Chapter 499 - Irene's Fate

Two months later…

Liz placed her hand in Max's and stepped out of the car. She looked around, taking in the lush greenery of late August that only Pacific North West can provide.

The weather was hot and dry, but the morning breeze made it pleasant.

Max and Liz left their driver by the car and proceeded toward the gated entrance that had a sign: "Pacific Heights Mental Institution".

After security checks and exchange of information, Max and Liz were granted entrance.

This was not the first time for them to come here, but Liz was still not comfortable with tight armed security. It reminded her of their adventure in the jungle which ended with her getting shot.

Max and Liz held hands with their fingers intertwined while walking down the cobbled path, toward the big white building that looked more like a luxurious mansion than a mental institution. However, looks could be deceiving, as beyond the extravagant façade are sights that belong to nightmares.

Why are Max and Liz here? They came to visit Irene.

A little history…

Irene spent a month in the safehouse. During that time, one of Irene's gunshot wounds got infected because she was always picking on it, and it resulted in her leg being amputated from the knee below.

Isaac himself performed the surgery with Liz as his assistant. They didn't want anyone to find out that Irene was in their hands.

When Isaac found out who Irene is and what she did to Liz, he was livid, and he wanted to amputate at least one more limb or maybe sew her fingers together. How dares Irene hurt his precious baby-daughter?

It took Liz quite some effort to calm her father down, explaining that Irene will not have an easy way out. Irene harmed them too much, and they were aware that this won't stop until one of them is permanently disabled.

Liz came to the safe house several times, observing Irene through the one-way mirror and trying to figure out how to punish her but nothing seemed appropriate.

Liz's body healed, but she occasionally woke up crying and drenched in sweat as her nightmares returned her to that dirty warehouse in Las Vegas, and Max held her and coaxed her back to sleep while his heart tightened in sadness. Max was not able to chase away demons from the woman he loves, and that made him experience the helplessness from that night in Las Vegas all over again.

Max and Liz didn't want Irene to die, but they couldn't leave her to roam free either.

Irene was already mentally unstable and staying confined to one room only made things worse. She would scream and thrash around and sometimes she would scratch her face, causing deep scars.

Seeing Irene acting like a lunatic gave Liz an idea, and after some research, they found this place. With Isaac's connections, Irene will never leave this mental institution, and Liz and Max can be confident that Irene can't harm them.

"Pacific Heights Mental Institution" is located about one hour drive from Seattle, it's up in the mountains, disconnected from civilization, and most importantly, it has high security with armed guards, dogs, and technology such as cameras and movement sensors. No one leaves this place unless it's through the main door and with appropriate permissions.

After stating the purpose of their visit, Max and Liz followed an employee down the long hallway in silence that was occasionally broken by muffled screams from the rooms they passed by.

The patients here are mostly medicated into obedience, but sometimes doctors reduce the dose in order to estimate the current condition of the individual.

Some of the rooms have tables with belts that allow staff to fully restrain the patients, and the rumor is that the patients who find themselves in those rooms end up treated like guinea pigs to test various medications or torture techniques, depending on what the secret branches of military request. Basically, patients here are people who would be on the death row otherwise, and like this, they are serving some purpose while extending their lifespan.

The heavy door opened, and Max and Liz stepped inside. The room was devoid of furniture, with only a mattress on the floor.

Irene was lying on the mattress, wearing a straitjacket which prevented her hands from moving.

Her eyes were dull at first and when she saw Max, her lips lifted into a smile.

"I knew you will come for me…", Irene said lazily.

It took her some time to realize that there is a woman next to Max and when Irene recognized Liz, her eyes flashed with madness and she shrieked.

Max pulled Liz close to him and they waited in silence for Irene to stop making noise.

Ever since Irene was captured, more than two months ago, Max didn't say a word to Irene. He didn't have anything to say to her, and he visited only because Liz wanted to. Just like now.

For Irene, it was one of the greatest mental tortures to be ignored, especially by a man like Max. Irene craved attention and to be loved, and she saw it as punishment whenever Max treated her coldly.

"Hi Irene…", Liz greeted the woman who was wiggling sloppily while trying to get up.

Irene was medicated and disoriented, and the fact that her arms were tightly bound around her body and that she was missing half of one leg didn't help either.

"We came to visit you because we have something important to share.", Liz said to what Irene stopped moving and she looked at Liz with hatred in her eyes.

Liz smiled and leaned onto Max completely, nearly sinking into him. "You see, Irene… we are getting married tomorrow. And considering that we will be a few weeks out of the country for our honeymoon, we wanted to check on you before that."

"You bitch! He is mine!", Irene shrieked and started thrashing to what the nurse who was standing on the side approached her and jabbed her with an injection.

Two seconds later, Irene calmed down and her eyes became droopy.

"I hope that you enjoy here…", Liz said. "Because you will be here for a very-very long time. Or do you want to come out? That is an option. There are charges for corporate espionage and kidnapping waiting for you. And we also found out that you worked with Suzy in getting your hands on Max during Hunter's bachelor's party. It's too bad for you that Max never stepped into that strip club, but the good news is that we have a video of you having fun with five men. We can play it for you anytime…"

Irene opened her mouth to say something, but she was heavily drugged, and she only mumbled unintelligibly.

Liz exhaled in relief when they were outside.

"Do you feel better?", Max asked. He didn't want to come here, but Liz said that she needed to see Irene.

"Irene's suffering is not making me feel better. But knowing that she is stuck and can't harm us is doing wonders for my mental wellbeing.", Liz admitted. Every time Liz wakes up from a nightmare, she reminds herself that Irene is imprisoned and that she can't reach them.

"She will never leave this place.", Max said with confidence. He knew what was weighing on Liz's mind.

Max paid extra so that they have access to security footage and anything else related to Irene. He also arranged for Irene to be injected with a miniature GPS tracker so that she can't escape anymore, and Ian created an app that can always show Irene's location and will alert them if it changes. One can never be too confident when it comes to Irene. She is restrained, medicated, missing a leg, guarded, but... Irene is also insane and determined to ruin Max and everything he holds dear.

The moment they stepped through the heavily guarded gate, both Max and Liz smiled like they left all the bad things behind.

The driver waited for Max and Liz and he opened the door for them.

Max and Liz sat in the back seat of the car and held hands with their fingers intertwined. They were happy to be together and that Irene is part of the past. This time for real.

As for Dr. Snow, one week after the kidnapping, Liz received an email from him where he expressed his regret about everything and informed her that he quit his job and is joining an international group of healthcare workers who are providing medical assistance in Africa. Since then, Liz is receiving an email from Dr. Snow every week. He is telling her about his patients and his life there, without asking any questions in return. Liz didn't respond to any of his emails, but that didn't deter him from writing.

Liz knew that this was his way of atoning for what he did, and she hoped that he will find his purpose and happiness without causing any further damage.

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