The sun may shine bright over Summer Bay, but for Sergeant David Langham (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor), storm clouds loom as he struggles to repair his fractured bond with

his estranged daughter, Lacey (Sophea Pennington). What began as an unexpected reunion between father and daughter has spiraled into heartbreak, resentment,

and painful truths that threaten to tear the Langham family apart forever.

When David first arrived at Yabbie Creek Police Station a few weeks ago, he was ready to start afresh in the Bay. But what he didn’t expect was to find his daughter living just streets away — a daughter who wanted nothing to do with him. It was through the reopening of the River Boys’ case that fate threw the pair together, and in one shocking twist, David realized that “Lacey Miller,” a key name on the file, was none other than his own child.

The reunion was anything but joyous. Lacey had walked away from her family home six months earlier after the devastating death of her mother in a car crash. Unable to bear the grief — and furious at her sister Jo (Maddison Brown), who had been driving at the time — Lacey severed ties with both her father and her sibling. In an act of defiance, she even abandoned the Langham surname, adopting her mother’s maiden name instead as a tribute.

For Lacey, the tragedy is wrapped in layers of blame. She holds Jo responsible for her mother’s death, while also believing David — a man of power within the police force — used his influence to shield Jo from facing legal consequences. David and Jo, however, view the accident as nothing more than a cruel twist of fate, with Jo still unable to recall what caused the crash. This clash of perspectives has left the Langham family broken, and Lacey unwilling to reconcile.

Family conflict reaches boiling point

Since moving to the Bay, David and Jo have made tentative efforts to reconnect with Lacey, but she has been unyielding in her stance. Tensions exploded recently when Jo attempted to reach out at the surf club, only for their heated exchange to spill outside, culminating in Lacey punching her sister. The bitterness is raw, and Lacey’s pain continues to manifest in anger.

Next week, the fragile family dynamic is pushed to new extremes. David has news to deliver — news he knows could shatter the last fragile threads of his relationship with Lacey.

His first attempt to broach the subject ends in failure, as Lacey makes her feelings clear: she intends to carry on as though he doesn’t exist. Hurt but undeterred, David turns to Theo (Matt Evans) for help. Cornering him on the beach after a surf lesson, David confides that he is preparing to tell Lacey something difficult and asks Theo to be there to support her when the truth comes out.

But unbeknownst to David, Lacey is watching from a distance. To her, Theo’s willingness to side with her father feels like betrayal. The sting of this perceived disloyalty cuts deep, and when she later confronts Theo at Salt, sparks fly. Theo tries desperately to explain, but their conversation grows heated — until David arrives, suitcase in hand.

A devastating revelation

The sight of the suitcase is enough to silence Lacey. Confused and wary, she demands to know what her father is doing. With a heavy heart, David reveals the truth: he has sold their family home.

The revelation leaves Lacey stunned. The house had been the last tangible link to her mother, the one place where memories of happier times still lingered. Now, that too is gone. All David can offer is the suitcase of belongings he thought she might want to keep — keepsakes from a childhood that feels like another lifetime.

That evening, shell-shocked, Lacey sits with Theo at the diner apartment as she steels herself to look through the remnants of her past. Inside the suitcase are relics of innocence: family photos, ballet shoes, a teddy bear once clutched at night. The process is agonizing, but also strangely cathartic.

Through the tears, Lacey shares stories from her childhood — her time on the netball team, her role as student council president, the ballet obsession she once shared with Jo. For Theo, it’s a chance to see a softer side to the girl he thought he knew, and the moment deepens their bond.

Theo gently reminds her that David’s decision to keep these items proves their importance to him. The words strike a chord, and the following morning, Lacey takes a step forward she never thought possible — she sends her father a text, asking to meet.

A fragile reconciliation shattered

By the water’s edge, David and Lacey finally face one another. With sincerity, David apologizes for the way he handled the house sale. He explains that the home had become unbearable to live in, a constant reminder of grief that consumed him and Jo. Moving to Summer Bay was his attempt at a fresh start, though he admits it came at the cost of Lacey’s trust.

For a moment, Lacey softens. As they reminisce, she allows herself to smile, recalling fleeting happy memories of her mother. It seems, at last, that the icy walls between them might begin to thaw.

But the moment crumbles when David mentions her ballet shoes, recalling how he and her mother once took her to choose them. Lacey interrupts sharply: that wasn’t her — it was Jo. The mistake is like a dagger to the heart, reinforcing Lacey’s long-held belief that her father has always favored her sister.

In an instant, any chance of reconciliation is destroyed. With anger and hurt surging once more, Lacey storms off, leaving David devastated. The question now is clear: can this fractured family ever truly heal, or has the damage gone too far?

Elsewhere in Summer Bay

While David wrestles with his fractured bond, Jo is facing her own complications — this time in the romance department. After a rocky introduction to Tane (Ethan Browne), sparks began to fly, and with David’s encouragement, Jo worked up the courage to ask him on a date. But just as things were looking promising, the night ended abruptly when Harper appeared, furious at Tane for ignoring her calls and dropping the bombshell that Tane had a child.

Now, Harper has returned from her work trip and admits she wasn’t prepared to see her ex-fiancé moving on. But with Dana (Ally Harris) piecing together Jo’s crush, and Harper eventually encouraging Tane to pursue happiness, the love triangle becomes even messier.

Jo, feeling overwhelmed by Tane’s complicated life, turns him down when he later asks her on another date. But as viewers know, matters of the heart in Summer Bay are rarely so simple.

What’s next?

As Jo grapples with her feelings and Tane wonders whether she will give him another chance, David faces the most daunting challenge of his life — repairing the relationship with his grieving, embittered daughter. Lacey’s pain runs deep, but beneath the anger lies a yearning for connection. Whether David can reach her before the rift becomes permanent remains the burning question.

In Summer Bay, love, loss, and family secrets collide in ways no one can predict. And for the Langhams, the road to healing may be longer — and more painful — than any of them imagined.