Almost a month following the incident, Principal Marcus Miller places Justine on leave amid community suspicion of her involvement in the children's disappearance. Depressed and ostracized, she relapses into alcoholism and seeks comfort from her ex-boyfriend, police officer Paul Morgan. Concerned about Alex's wellbeing, Justine follows him home, where she observes the windows covered with newspaper and Alex's parents are sitting motionless in the dark, and urges Marcus to perform a wellness check. Justine revisits Alex's house but falls asleep in her car. During the night, someone staggers out of the house, enters the car, and cuts off a lock of Justine's hair.