Trouble has a way of finding Summer Bay. Today it walked in wearing a familiar face.
Richie is back. He is the man who shot David, and almost nobody in the Bay wants him here.
A Quiet Meeting With a Big Secret
It starts on a quiet clifftop. Lacey has driven out to meet Richie, and the view is beautiful. But she isn’t there for the view.
Richie tells her he misses her and that life feels empty without her. He says he wants to try again. Lacey admits she has been thinking about him too, a lot. Their past was messy, and part of her still feels a pull she can’t explain.
Richie doesn’t push. “Take it slow,” he says. He only asks for one dinner, and the chance to earn back her trust.
It sounds sweet. But Lacey is hiding something big. Richie showed up last week, and she has told no one.
The Worst Possible Moment
Later, Lacey and Richie go for cocktails at Salt. It’s a big mistake.
The bartender takes one look at Richie and freezes. “What is this lunatic doing back in the Bay?” he says. He believes Richie should still be in prison.
Richie says he isn’t there to cause trouble. That doesn’t help. The room fills with anger, and Lacey stands in the middle of it, shocked and ashamed.
Richie apologises, but it only makes things worse. Lacey tells him to go, then turns to face the person who has just found out her secret. She says she needs to explain. The answer she gets is cold: if she is talking to Richie, they are not talking.
Richie Doesn’t Leave
Richie was supposed to go back to his mum’s place. Instead, he drives away, then turns around and comes back. He sleeps on Lacey’s porch just to make sure she is okay.
The next morning she asks how it went. Richie says he knows he has hurt a lot of people. He also knows he has a long way to go to win back the town’s trust. “Everybody hates me,” he says.
Lacey’s answer is soft: “I don’t.”
But she still has her guard up. In the closing moments she looks him in the eye and asks the hardest question of all: how can she be sure he won’t break her heart again?
Remy, Sonny and a Friendship Under Pressure
Away from the drama, Remy is dealing with his own fear. He has been walking Sonny to work and watching him like a hawk. Sonny is fed up with being “babysat” and gets rude at the bar.
The truth comes out over a few beers. Remy is worried about Eden, and there is nothing he can do to help her. Looking after Sonny gave him something to do. “It feels like she’s slipping away,” he admits. “I don’t know what I’ll do without her.”
It is a raw, honest moment. By morning, the two mates have made peace. Sonny even offers to be there for Remy.
Levi Takes a Step Forward
Levi may be getting closer to saving his career. A friendly colleague recommends a specialist, and Levi is now considering surgery. It seems the hospital could be waiting for him after all.
The Warning Nobody Wanted
Then comes the panic. A worried family member finds out Richie is in town. The message is urgent and clear: “I need your help keeping them apart.”
Richie is trying to earn a second chance. Lacey is trying to protect her heart. The whole town is ready to stop them.
Will Lacey follow her heart, or will her family’s anger make the decision for her? And what happens when Richie and the people he hurt come face to face?
Summer Bay is holding its breath. Don’t miss the next episode.
