Previously
Shot from The Willis family's return to Ramsay Street in 2013. Lauren is with Lou and she is surprised to see Brad.
PAUL (voice over): Two years ago, teen sweethearts Brad and Lauren were reunited in Ramsay Street. They tracked down their long lost daughter Paige.
Lauren introduces Brad to Paige.
PAUL (voice over): To an outsider they appear to be a perfect family, except they happen to be married to other people.
We see clips of Terese looking in on Brad and Lauren enjoying time with Paige. Paige folds up the photo of her with her parents and Terese to cut Terese out of it. Matt says that something doesn't feel right. Terese thinks they need to get rid of her.
Matt pushes Brad off the road and is hit by a car.
PAUL (voice over): Matt's death threw a spanner in the works.
Matt asks Brad to take care of Lauren.
PAUL (voice over): Unfortunately, Brad took Matt's request a little too literally.
Brad tells Lauren they've always been drawn to each other.
PAUL (voice over): And Terese's drinking was the last straw.
TERESE (yelling to Brad): Stuff you and I'm sorry I'm such an embarrassment!
Cut to a clip of Brad and Lauren kissing.
PAUL (voice over): And finally Brad and Lauren gave in to temptation and there will be no turning back from this.
Number 32
Brad and Lauren wake up in each other's arms on the sofa bed in the sun room. Lauren asks if he thinks the kids will be alright out camping. She thinks if they keep focusing on the kids then it'll be like nothing has changed. Brad says it has.
Number 22
Terese wakes up on the sofa, hungover, an empty wine glass beside her and looks at a photo of her with Brad.
Number 32 Back Yard
Brad hears a drone flying up above him and looks up at it. Lauren asks Brad what he and Terese had been fighting about. He says that Terese won't admit she has a problem with alcohol, things got ugly at home and he walked out. Lauren tells him that Terese will assume he stayed at a hotel, no one will be any the wiser. Brad says these things have a way of coming out and he wants to face up to things, but he'll only do it if they are in agreement. Lauren tells him this could be the end of his marriage. He decides to tell Terese now before the kids come home. Lauren wishes him luck.
Number 22
Terese is relieved when Brad returns home. She then empties a wine bottle down the sink, and tells Brad she is ready to admit she has a drinking problem. When she woke up this morning, picturing him in some hotel room driven from his home, she felt terrible and says it's all down to her, but Brad disagrees. Terese realises she has to make a change, so right here, right now she's making a change. She understands they can't just go back. Brad asks to sit down to chat, but Terese says she has to do something right now otherwise she won't go through with it. She tells Brad to go and have a shower and she'll do what she has to do, and then they can talk later. Brad agrees.
Number 32
Terese arrives to see Lauren. She tells her that she's just had a chat with Brad. Lauren backs away nervously, bumping into a chair. Terese asks Lauren if she's ever had an epiphany. Terese wants to get counselling for her drinking, she was hoping Lauren would be able to recommend her someone as she and Matt had done some research into counsellors when Bailey had a drinking problem. Lauren goes to get a number. Terese asks if Lauren has been okay here on her own, this is probably the first time Lauren has been in the house without the kids or Matt. From Lauren's quietness, Terese assumes that Lauren doesn't want to talk about it. Lauren gives Terese a number of a counsellor. Terese thanks her, she'll ring to make an appointment right away. As Terese leaves, Lauren looks mortified. She calls Brad and tells him they can't do this today.
Number 22
Brad ends the phone call with Lauren, telling her he'll be there straight away. Terese enters, getting off the phone with the counsellor having made an appointment. She tells Brad the good news and offers to make him some breakfast. Brad offers to take out the recycling.
Number 32 Back Yard
Brad and Lauren start arguing about telling Terese. Brad doesn't want to put it off but Lauren says Terese is seeking professional help, and if they tell her about the affair today it could derail her and she won't get the help she needs. Brad wanted to tell Terese before the kids got back to spare them from the worst of it.
LAUREN: Okay what about Terese? She has no support network with her today. Tomorrow she'll have turned the corner with her issues and she'll have the kids there to lean on. As much as we might hate this, she needs it!
Number 22
Terese checks her email and gets one from Paul. 'I know you don't want me interfering in your marriage but you really need to see this. Council Aerial Survey shots - First taken yesterday, second today. I'm sorry. Paul.'
Number 32 Back Yard
Brad agrees to give Terese one more day, and then they'll tell her. He doesn't want another toxic secret.
Number 22
Terese opens the link and sees a picture of Brad and Lauren kissing by the pool yesterday, timed at 4.50pm. The second picture shows Brad leaving Lauren's house at 7.35am this morning. She gasps in shock!
(Later)
Brad arrives home, smelling the cooking in the oven. Terese is solemnly drying dishes and asks how he slept last night. Brad says the hotel bed wasn't great. He asks her if she's having second thoughts about the counselling. She starts suggesting they take advantage of the kids being out of the house. In the past, even when they were upset with each other, they knew how to get things back to the right place. She leans in and kisses his neck, but Brad looks uncomfortable and pushes Terese away. He asks if something is burning, opening the oven as the room fills with smoke and the smoke alarm goes off. Terese is devastated by Brad pulling away, and rushes out the door.
