CHAPTER 113 — THE SHAPE OF ABSENCE
The announcement did not cause an uproar.
That was the first thing Elena noticed.
No alarms. No frantic calls. No public outrage or dramatic backlash. The statement was released exactly as she had instructed—measured, restrained, precise in its wording. It emphasized transition, decentralization, and continuity. It made no mention of retreat, no suggestion of crisis.
And yet.
Within minutes, the silence became heavy.
Absence, Elena had learned, was never loud at first. It revealed itself in hesitation. In the pause before action. In the subtle recalibration of people who suddenly realized the center they had been orbiting was no longer fixed.
She stood in the study as the confirmation reached its final recipients, her hands resting lightly on the back of a chair she did not sit in. The estate was unusually quiet. Not tense—anticipatory.
