Petra did not mention the number again.
That was one of the reasons Wren trusted her. Petra took what she needed from a conversation and left the rest where it had landed. She had heard thirteen months, understood what the figure meant, and returned to work without forcing Wren to repeat an honest moment until it became performance.
At 2:04 the next morning, Wren was alone in the kitchen, checking the overnight stock against the flour requisitions, when the bond shifted.
The reaction was sharper than its ordinary directional pull: the difference between knowing north existed and feeling north walk toward the door.
The service latch moved at 2:09.
Caelum entered carrying a thin supply folder beneath one arm. He did not reach for the mug first. That difference mattered. He placed the fo