Ramsay Street
Terese angrily marches over to Lauren's house.
Number 32
Lauren is startled to see Terese in her kitchen, but the door was open of course. Terese tells Lauren she's making breakfast for Brad and wants some of the jam that Brad made. Lauren has given most of the jars to Susan but she has a few left. Terese sits down on the sofa as Lauren hands her a jar.
TERESE: You know I'm sorry if I was weird about the two of you making these.
LAUREN: It's okay.
TERESE: No it's not, I was being silly. It's not like anything would happen between the two of you. I mean Brad and I, we've had our problems, but we do love each other. And you've just lost Matt. You wouldn't betray his memory would you?
LAUREN: You know.
Number 22
Brad puts the extractor fan on to clear the smoke. Once the smoke alarm stops going off, Brad calls out for Terese, realising she's gone. He looks over to Terese's computer and sees the photo of him kissing Lauren.
Number 32
Terese asks Lauren what happened last night, she wants to hear it from her.
TERESE: It wasn't just a kiss was it? No one innocently fell asleep on the other person's couch?
LAUREN: No.
TERESE: HOW COULD YOU?!
LAUREN: Brad told me that the two of you had been arguing and...
TERESE: Oh so you just swept right in?
LAUREN: I wasn't thinking straight either.
TERESE: You know when I woke up this morning I convinced myself that I was the irrational one. That everything that I accused Brad of was just paranoia. I trusted you.
LAUREN: I know.
TERESE: You were supposed to be my friend!
Brad enters and asks Terese to let him explain. Terese throws the jam jar at him, he ducks and it smashes on the door behind him. He wants to talk about it but she runs outside.
Number 32 Back Yard
Terese rushes outside upset as Brad and Lauren follow. Terese sees one of Brad's wooden sculptures and picks it up. Terese tells them when they all met, old sweethearts reunited after 20 years. They all laughed it off but all the signs were there, all the little connections and excuses. Brad knows Terese is mad about last night but they don't need to revisit everything that's happened in the past.
TERESE: I think we do because I accepted every single one of your lies! So did Matt. How foolish were we?
BRAD: Terese that's enough.
(Terese angrily lunges towards Lauren but Brad holds her back)
TERESE: Admit it, admit it. You've had feelings for my husband the whole time. Didn't you?
LAUREN: I did!
TERESE: So how long have you been sneaking behind my back?
LAUREN: It was just last night, I swear!
Terese doesn't believe Lauren and spots her phone on the table by the pool. Terese rushes over to get the proof. Terese starts checking through Lauren's phone, asking if Paige helped this affair along. Lauren tries to grab the phone off Terese, the two struggle and Lauren is pushed into the pool.
TERESE: I hope you feel clean now!
Terese storms off. Brad checks if Lauren is okay and she yells at Brad to go after Terese.
Number 22
Terese is looking at the sketch of Brad on her wall that Lauren drew. Brad arrives and insists he would have told her earlier until he heard that she wanted to see a counsellor. They were only going to delay until tomorrow, to allow her some time to get back on her feet.
BRAD: Put yourself in our position.
TERESE: When Brad? Yesterday afternoon when you were getting it on in the backyard?!
Brad apologises that he found out the way they did. Terese asks if Brad wanted this all along. Brad says he didn't, but Terese knows that Lauren did. Brad admits he hasn't always put Terese first but says she is responsible too, she practically threw him out of the house yesterday. Terese says he refused to take responsibility.
TERESE: Poor Matt. When he died, when he made you promise to look after Lauren, I don't think he meant this!
Brad asks her to promise to keep her appointment tomorrow, she shouldn't let what has happened throw her off course. Terese knows Brad would love for her to be a mess, but she won't give him the satisfaction. She tells him to get out and go back to Lauren. Brad leaves, while Terese starts crying.
Number 32
Lauren is sitting at a table, wearing a towel. Brad arrives and asks if she meant what she said before. She nods. Brad had no idea.
LAUREN: It wasn't that I didn't love Matt, I did. I still do. But when I saw you after all those years it was as if I was seeing some sort of alternate life that was lost to me. And it wasn't love or lust, it was sort of longing. It wasn't just about you either, it was about a baby that I thought was gone and I guess through all that my feelings just got stronger. I guess Terese is right. I was attracted to you. I still am.
Brad says this past year, ever since they met Paige, things have changed but he doesn't know what it is. Lauren says if he wants to salvage things with Terese he needs to decide quickly.
LAUREN: You can either stay here with me, work it out, or you can go to Terese and try and save your marriage.
Number 22
Terese has a bottle of wine in her hand and loots at a photo of her family.
Ramsay Street
Terese drops the portrait of Brad on Lauren's lawn. She takes out her phone and calls Josh.
TERESE: I need you and the girls to come home. There is something you need to know about your father and Lauren.
Unmissable Drama
- Terese tells Brad that the kids have a right to know what is going on and who their father is. Imogen asks if Brad loves Lauren now.
- Lauren explains that she didn't mean for this to happen. Amber asks her if she ever really loved her dad.
- Lauren arrives at the Willises, Imogen asks 'what the hell are you doing here?'