A distraught Justin (James Stewart) has been having one sleepless night after another since Leah (Ada Nicodemou) vanished without a trace late last year. And we are about to see that Justin had every reason to be desperately worried about the woman he loves.
Home and Away: Why is Leah’s blog active again?
In a shocking development, Leah is this week revealed to be not only alive but about to marry a mystery man named Douglas! However, as we will also discover, Douglas is anything but a knight in shining armour for the Summer Bay favourite.
A deranged Douglas is holding a terrified Leah against her will in a remote location. And every time Douglas feels that Leah speaks ‘out of turn’, his temper boils over.
“No-one has seen or heard from Leah since she went missing just before Tori woke from her coma,” says Ada. “Now we finally learn what has happened to her – and it could not be darker or more shocking.”
“Leah has definitely met with foul play,” James adds, “and time is running out to save her.”
When the week begins, Justin – who has been closely monitoring Leah’s recently reactivated website – is rocked when Leah’s photo suddenly flashes up on the screen. But nothing can prepare the garage owner for the sight of an awkward-looking but smiling Leah brandishing an engagement ring, a man’s hand resting on her shoulder.
“Leah has recently become active again on her blog,” says Ada. “But this is the last thing Justin or, for that matter anyone in the Bay, expected.”
Wasting no time, Justin puts in a call to the police, who assure the single father they will investigate this astonishing development.
The next day, the police call with news – and the shocks just keep on coming for Justin. The police have spoken to Leah and received a direct assurance from her that she is well and happy. There is nothing more to be done, the police tell Justin.
Yet, refusing to believe what he’s hearing, Justin remains convinced that Leah is being held hostage by a dangerous sociopath. And this is, in fact, the horrific truth. In a remote bush cabin, we see that an obsessive Douglas is demanding that Leah act as his domestic slave.
And Leah’s nightmare with her stalker is about to reach a terrifying new level!
Douglas presents Leah with a wedding dress and insists she put it on. The time has come, he declares ominously, to officially make her his wife.
“Leah is absolutely terrified,” says Ada. “She is in an extremely emotional and physically abusive situation and all of her strength and power is taken away. She is being turned into a ‘Stepford-type’ wife.”
As for Justin, he decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, a truly desperate Leah hatches a plan to escape.
But will Justin’s actions to save her backfire?
To read more, pick up this week’s issue of New Idea, on sale now.
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