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( **Flashback** )

No place was left unturned to search for Emma, a suffocating atmosphere was surrounding both the men. Evan, the shaken up brother was losing himself almost in the depth of insanity. Feeling his heart burn like never before Brandan didn't know how to undo all his mistakes and the pathetic burning feeling inside him would only grow with each horrid passing moment.

Robert had been hyper in the phone speaking with the cops since last half an hour at stretch, pacing from one end of the living room to another. This was how it was going on since Emma had left. Frowns of worry were visible in everyones faces, possibility of her being in any kind of danger and the obvious existence of shame and guilt making the hollows inside them even bigger.

Brandan was sitting in one of the sofas, he had this look of a zombie... lifeless and devoid of any emotion. Dark circles surrounded his eyes due to sleepless, restless nights. Desperateness to see her, to apologize to her was driving him to near madness.

Robert called for Martha. He had still not spoken to Brandan, not even had glanced at him. This was killing Brandan even more. He knew that he deserved it, he deserved the worlds worst punishments for what he did. Humiliating Emma, insulting her in the worst possible way proved to be the final nail to his own coffin.

"Martha. The cops and those private investigators I hired have finally found a trail."

The moment these words fell in Brandan's ears it was as if a lightening had struck him. He shot up his head and jumped up with widened eyes. In long few strides he was right before Robert and Martha, his eyes sparkling with new found hope.

Brandan's eyes became teary suddenly as his emotions fought hard to let them come to surface.

"Really dad... they found Emma! Where?"

Robert didn't bother to spare a glance at Brandan, Martha shook her head at both in happiness of having a hope to find Emma and in sadness of Robert's behavior towards Brandan. Moreover she was frustrated over Brandan's doings in all this. But they would surely find her now and bring her back home, she sobbed silently in relief.

"Tell him clearly Martha, from now on he has nothing to do with Emma. He is not to marry her, Emma deserves better than him. Tell him to stop this stupid act he's putting up..."

Martha had tears in her eyes feeling helpless by the whole situation. "But Robert..."

Brandan cut in, his voice choked up in emotions. "I am not putting up any act dad... I..."

Robert lifted his hand up gesturing Brandan to stop talking.

Sighing, Brandan closed his eyes and bent his head down. No matter how hard he tried now he couldn't change what was done already. The damages were done and the consequences were inevitable.

Brandan thought that in these two days of searching Emma crazily everywhere he knew now what hell meant, if he couldn't see Emma soon enough he feared he wouldn't be able to keep his sanity intact anymore.

But he still didn't have any idea of what was coming up next, of what was awaiting him. He just held onto the sudden risen hope with the force of a starved man holding his only meal in weeks.

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By the end of midnight, they got the accurate information of Emma's whereabouts. Investigators had confirmed that she was staying at a small, shabby motel in the other end of the city.

Without wasting any second, all of them hit the street to reach the motel in a breakneck speed. Brandan never felt so anticipated, so excited to see someone. He wanted to make sure that she was fine.

Silently he promised to Emma that he would change - that he would make right all his errs. But the first thing he would do was to say her that how sorry he was - that he said all those bitter and disgusting things that morning just out of shock and anger - that none of them were true, he was a stupid all this time... an absolute idiot. He knew that she wouldn't forgive him easily but he would show her - how sorry, how ashamed he was of himself. And if it would take his whole life to earn her forgiveness then be it.

He had been being so illogically cruel to Emma, and he felt so disgusted now in his own eyes. He was desperate to change this unbearable feelings of guilt eating him away.

Not out of guilt but as the first step to change himself but to be a person she deserved, he would forward a hand of friendship towards her. If Emma refused he would just try even harder. But somewhere in the back of his head a voice so stubborn screamed, it was more than just friendship he desired from her. And before he could ponder over that thought anymore he noticed Robert's car slowing down before him.

Suddenly his eyes fell upon the loud and huge crowd gathered around the building in front of them. He glared wide eyed at the small three storied building caught on fire. The fire fighters were trying desperately to control the monstrous blazes, but all their attempts were fruitless as the fire had already spread too much to get tamed by any humanly force.

Withing a matter of a few minutes, Brandan found himself standing in the crowd looking at the flames engulfing the whole building in their terrifying embrace. Somehow he pushed passed his way to the front but he could go no more, barricades were placed there to separate the crowd of family members trying to burst in to reach to their closer ones inside.

It was a total chaos. It was too late, only a few could be rescued from the beast like flames. Another few unbearable hours passed in horrid tension and fear. Brandan had never been so panicked in his whole life. He felt like when he would finally find her.. get her.. he would never give her the scope to run away and scaring him shitless like this ever again. An overwhelming amount of protectiveness gripped every cell of his existence and he felt it touch his soul but alas... the one he wanted to protect now was nowhere in the perimeter of his arms where he could hold her and hide her for an eternity.

Earlier Brandan was hoping that they would find her here but now he with all his heart hoped and prayed to not let Emma be here. He hoped for her to be away from this hellfire... safe.

With his breathing paused Brandan listened to someone, maybe a cop or some private investigator or someone from the authority speaking to Robert. The fire had died down now, all the injured and burned people were taken to the nearby hospitals, the dead bodies, the ones that could be collected were transferred to the morgues.

"She wasn't located among the injured or burned Mr. Rozario, we have checked multiple times. But her name was obviously in the register and we are sure that she had checked in here."

