Chapter 109: F I N A L

Max waited impatiently in the hallway. His thoughts took him back to the past, a past where he thought he felt a kind of happiness next to Irina, but now he knew it was nothing compared to what he felt with Emma. A man dressed in white walked past him, glanced at him, and then continued on his way. The smell of cleaning products irritated him. His stomach was completely unsettled. He looked at his watch; only ten minutes had passed since Horacio had gone in to see Irina. He let out a huff and wished, with all his heart, to leave. To end this chapter of his life with Irina and move on.

He smiled, remembering the room where little Emily would sleep. Eda had taken care of the final touches, and only the crib needed to be assembled. Just thinking about the family he was creating brought him genuine happiness, he had many plans, and that excited him even more.

"Max?" He snapped out of his thoughts and saw Horacio in front of him. He stood up and waited for him to say something. "You can go in to see her, but it will only be for a few minutes. After you leave, we'll talk."

"Alright," he cleared his throat and tensed up. He hadn't seen her since she had stabbed him, and he felt very strange. A nurse from the same psychiatric hospital guided him to the room. The door opened, and as it closed behind him, he realized Irina was sitting on the bed with her back to him. He didn't recognize her at first glance; he hesitated, not seeing her usual long, silky hair. He cleared his throat to get her attention, and she turned her face to the side, then almost completely around. Her eyes widened, and her breathing became unstable.

"M-Max?" she stammered. She couldn't believe it was him; it could be her mind torturing her again. Hadn't Horacio been there just moments ago? She shook her head, covered her face with her hands, and murmured that she no longer knew how to distinguish between real and false. She looked forward again, and he remained still. After a brief moment of murmuring, Irina stood up, turned to see if Max was still there. "It's really you, isn't it?" Max tensed up; the tone she used sent a strong chill down his spine.

"Yes. I wish I could say I'm sorry to see you in this situation or that you evoke even a bit of pity, but remembering the harm you've caused me, you don't deserve it."

"Do you think I care about what you feel or think of me?" Max was surprised by her response; she always cared about what he and the rest of the world thought of her. "I don't care. Not at all. The world can burn, and I want to keep imagining you burning within it, just like the whore you've been with since Hawaii." Max started to get angry when he heard the way she referred to Emma.

"Don't bring Emma into this. You were the one who failed me first," he replied, trying to contain his anger.

"And you took revenge on me by sleeping with her, getting her pregnant." He raised his eyebrows again in surprise; how did she know Emma was pregnant? Irina smiled from ear to ear, crossed her arms, and tilted her head with that smile that could scare anyone.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Because I saw her, Max. I saw her that day with her belly showing under her sweater. Do you remember the day I stabbed you?" She let out a laugh. "I saw her that day. In the days before, I also saw her, and you, your father, Eda. You're all traitors, just like you..."

"I won't allow you to..." Irina interrupted him, walking towards him with a predator's pace.

"You allow me everything; I gave you the best years of my life..."

"How is it that...?" Max didn't finish the question, furrowing his brow and squinting his eyes. "You're pretending to be sick." Irina stopped, showing no emotion or mood at that moment. "From what Horacio said, I thought you were really unwell. I came to close my chapter with you, even to forgive you, but from the minutes we've talked, you seem more sane than anyone else. Do you really think you'll stay here to avoid going to jail for what you did to me?" Irina said nothing. "You might fool Horacio, but not me anymore." Max's anger grew. "You're a fraud, Irina."

"I want to see Max, call Max," Irina's desperate tone made him turn around and knock on the door to leave, but he didn't see Irina coming. She ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his back. "Don't go, Max! I love you! I love you more than my life! I won't hurt you again! Get me out of here before I go crazier! I'm having hallucinations! I'm confusing times! I'm sick, but not enough to be locked up in a damn psychiatric hospital! Get me out of here!" Max took the hands around his stomach and removed them abruptly to put space between them. The door opened, and a tall, burly man dressed as a nurse appeared. Irina, seeing him, started screaming for him not to come near her.

"The visit is over," announced the man. Max looked one last time at Irina being restrained by two men while a third asked her to calm down, saying the sedative would relax her. Max shook his head and walked down the hallway, hearing his ex-fiancée's cries for help in the background.

Horacio, seeing Max coming his way, let out a long sigh of exhaustion. Max arrived and looked at him in silence for a brief moment.

"She's fine, you know that?" Max asked, wanting to see his ex-best friend's reaction. Horacio furrowed his brow.

"What are you talking about?" He seemed genuinely confused by the question.

"Irina is pretending to be sick to avoid going to jail, you know that?" Horacio shook his head.

"She's really sick. The doctors have said so. There are legal documents to prove it. She's mentally ill."

"Horacio, I know you fell in love with Irina and that she manipulated you to her advantage. But she's smart. Don't forget that. Don't let her hurt anyone else. She already hurt an innocent person, hurt me, and hurt you in a way. So prevent anyone else from going through it. Talk to her parents, inform them where she is. I'll notify the relevant authorities where she is, and they'll decide what to do. Irina, one way or another, has to pay for what she did to your baby and what she did to me." Horacio nodded, weighing Max's words. "Well, this is the moment I leave. I'll ask you not to seek me out again. This chapter of my life... is finally closed."

Max waited for the elevator doors to finally open on the penthouse floor. He urgently needed to be with Emma and their baby, wanting to erase the moment with Irina from his mind. He felt relieved to close the chapter with Irina, trusting that the authorities would give her the punishment she deserved, whether in the psychiatric hospital or in jail. But that she had to pay was a fact.

The elevator doors opened, and he found Emma waiting for him. When their eyes met, they didn't say anything for a moment. He stepped out of the elevator and stood in front of her, raising his hand to caress her chin, leaving a kiss on her forehead and then another on the tip of her nose. He knelt down and then kissed Emma's belly. With both hands, he caressed it and brought his face closer.

"Mom and I are eagerly waiting for your arrival, my love." He kissed her belly again and then looked at Emma, who was smiling at Max's gesture. "Let's go to bed." She nodded. Max stood up and took Emma's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, and they began to walk towards the second floor.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Emma asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Tomorrow at breakfast. For tonight..." He stopped one step below when Emma reached the top of the second floor, but still holding her hands. She turned her face and looked at him. "I just want to be with my family."