In an explosive twist that promises to send shockwaves through Summer Bay, Home and Away fans will see Theo Poulos uncover a family secret that turns everything he thought he knew upside down. What begins as a nostalgic moment soon spirals into a nightmare when Theo discovers a long-forgotten photograph — and realises that the mysterious woman standing beside a dangerous stranger is none other than his own mother.

The drama begins when Theo helps Leah and Justin clear out storage boxes from the garage. Among the old letters and keepsakes, he finds an envelope marked simply “For when he’s ready.” Inside lies a faded photograph that stops him cold: his mother, younger and unrecognisable, smiling alongside a man Theo has never seen before — a man who, as Leah later reveals, was once part of a criminal ring that terrorised their family decades ago.

At first, Theo refuses to believe it. His mother, long estranged and struggling with her own demons, had always painted herself as a victim of circumstance — never as someone connected to crime or deception. But when Theo confronts Leah, the truth begins to unravel. Leah reluctantly admits that there were whispers years ago — rumours that Theo’s mother was not as innocent as she claimed, and that she may have been deeply involved with the wrong people before Theo was born.

The revelation devastates Theo, who has only recently begun to rebuild his life after tragedy and loss. His sense of identity crumbles as he questions everything — his childhood memories, his mother’s absence, and the lies that may have shaped his entire life. “She told me she left to protect me,” Theo says in one heart-stopping scene. “But what if she was the danger all along?”

As the story unfolds, Justin steps in, determined to shield Theo from the painful past that Leah tried to bury. However, the more they dig, the more dangerous the truth becomes. Sources close to the production tease that the photograph could tie Theo’s mother to one of the Bay’s darkest storylines — possibly connected to a recent mystery involving stolen money and a missing person.

Meanwhile, Leah is tormented by guilt. She knows more than she’s letting on and fears that if the full story comes out, it could destroy what’s left of her family.

In the coming episodes, Theo’s search for answers will lead him down a treacherous path — one that might finally reunite him with his mother… but at a terrible cost.

Can Theo forgive the past when the truth about his mother’s secret life finally comes to light? Or will this shocking discovery tear his family apart forever?