Still coming to terms with the tragic loss of her nephew, Leah can’t find a way through her pain in Home and Away. Instead, she turns her anger towards Lacey, whom she blames for Theo’s death. Meanwhile, Theo’s mother chooses to blame her.

In an emotional week, Leah (Ada Nicodemou) emerges from her house for the first time since Theo (Matt Evans) was killed in a harrowing hit-and-run accident at the hands of Councillor Wendell (Justin Smith).

Over the past weeks David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) has discovered that Wendell was the driver who collided with his wife’s car, causing her death.

Unable to expose him, David’s daughter Lacey (Sophea Pennington) chose a more aggressive route, blackmailing the councillor into admitting the truth. But, at their arranged meeting, Wendell deliberately veered his car at Lacey. Theo pushed her out of the way and took the full brunt of the hit. He died at the scene.

“The final moments between Theo and Lacey are incredibly raw and intimate,” Sophea explains of the heartbreaking scene. “Lacey has just been saved by him and in those last seconds she’s holding onto the person who’s become her anchor, her best friend, her happiness.

“There’s a moment, right before Theo’s death, when Lacey insinuates that if Theo were to ask her to marry him, she would say yes.

“It’s a very beautiful moment before a devastating and heartbreaking event.”

This week the Summer Bay community rallies together, while some tear each other apart. Leah is furious at Lacey for entangling Theo in her mess, insisting he would still be alive if it weren’t for her. But someone else is pointing the finger at Leah: Theo’s mum, Cassandra (Felicity Price), who arrives in town after her son’s death.

Leah and Cassandra head to the police station, where David tries to fill in the gaps. Cassandra is stunned to learn how little she knows about her son’s life, and that he was caught up in such drama. And the one person she trusted to keep him safe – Leah – failed in her task.

In a heated exchange Cassandra tells Leah not to come to the funeral!

“It’s awful because Leah’s been looking after Theo for such a long time and loves him like her own son,” explains Ada.

“To be told she’s to blame for his death and didn’t look after him well is such a stab in the heart. And the sad thing is that deep down Leah does believe that  too, and blames herself.

“The fact she now can’t say goodbye to Theo just adds to her anger and grief. She’s not coping.”