Chapter 45

• **New Year's Eve**
• The holiday season is generally a time filled with joy and anticipation, offering a much-needed two-week break from work to reconnect with friends and family. Nathalie cherished this time of year, reveling in the festive decorations, savoring hot cocoa, and enjoying brisk walks through the snow-dusted scenery. However, this year felt markedly different. When she arrived at Shina's for New Year's, she was utterly drained.
• Ethan had honored his promise, accompanying Elise to pick Nathalie up from her home to head to the police station to file an official report and press charges against Trevor. While Nathalie was there under the pretense of being the one who discovered the drawing and as Rosie's teacher, she and Ethan had to maintain appearances. Elise, lost in her own world of anxiety and trembling throughout, was unlikely to notice any underlying dynamics. Nathalie provided her statement, and fortunately, both the police and Child Protective Services assured her that they were taking her allegations extremely seriously.