The mansion was unusually quiet that night. Most of the staff had retired early, the corridors empty, the kitchen dark. Veeresh returned late from Rathore Industries, his shoulders heavy with work, his head throbbing with a pounding ache.

He loosened his tie and sat on the couch, pressing his temples. Tea… I need tea, he thought, but there was no one around. His eyes flickered toward Poornima’s room. He hesitated—he never liked disturbing her. Still, the pain grew unbearable.

Finally, he walked softly into her room. She was curled under the blanket, fast asleep. For a moment, he just stood there, watching her face in the dim light. Peaceful. Gentle. A rare calmness he never admitted he admired.

He cleared his throat lightly. “Poornima…”

She stirred, blinking her eyes open. “Hmm?”

Veeresh looked away, almost awkward. “Tea… my head is spinning. I… can’t.”

Her tired eyes softened. Without a word of complaint, she sat up. “Okay. Wait.”

A few minutes later, she returned with a steaming cup of tea and a covered dinner plate. Setting them on the table, she poured him a cup and pushed it toward him.

Veeresh took a sip, the warmth easing his pain. “Thanks.”

“You haven’t eaten, have you?” she asked quietly.

He stayed silent. She uncovered the plate—simple chapati, sabzi, and dal. “Eat. Slowly. Food won’t run away,” she teased gently, placing water near him.

For the first time that day, a small smile flickered on his lips. He obeyed, eating silently, hungrily. Poornima watched, her heart tugging as she realized he hadn’t eaten since afternoon.

She didn’t say much, just kept refilling his water, making sure he ate enough. The silence between them wasn’t cold—it was slowly becoming something else. Something fragile. Something new.

When he finally leaned back with a sigh of relief, he murmured, “Better.”

Poornima only smiled faintly. “Good. Now sleep.”

And for the first time in a long while, Veeresh went to bed feeling cared for—not by duty, not by formality, but by someone who seemed to see his exhaustion and heal it quietly.