The morning sunlight poured through the tall glass windows of the penthouse, but it couldn’t warm the air between them. Veeresh stood near the mirror, buttoning his charcoal suit jacket — precise, calm, every movement deliberate.

Poornima walked out from the guest room, still silent from last night’s harsh words. Her eyes were red from crying, her voice gone quiet, as though she had run out of strength to fight.

Without looking at her, Veeresh said flatly,

“Get ready. We’re going to the wedding.”

Poornima froze. “What wedding?”

He turned then, his gaze sharp. “Your ex’s. My stepbrother. And your sister.”

Her breath hitched, the color draining from her face. “No,” she said softly. “I can’t.”

Veeresh smirked slightly — a smile with no warmth, only mockery.

“Why not? Shouldn’t we congratulate them? After all, it’s such a… perfect match.”

“Stop it,” Poornima said, her voice trembling.

He stepped closer, lowering his voice to a whisper that cut sharper than any shout.

“Oh, come on, Mrs. Rajawat. It’ll be fun watching you smile for their happiness. Watching you pretend you’ve moved on.”

Her anger snapped. She grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, her voice breaking.

“You love it, don’t you? Putting salt on my wounds?”

Veeresh didn’t flinch. His expression didn’t change — if anything, his eyes darkened.

“What about you?” he said, his voice low, calm, almost too calm.

“When you and your friends laughed at me, made me feel like dirt in school and college. When you humiliated me to impress my brother… did it feel good then?”

Poornima’s fingers trembled against his collar. Her throat went dry.

“I—” she couldn’t finish.

Veeresh leaned in slightly, his voice dangerous but soft.

“No words, right?”

He gently removed her hand from his collar and straightened his suit. His tone was final, almost emotionless.

“Get ready. We leave in an hour.”

Poornima stood frozen as he walked past her. Every word, every step of his felt like a punishment she couldn’t escape.

When the door to his study closed behind him, she finally let her tears fall.

How ironic, she thought bitterly — once, she had mocked his silence. Now, his silence was destroying her piece by piece.

But deep down, even through the pain, one thing was clear — Veeresh Rajawat wasn’t just taking revenge anymore.

He was making her live through every ounce of what he once felt — helpless, humiliated, and bound to him with no escape.