The discovery of a potential father put the cat amongst the pigeons for foster carer Roo (Georgie Parker), who had already begun the process of adopting Cohen after his mum Samantha (Heidi May) relinquished custody in the wake of her arrest.

Adrian had been an old boyfriend of Samantha’s, who David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) discovered had once posted bail for Samantha at a time when she was pregnant with Cohen.

Summoned to Yabbie Creek police station, Adrian confirmed that he’d always believed himself to be Cohen’s father, but Samantha had denied it to be the case when she walked out on him when Cohen was three months old.

The plan was to wait for DNA confirmation before involving Cohen, but Adrian couldn’t hold back.

After spotting Cohen with Roo at the surf club, he introduced himself. The encounter left Cohen confused, forcing Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) to step in, with Roo later explaining who Adrian was.

The eventual DNA results removed any doubt—Adrian was Cohen’s biological father. For Roo, the confirmation was bittersweet—she knew it might mean saying goodbye to the boy she’d come to see as her own.

Cohen’s first proper meeting with Adrian went smoothly, with the youngster even calling him ‘dad’ as they bonded over a game of footy.

But the following day, things soured. Adrian attempted to explain to Cohen that he’d never walked away—that Samantha had lied and taken Cohen from him.

Still fiercely protective of his mum, Cohen refused to believe it and lashed out at Adrian.