Summer Bay is bracing for a revelation that threatens to tear apart one of its most beloved family units, as Home and Away prepares to drop a bombshell surrounding Harper and Dana Matheson’s mother — a truth so shocking, it will reshape everything viewers thought they knew about the sisters’ past.

For months, fans have sensed that something was “off” whenever the Matheson sisters discussed their childhood, dodging questions and exchanging uneasy looks. But no one expected this. According to upcoming episodes, Harper and Dana are forced to confront the hidden secret their mother has been guarding for decades — a secret that explains why the two women, despite calling each other sisters, have always seemed strangely conflicted, emotionally divided… and in some ways, painfully distant.

In a storyline insiders are calling “one of the most jaw-dropping family twists the show has delivered in years,” Harper and Dana will learn that their mother, Evelyn Matheson, is the very reason the two cousins were raised as sisters — and the truth behind that decision is far darker than anyone imagined.

The drama erupts when Harper receives a mysterious envelope, delivered with no return address. Inside is a series of old legal documents and a letter written in a trembling hand. At first glance, everything seems confusing — until Dana notices a name buried deep in the paperwork: their biological aunt, Lorna Briggs, who vanished from their lives without explanation when the girls were still toddlers.

What follows is an emotional unravelling as Harper confronts their mother, demanding answers. And Evelyn finally breaks.

The devastating confession:

Harper and Dana are not biological sisters — they are cousins.
And Evelyn is the one who cut all ties between the girls and Lorna, determined to raise them as siblings after a family scandal she spent years burying.

According to Evelyn’s tearful admission, Lorna had been battling addiction, financial instability, and mounting legal troubles. Fearing the authorities would split the girls apart forever, Evelyn stepped in, legally taking custody of Harper after Lorna’s life spiralled beyond repair. But unable to cope with the shame, judgment, and trauma surrounding the decision, she kept the truth hidden — even from the girls themselves.

This revelation sends shockwaves through Harper and Dana, who suddenly find themselves questioning everything they believed about their childhood. Harper is devastated, feeling as though her entire identity has been rewritten in a single night. Dana, meanwhile, struggles to process the betrayal and the fact that her “sister” — the person she has leaned on for her entire life — is actually her cousin.

Summer Bay residents quickly rally around the women, but it’s clear this fracture will cut deep. As the sisters-turned-cousins grapple with buried memories and emotional fallout, producers tease that the storyline will ignite “a long, painful, but ultimately powerful journey” for the Matheson family.

One insider summarised it best:

“This reveal will change Harper and Dana forever. Their bond won’t break — but it will be tested in ways viewers never expected.”

The truth is out — and Summer Bay may never be the same again.