Robert could sense the worst coming up, he asked in a grave tone. "So what are you suggesting at?"

"It's obvious that we should start searching her among the..." The man paused for a brief second and then spoke again, careful with his choice of words.

"We should start searching in the morgue. Besides there are so many people who were totally burned and they had no remains left."

A panicked shout of a totally distressed Brandan beside them made the conversation to stop. Robert had tears in his eyes, any hope which was in them earlier had evaporated now.

Brandan never felt this broken before, with every breath he took it seemed like his chest was preparing to explode, like a time bomb furiously ticking away.

"She is not dead." Brandan croaked out.

The man seemed truly sympathetic as he said, "I am afraid, she is. I am sorry."

Zoning out of all the wails, sirens and all the other noises around Brandan embraced the exhaustion finally as he sobbed angrily. He lost her... for good. He would now never see those innocent eyes, that angelic face that he had insulted calling ugly so many damn times.

From his side he heard Evan saying, "I killed my sister."

Evan's voice was ful of horror, disbelief and so much grief. Grief was what Brandan's heart kept twisting in too.

His words from that day was surrounding him with their cruel screeches, almost deafening him.

"So do me a favor. Never show me your face again."

The words spun around in his head in a form of a haunted deja vu.

"Never show me your face again."

He had wanted her to leave him alone, he had wished to have her out of his life. And she had fulfilled his every wishes.

Brandan felt his knees giving up as he knelt down on the ground devastated, defeated. Right at that moment with his head bowed down, with liquids of repentance, pain and anguish of heartache flooding down from under his closed eyelids... he at last accepted all his feelings, he accepted the love he had for someone who he had now lost into oblivion. He accepted it all at the moment of knowing that she was no more.

( **End of Flashback** )

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Emma cooked dinner while humming away one of her favorite songs.

A female voice squealed behind her.

"Yummm! smells delicious."

Emma chuckled. "You are such a foody Elli."

"That I am Emma and I am not ashamed of it." Elli chuckled back with a playful tone.

The attic room was vacant, Emma didn't know what to do with that room. Then she had this idea of giving that room to someone for rent. And that's how Elli had her entry in Emma's house and her life. Now she was one of the few closest friends to Emma and undoubtedly Emma adored her like a little sister that she never had.

Elli was a bubbly girl, a web designer and the most lively person Emma had ever seen.

Emma was pouring the cooked pasta in a big glass bowl a little absentmindedly when talking with a Elli whose upper half body was inside the freeze searching for the half eaten chocolate she kept in there yesterday - one of her bad habits.

Suddenly Emma hissed, accidentally she burned a little skin of her forefinger in the fire.

In a matter of a second Elli was beside Emma blowing away and tending to her burned skin with concern. "Jeez... Emma! Are you trying to cook yourself alive too?"

Memory of that fire years back came crushing back, the destructiveness of the fire that pushed her to close the final door to her past. Her eyes were dazed with the memory which didn't go unnoticed by Elli.

With a knowing look Elli placed a hand on Emma's shoulder and shook her gently back to reality.

There was compassion and understanding in Ellis voice. "You don't need to think about that Emma, it's not worth it. Forget those days and... hey..." Suddenly Ellis tone was back to its usual cheerful way, Emma knew she was trying to cheer her up. "...the food is ready and all the stomachs are grumbling and pouting for food. Let's concentrate on that issue... huh. I seriously can't take it anymore." Elli patted her stomach.

Emma smiled at her friends attempt, "As you say, maa'm."

Six years ago, in a bus while Emma read her name among all the other deads in the fire, she was shocked. She left that motel earlier that morning. Her luggage was stolen earlier and instead of feeling unsafe under the sky without any roof upon her head, strangely she felt freer.

Her name in the list among the deads made the fact more than an intelligent idea and also essential to cover her tracks.

That was the moment she felt herself reborn.

Like a butterfly slowly comes out of its cocoon, something so minor grows up to a beautiful, glorious creature created by mother nature. Emma felt herself transform. With each step, each challenge of the cruel outside world thrown towards her she felt herself growing.

And a pair of tiny twin stars's arrival made any void left in her to be filled in happiness, with unconditional love.

Emma closed the storybook when she heard soft snoring sounds coming from both her sides. She leaned down and placed the evermost gentle love filled kisses on both of their foreheads. One of their mouth was slightly opened and drool was dripping out, she cleared it with her night gowns sleeve and chuckled silently and adored them for a while.

Tucking them properly inside the duvet she turned off the lamp and and lit on the night lamp between their beds. Then tiptoeing she went out of their room leaving the door slightly ajar, so that they wouldn't get scared if they wake up at night.

Sighing contently she slid inside her own duvet with a smile.

Yes, she was a proud single mother of two lovely children... twins - a boy and a girl.

Sarah and Sammy.

For her the earth, moon and the sun everything revolved around them. And she rejoiced in the blessing she had in her life in the form of her sweet children, who taught her to love once again when years ago she succumbed herself into hatred only.

Life gave her too many miseries, that was true, but she couldn't deny the happiness it gifted her too at the end of the journey, at the end of the darkness of night where the ever adorned morning sun lit up her world with a fiery new beginning.

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And it's the beginning of a new year. Year 2015!!! Happy new year everyone. Hope you have a very awsm... lovely... wonderful year ahead with lots of good new memories to take to the next year. Have fun and I hope you like this very fast updt of this year.

Take care. Love u all... muaahhhh....