Chapter 4: A Hidden Trail

His usual psychiatrist listened calmly. After a moment's pause, he said with a thin smile, "Sometimes, our brains create the figures we need to survive." 

Arya was silent. He refused to believe that Nayara was just an illusion. Everything felt so real. 

He clutched his head, trying to banish the thought. If no one could help him, then he had to find the answer himself. 

"She must be somewhere." 

Arya returned home. He filled the long, sleepless nights by surfing the internet. Trying to find the figure who could lull him into a deep sleep. 

He stared at his laptop screen with red eyes. Three weeks had passed since that night, the night Nayara came into his world, only to disappear just as quickly. Dozens of search tabs were open in his browser. Lists of Nayaras that didn't match, fruitless CCTV footage, and hotel guest lists that seemed to erase the existence of a mysterious woman. 

Arya had tried everything. He had searched for Nayara's name on social media, contacted people who might know her, even infiltrated online forums. Not a single lead. 

One question increasingly bothered him. Was Nayara really real? 

Then, an idea suddenly popped into his head. What if Nayara wasn't someone to be found on official lists, but someone who had deliberately erased her tracks? 

If he wanted to find someone like that, he had to think like someone who wanted to disappear. 

With that thought, Arya began scouring dark forums discussing fake identities and people who wanted to disappear. He read discussions of people sharing experiences on how to disguise themselves, erase digital footprints, and exit the system. 

He also checked social media searching for their lost relatives with special hashtags. Arya even expanded his search not only within the city of Lumora or the State of Virentia. But expanded to cities and neighboring countries, which directly bordered his country. 

He also contacted his connection, a friend in the police who usually handled missing persons cases. However, there were no reports about Nayara. He even enlisted the help of an anonymous hacker who had once worked for him on a corporate legal case. 

He knew Jay by chance. Although they had never met physically, they became close because of a hidden collaboration a few years ago. 

"I can find anyone's data," Jay said through an encrypted phone connection. "But if this person deliberately erased their tracks, it'll take longer." 

Arya nodded, even though he knew his interlocutor couldn't see him. "Find anything you can find." 

However, after days since he contacted Jay and the mysterious man began searching, the results were still nil. 

Feeling desperate waiting for Jay's results, Arya finally met a private detective who had also helped him in an internal case at the company. 

Inside the detective's office filled with maps and case photos, Arya handed over a piece of paper containing Nayara's facial sketch. 

Alex Warman stared at it for a long time, then sighed. "If this woman left of her own accord, we can't track her, Dude. She's an adult, we'll be considered violating privacy." 

The sentence pierced his mind like a dagger. 

There was not a single real trace wherever Arya tracked. As if Nayara was a ghost who only appeared once in his life and then disappeared forever. 

Arya began to question reality again. Could Nayara really be just an illusion? An effect of lack of sleep and work fatigue? 

Every night, his insomnia worsened. He spent time staring at the laptop screen, hoping to find something he had missed in his previous searches. 

All the things that burdened his mind began to affect his social life. At work, his focus began to falter. He often lost attention in meetings, and his performance declined. 

One day, one of his colleagues patted his shoulder. "You seem to be losing focus, like chasing shadows, Arya. Are you okay?" 

Arya just smiled thinly, but in his heart, he knew, yes, maybe I'm really looking for a ghost's shadow. 

After work, feeling stuffy in his apartment, Arya chose to waste time enjoying his solitude in the city center. He sat alone in a coffee shop. Enjoying his favorite americano coffee accompanied by some snacks, Arya opened his laptop and completed some pending work. 

His eyes were fixed on the laptop screen, his fingers busy working. Occasionally he sipped his cold coffee when a middle-aged man suddenly sat in the chair behind him. 

Somehow it started, maybe his laptop screen was reflected in the glass next door. The man stared at Arya's laptop screen, right at the sketch of Nayara's face that he had made into a wallpaper. 

"Wife?" the man asked. Arya looked at him, slightly disturbed. 

"I'm not married," he replied, turning the laptop away. 

"Ah, lover?" 

Arya shook his head again, smiling. However, his eyes betrayed his objection to being disturbed. 

"Sorry to bother you. It's just... I feel like I've seen this woman before," he said softly. 

Arya was startled. Hope arose, but quickly faded. His heart pounded. 

"Where did you meet her?" 

The man seemed hesitant, as if considering whether he should speak further. Then, he shook his head. 

"If she's not someone to you, don't look for her. If you knew who she really was, you'd regret it." 

The words were like a slap. However, Arya was too deeply immersed in obsession to heed the warning. He... almost didn't care. 

"Do you know her?" Arya pressed further. "Who is she really? Does she have a family?" 

The man didn't answer. He just got up, as if regretting opening the conversation with Arya. He took his coffee and left, leaving Arya with more questions than answers. 

"Hey, damn it! You can't do this!" Arya shouted and immediately regretted it. He had become a spectacle for others. 

Arya sat back down, trying to act casual even though his mind was in turmoil. Who was Nayara really? And why did people seem to want her to stay hidden? 

Instead of backing down, Arya was even more driven. What was once just curiosity turned into obsession. 

If Nayara was just an ordinary woman, why was she so hard to find? 

If she wasn't just an illusion, why were people keeping quiet about her? 

No. This wasn't just about finding someone. This was about finding the truth. 

He decided to finish his work and leave the coffee shop, returning to his apartment. Once there, ignoring his physical exhaustion, Arya decided to call someone. 

When the call connected, Jay's familiar voice was heard on the other end. "Oy, Dude!" 

"I've been waiting too long, Jay. I need answers on the progress of the Nayara search." 

Jay chuckled. "Interesting. Arya finally fell in love with a woman." 

"This isn't just about falling in love, Moron! She has something that can make me sleep!" Arya retorted. 

"Yeah, right. Her body, right," Jay teased. 

"Shut up. I need answers, Jay!" 

Arya heard Jay typing quickly, sending the data and information he had. 

His laptop screen displayed the words: "Tracking... Processing Data..." 

Arya leaned back in his chair, his heart pounding. After this, there was no turning back.