Chapter 3 - Disappearing into the Night
Three days passed in a blur of hospital checkups, quiet feedings, and secret preparations as Claire executed her departure strategy under the radar of Graham's administrative team. Rejecting the luxury penthouse apartments offered by Graham's legal representatives, she booked a modest flight out of O'Hare under a completely private travel itinerary funded by her own modest savings. Packing a single canvas duffel bag with infant supplies and a few changes of clothes, she dressed Owen in a soft cotton blanket and held him tightly against her chest.
The city of Chicago slipped past her taxi window in a blur of gray concrete and autumn rain, mirroring the cold indifference of the man she had once tried so hard to love. Arriving at a quiet regional terminal, she stepped onto a turboprop plane bound for the Pacific Northwest, leaving behind the towering skyscrapers of Mercer Components and the oppressive weight of the Ashford estate. As the aircraft lifted off into the clouds, Claire looked down at her sleeping son and whispered that they were finally free.
