Dear Ex-wife, Marry Me novel Chapter 1609

He concocted a potion, the kind that could bewitch a mind completely, but even with all his might, he could only create three doses. The ingredients were scarce, you see."

"You mean that hallucinogenic stuff you mentioned, Doctor?"

She let out a sardonic chuckle, "Hallucinogens are child's play compared to his concoction. His potion could make a person so compliant they'd do anything he commanded. How he came up with it, I've no clue. Of course, the higher-ups are in the dark too. Anyway, he's likely long gone. After he left, the base was thrown into chaos for a while. They even issued a manhunt, insisting he be brought back."

But they never caught him. Eric was a slippery one - if he wanted, he'd always stay hidden.

"After he left, I kept wondering how to replicate that potion. But he torched all his data. What I managed to piece together could only hypnotize someone into spilling the truth, and even then, just enough to smuggle out items for me."

"So that map, that must've been carried out by Summer himself, without his own knowledge."

Sarah arched an eyebrow, surprised.

"Why do you suspect him?"

"It's a bold guess, but if the Doctor wants me to take him out, it means you can't stand the guy. But we cores of the base barely meet, let alone know each other's pasts. You despise Philip and his mentor too, yet you're not rushing to off them. That tells me your beef with Summer is personal, something outside these walls. You've been outside before, haven't you? You also mentioned your unstable health, and then dropped Eric's name. Looks like you've got a dual set of memories in that head of yours."

Sarah lit up another cigarette, her lips curving into what looked more like a wry smile.

"You're sharp, alright. My memories are patchy. I've been in this place for years, and they've only started coming back in fragments. But I always felt something missing, an elusive sensation, until I overhead Philip and Phil's chat. It was like a bat to the head. I finally got why I've been living like a zombie. That year, Summer brought me here, so full of himself, thinking he could get me out whole. I was experimented on; my memories ended up in someone else's brain - in Sarah's."

Ian furrowed his brow, studying her closely before whispering, "But you haven't woken up; initially, it was Sarah's memories that dominated."

"That's one way to put it. But the guy running the experiment kicked the bucket. He had intended to upload the data, but it failed. By all rights, I'm the first successful case of human experimentation. But unlike Eric, who got someone else's memories implanted, this body isn't mine. My real body was probably taken by Summer. Nobody who enters the facility is supposed to leave alive. My body was drugged, and as the poison worked its way through, I'd go blind, deaf, lose all sense of the outside world, and finally die of fear. It's a slow poison. But that bastard Summer had no idea about the poison. I bet he wasn't gentle with my body either. Being blind would've suited him just fine."

The disdain in her eyes was unmistakable as she spoke of Summer. Nobody knew the exact nature of their past conflict.

Ian wasn't about to pry, especially since he didn't know this Summer character either.

Sarah didn't want to reveal too much. It was enough for him to know that she had once saved Eric. With that, they could move on to their next transaction amicably.

"Doctor, give me two days, and I'll deal with Summer. Then we can figure out how to get out of here, preferably within a fortnight."

"Just don't let him off too easy."