Leah accidentally refers to Sonny as Theo, a moment that lands like a thunderclap.

The question now looms large: is Leah becoming too attached, too quickly, in her search for comfort? And what does that mean for her marriage, her healing, and the fragile balance of relationships in Summer Bay?

As Home and Away continues to explore the messy, painful reality of grief, this storyline refuses easy answers. Lacey’s crushing return, Leah’s unresolved anger, and Sonny’s quiet support collide in ways that challenge viewers to consider how people survive loss—and whether moving forward is ever as simple as it looks. In Summer Bay, healing is never linear, and the past has a way of resurfacing just when everyone thinks they can finally breathe again.