Chapter 4 - Vanishing into the North
Payton relocated to a quiet, coastal town in Maine under her maiden name, Vance. She purchased a modest, secluded home surrounded by pine trees and overlooking the rocky Atlantic shore.
Using a fraction of her $120 million, she hired a elite team of private obstetricians, high-risk maternal specialists, and 24/7 round-the-clock nurses. Carrying quadruplets was an incredible physical strain, and every week required intense medical monitoring.
By her fourth month of pregnancy, her bump was visibly pronounced. The doctor printed a four-panel ultrasound, showing four distinct, healthy heartbeats.
"All four gestational sacs are thriving, Mrs. Vance," Dr. Aris Thorne declared cheerfully during a routine checkup. "Two boys, two girls. A perfect balance. You're doing an extraordinary job."
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Payton smiled, resting her hands over her swelling bump. For the first time in years, she felt a profound sense of peace. She didn't miss the high-society dinners, the cold politics of the Davis estate, or the hollow luxury of her past life. Her children were her entire world now.
Meanwhile, three thousand miles away in Chicago, Spencer’s life was rapidly unraveling.
