After informing the others of my most recent update, we're all called into Connor's office. My shoulders feel lighter with each step I take because I know we've got her. There must be some way to track her back from my flat. However, when I sit down and smile at Connor, he doesn't return the gesture. I wait patiently for him to say something, but he continues to stare until my smile finally breaks and I'm the one to initiate conversation.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask.

He finally opens his mouth to speak. "Is there any way that she could have got through a window?"

"What? No, there's no way to get up to my flat by the windows. I'm on one of the top floors, there's no stairs," I say. "Why haven't you checked the cameras? We need to be quick about this."

"I have checked the cameras," he says deeply. "I saw you and Trevor go in. I saw Trevor leave a minute later. Raine did not go in at any point."

"What?" I stammer, thinking back to early this morning when I was so sure she was there. I felt the warmth of her hand against my own, I could physically feel her. It can't have been a dream. "No. She was there. She spoke to me."

"You were pretty drunk last night," Octavia says to me in an almost apologetic tone.

I glance around the table. No one is looking at me. They pity me. I can see it in the way their eyebrows pull together and the way they fiddle with their hands to distract themselves, because apparently that's better than looking at me.

"She was there," I whisper, though now I'm not so sure. The memory in my head is fuzzy and slowly disappearing...like it was a dream and not reality. My face grows red with shame and embarrassment as the realisation hits me. I sink into my chair, hoping it'll swallow me up and take me away from this humiliating moment.

"You can look at the cameras yourself," Connor sighs. "I'm sorry, Vanessa. She wasn't there."

All along it was a dream. A torturous dream that forced me to hope that she had returned and all of this was finally over. It was my mind playing a cruel joke to taunt and remind me that I'm failing at my job. That she is always winning.

Connor sighs and drops to his chair before pulling out a file. He doesn't even look at us when he says, "Get back to work. Continue the interviews, find where Raine went next."

Everyone begins to grab their bags and leave, so I hesitantly follow them with my shoulders slumped from embarrassment.

"I'm really sorry, Connor. I really thought-" I begin to apologise, but he puts up his hand and shakes his head—a way of accepting my apology without having to talk or smile. He's too stressed to do so.

Feeling even more defeated, I follow the others and meet them outside the office. They all smile at me, but I can tell they're concerned and sympathetic smiles. They worry about me now.

"Too much Martini and shots," I joke. Thankfully some chuckles are thrown around and they all seem to relax a little. I blow out a breath of relief. "I am sorry."

Trevor throws an arm around my shoulder and chuckles. "Don't sweat it. It happens to the best of us."

"No harm done," Vincent adds.

Octavia leans the soul of her foot against the wall and rests her back on it. "Tell Raine I said hi if you see her again."

Trevor and Vincent both frown and shoot her a look of warning that she ignores, but I just smile and take that as her way of forgiving me.

"If I see her again, I'll know it's time for me to give up drinking."

Everyone laughs once more before we go out separate ways. I sigh and watch them leave, but quickly chase after Trevor and tap him on the arm before he can exit the building.

Trevor looks over his shoulder and smiles at me before turning his body to face me. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Quick question about last night."

"Go for it."

"Did you get me a blanket?"

His eyebrows furrow and his confused look alone is enough to convince me he hasn't got a clue what I'm talking about.

"No, why?"

"And a glass of water?"

Trevor laughs this time. "Vanessa, are you okay?"

"Yeah." I force a laugh and press my fingers against my forehead, feeling even more confused and embarrassed. "Sorry, I'm just being silly."

"No worries. I'll see you later, yeah?"

I nod and smile as he walks away laughing slightly. Everyone disappears out of my sight, leaving me in a cloud of confusion and despair. My sister was never there. She never held my hand, she never stroked my hair, she never spoke to me. It was all a figment of my imagination. A horrid dream.

How could I get this so wrong? How could I be so naive? Of course it wasn't real. Raine would never risk being caught, especially not to see her little sister. She hasn't bothered to see me in twelve years. Though she must know who I'm working with and what I'm trying to accomplish with my team. I wonder what her reaction was when she found out my place of work. Was she furious? Did she feel betrayed that her own blood was trying to put an end to her crimes? Maybe that's why she never tried to find me, but she still had four years to do that before I joined this company. Four whole years. I waited. She never returned.

