The penthouse was unusually quiet. Poornima stood in the hallway, listening to Veeresh’s calm, decisive voice from the study.

“I’m leaving for London for a basketball match,” he said, his tone flat, unwavering. “Pack our things. We leave tonight.”

Poornima blinked. “M-me too?” she asked hesitantly, her voice betraying her nervousness.

Veeresh turned slightly, his dark eyes cold and steady. “Don’t you understand what I meant?”

Realizing the futility of arguing, she swallowed and nodded. “O-okay. I’ll pack.”

He didn’t reply further. With the same composed precision that had defined him for years, he returned to his study, leaving Poornima alone with her thoughts.

Akudu, she whispered silently, using the nickname she had once hated. This is his way — his rules. If I want this marriage to survive, I have to change too.

Determined, she opened her wardrobe and carefully packed all necessities into a single trolley bag. Clothes, toiletries, and small personal items — nothing unnecessary. She moved deliberately, forcing herself to focus, to act, to obey.

After finishing, she went to freshen up, her reflection in the mirror showing a woman still tense but trying to stand taller, hold herself together.

Veeresh returned a little while later. He glanced at her briefly, his sharp eyes assessing without comment. Then, without a word, he simply collapsed onto the sofa and slept, leaving Poornima to her own space.

She quietly retreated to the guest room, her bag at her side. Lying on the bed, she let out a long, shaky breath. The weight of the past, the guilt, the heartbreak — all of it lingered, but for the first time, she tried to push it aside.

No more Pavan, she whispered to herself. He’s my past. Veeresh… he’s my present.

Her fingers traced the edges of the trolley bag, a symbol of the night ahead — a journey not just to London, but into the world Veeresh had created, a world of strict rules, cold control, and silent dominance.

I have to survive him, she thought. I have to obey, I have to learn… but I will give this marriage a chance. No more regrets. No more running. No more hiding.

With that resolve, Poornima closed her eyes. Sleep came quickly, but her mind remained alert, already preparing for the storm that was Veeresh Rajawat.

Tonight, she would leave the penthouse as a wife. Tomorrow, she would start learning the rules of a marriage where love, respect, and fear were all intertwined — and where Veeresh Rajawat held every card.