Alec collapsed on the couch. Tired and sleep deprived, he couldn't move his muscles anymore. His stomach grumbled but he didn't have the strength to fix something for himself. It grumbled again and he tried to remember when was the last time he ate.

It was 31st December and Beth was still nowhere to be found. Lucy had already checked her apartment twice, she even contacted everyone in Georgia, but nobody had seen her there either. When Roger tracked her phone, it was found in a garbage can and Alec was afraid that she had been kidnapped. He wanted to report it to the police but Lucy had stopped him.

°

"She is not kidnapped Alec, don't be silly."

"Lucy you don't know how many business rivals I have."

"No Alec, she is just depressed. I know because this had happened before."

"But why not police?"

"Just because ..... No." She shook her head."

"Well did you check her apartment?"

"I told you I did already, twice."

"Then let me go in there, let me check it. Maybe there is some clue there."

"There wasn't. I already checked."

"Lucy let me go and check. Roger is trained for such situations, I am sure we both will find something."

"But Alec I don't-"

"It's not the time for I don't know or any such things Lucy, just give me the goddamn keys and let me go and check! It's been more than five days since she has gone missing. Let me just see her apartment once."

°

Alec looked at the key. Beth's apartment keys.
It wasn't just key to her apartment, it was like a time machine, taking him back to the past and he was afraid of it. Afraid of the memories it would bring back, Melissa, accident, Beth, fights, marriages, the whole mess. It was too big of a mess.

And that still wasn't the part that  got him worried the most. The thing was he still didn't know what he was going to do after he finds her. "What are you going to do Alec after finding her, leave her?" Lucy's words echoed in his mind again. What was he going to do?

He kept rolling the keys between his fingers, thinking the same thing over and over again while his eyes began to betray him and started closing.

°

Melissa stood in front of him again, he hand stretched out towards him. Behind him the melody was tears was playing.

"Come Alec, let's go. Take my hand and we will be together, just how you wanted." She said.

The piano began fading. " Come Alec. Come." She held his hand and first time in his dream he realized he wasn't stuck in one place. He could move his feet. He lifted his leg and realized he could take a step. Could take a step towards Melissa.

"Come on Alec. We should go."  She said again.

He looked back towards the piano, the silhouette looked eeriely familiar. Slouched back, head hung low, it was Beth, playing Melody of tears.

"Alec, let's go." Melissa tugged on his hand again. The music faded a little more.

Melissa looked at him, and he at her.  Oh how he missed looking at that face. He missed waking to it, seeing it on a bad day, seeing it everyday. The music was barely audible now. "What happened Alec, don't you want to come with me?" She batted her eyes at him. She never batted her eyes. This wasn't Melissa. This was something else.

She batted them again and he saw the demon this time, it was his own imagination, his own brain.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and said, "I can't."

Two words and he knew his heart was not only Melissa's but Beth's too. Two words and he knew the world can turn from West to East, the time can unwind and take him back to Melissa but he would still give a part of his heart to Beth. He would give anything to be with Melissa.... And Beth. His heart was not his anymore but of these two ladies whom he loved.

"I can't baby."

"You are stuck again?" Her hand dropped. But this time it was his heart that was stopping him to move towards Melissa. He looked back towards piano.  "Mels, she needs me."

"But you love me!" She shrieked.

"I do. And I love her too."

"So? You wanted to be with me till now, you pushed her away to be with me, then why aren't you coming with me?" She demanded.

"I know, I pushed her away especially when she needed me. And it's true too that I want to be with you but I also want to be with her. And right now I need to be with her otherwise I will lose her forever."

"And me? Don't you think you will lose me if you are with her?" She moved away but Alec held her hand and pulled her into his embrace.
"I won't ever lose you baby, you belong with me. You belong in my heart. Maybe in real life you aren't around, but you own a part of me. And no matter what happens, I  will always love you. But right now, I need to be with her. She needs me and I need her." Melissa struggled but failed. He kept hugging her. "Let me go Alec. You don't need me now. You are forgetting me! Let. Me. Go." She tried to push him away again.

"No love, I can never forget you. I will always love you baby but I also love her. And moving on from your death doesn't mean I am forgetting you, I am just learning to love her, learning to open up to her, learning to show her that I love her, learning to make her a part of my life, a part of me."

Melissa looked at him and touched his face. "You really do love her Alec, don't you?" Gently she caressed him. "I never thought I would say this, but-" she looked at him with her teary eyes, "do you really have to go?"

"Yes baby." He cupped her face and wiped the tears.

"Stay?"

"I wish I coul but-"

"Ssshh." She stopped him mid sentence. "You really do love her. And you love her a lot."

"Yes. But I have made a lot of mistakes. And-"

She kept her head on his shoulder and gave him a tight hug. "And she will forgive you for those. Go to her. Find her soon. She is where her heart is." 

Melissa kissed on his cheek and walked away. "Going to miss you. Take care of her. I love you." She smiled at him and just like that, she disappeared in the darkness.
"I love you too." He whispered.

When he turned back, the melody had stopped, her hands had dropped and just like they had that night, he walked up to her and played the first note.

°

****
Hello hello, I am back people. Back from dead. Thank you all for waiting for so long. As promised, I am posting all the chapters left.
This update has total of three chapters plus one epilogue. Hope you all are going to enjoy the last chapters.

Write down your points and views in comments below.

Keep reading ahead.

Cheerio.

Love,
Alice.

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