After dinner, Kate excused herself to take a work call from a supplier in a different time zone. Martha and Jolthar were left alone in the dining room with empty plates and the particular silence that meant someone was about to breach a difficult topic.
Martha started clearing dishes. Jolthar helped, following her into the kitchen.
She rinsed plates with mechanical efficiency, not looking at him.
"We should talk," she said finally. "About last night."
Jolthar set down the dish he'd been holding. "Alright."
"I don't..." Martha paused, organizing her thoughts with the same precision she brought to academic work. "I don't fully understand what happened. What I felt. The memories that aren't mine but feel more real than my actual childhood." She finally looked at him. "But I can't keep pretending it didn't happen."
"I know."
"Do you?" Her voice sharpened slightly. "Because you've been very calm about all of this. Very controlled. Like you expected it."