When I walk to the car park to reach my car on the fourth floor, I'm greeted by Octavia who has been waiting on my arrival. I smile and quickly pass her, trying to escape to my car so I don't have to explain my embarrassing behaviour even more. I can hear her footsteps walk behind me; following me.

"Where are you off to in such a rush? Let me guess, Raine is waiting at your flat?" Octavia says.

I turn abruptly and give her an offended look. "Excuse me?"

All smugness drops from Octavia's face in the space of a second. She shoves her hands in her pockets and sucks in her cheeks from the shame she feels. "Sorry. Bad joke."

I smile; a way of accepting her apology. "I'm not in the mood for jokes right now. Maybe try tomorrow."

She smiles back and starts to walk with me. "Not having a good day?"

The sigh that escapes my lips answers her question. "Something like that. Did you see Connor's face? I've never been so embarrassed," I mutter.

"I wouldn't worry about it, he'll be fine by tomorrow."

I raise my eyebrows in disbelief. "You think?"

"Course. I can't keep count of the amount of times Connor's been pissed at me. It was just the other month when I fucked up some of his files and caused him a bunch of paperwork."

"What happened?"

"He was stressed and told me to get out while he figured it out. By the next day, he was all smiles again. I did buy him a coffee on my way to work, so that probably helped." She grins. I notice the beauty spot just above the right side of her lip. "Connor may be bossy and easily frustrated, but he's understanding. He cares for us."

"I know he does. I just hate letting him down. I hate letting you all down."

"You haven't," she assures me in the softest voice I've ever heard her use. Something about her reaction makes me feel somewhat better. "You're overthinking all of this way too much. It's really not a big deal."

We reach my car that I unlock with a click of a button. "I wasted everyone's time."

"Hardly. Maybe an hour, but that's nothing."

"I guess," I mumble. I fiddle with the keys in my hand and gently rub my thumb against the soft metal. The sensation helps to calm me down.

Octavia opens the passenger door of my car.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

She leans her arms on the top and glances at me with raised eyebrows. "I've got more CCTV. Let's go back to yours and have a look."

Without question or complaint, I jump into my car with Octavia and start the engine. I know little about her life, she's practically a stranger to me, but I seem to trust her for whatever reason. There's no hesitation when I join her and go with her every request. It's weird, but perhaps there's a friendship building here.

I smile at the thought. Outside of work, I have no friends. My life has been wasted away while I've been trying to find Raine for all these years. I have no social life, no close family, no relationships.

There was once a time when I had it all. My house was loving and huge placed in the middle of a grass area that dragged on for miles. There was a small lake that ducks used to visit. Me and my sister would feed them everyday while mum was cooking dinner and allowing the delicious smell to linger. We would catch mum and dad dancing behind the curtains; their shadows would tell a story. My sister and I used to point and giggle and mock the way they slow danced, not knowing that it would be one of the very memories we clung onto. One of the only happy ones we had. But then mum died and dad couldn't cope. It felt like we had lost both parents, even though dad was still there in the present. He would cook for us, take us to school, buy us all the essentials we needed...but he wasn't the same man. There was no more happiness in his eyes, no more emotions in the words he said, no more love in the hugs he gave. He took it all out on my sister. Every time he felt stressed or depressed or angry, all the harsh words would be directed at her. I remember her crying all the time. I remember the house that used to be so warm and loving start to grow colder and dull. Then my sister left. Sweet Matilda. Protective Matilda who would always look out for her little sister. The only person I had left after that was dad. He was right in front of me, but he was completely empty. When I moved out, I would go back to visit every weekend. I would cook him meals; the same ones mum used to make, hoping it would bring that version of him back. I would talk to him for hours, though he never responded or even tried to look like he cared. When he died last year, I felt more alone than I ever had. Everyone was gone. My whole life had been whisked away and rearranged and just left for me to pick up the pieces. I have no one to turn to. There's my coworkers, of course, but we only tolerate each other because of work. Would we really get along if it weren't for that?

A friend would be nice. Perhaps, one day, Octavia could be just that.