The Rathore mansion buzzed with excitement that morning.

Servants rushed around, arranging flowers, preparing her favorite dishes, decorating the entrance as if a festival had arrived.

Because in a way, it had.

Poornima Azeez was coming home.

After years in London.

After building a life away from her family.

After burying every piece of her past—including the man standing stiffly at the entrance, trying not to feel anything.

Veeresh.

He stood beside Rehan, expression cold, posture straight, every emotion locked so deeply that no one could see through him.

No one except himself.

He heard the car.

He heard the excitement.

He heard Rehan’s voice light up for the first time in months.

But the moment she stepped out—

Veeresh forgot how to breathe.

She wasn’t the girl who left crying in the rain.

She wasn’t the fragile child who confessed love with trembling hands.

She walked out like a queen.

Confident.

Sharp.

Beautiful in a way that wasn’t soft, but powerful.

Her hair was longer, her eyes fiercer, her steps determined and graceful.

This wasn’t the girl he broke.

This was a woman he no longer deserved to even look at.

She didn’t look at him.

Not even once.

Not even accidentally.

Her eyes swept over the entire welcome party—except him.

She walked right past him like he was air.

Invisible.

Unimportant.

The silent punishment cut deeper than any insult.

---

“Daddy!”

The moment she saw Rehan, her entire face lit up.

She threw her bags down and ran straight into her father’s arms.

Rehan hugged her tightly, eyes shining.

“Happy to see you here, beta. So happy.”

“Missed you, Papa,” she whispered, her voice soft only for him.

She hugged her mother next—warm, tight, affectionate.

Then Agasthya lifted her off the ground in a spinning hug, both laughing loudly.

The whole family was glowing.

Except the man standing a few feet away, hands behind him, eyes lowered, expression perfectly blank.

Veeresh.

He didn’t expect her to hug him.

He didn’t expect her to smile at him.

But he didn’t expect…

complete erasure.

It burned.

More than he wanted to admit.

---

The Announcement

After the emotional reunion, Rehan proudly declared,

“From today, your bodyguard will be Veeresh. He’s the only one I trust with your security.”

A silence fell.

Poornima’s smile vanished.

Her eyes—those sharp, cold eyes—finally shifted toward Veeresh.

Not with surprise.

Not with softness.

With pure, controlled disdain.

“No, Dad,” she said clearly.

Rehan blinked. “Beta—”

“I don’t need any bodyguard.”

“Poornima—”

“And even if I do,” she said, voice steady as steel, eyes locked on Veeresh with palpable hatred,

“I don’t need him.”

A knife would have hurt less.

Agasthya glanced nervously between them.

Rehan’s smile dimmed.

Poornima didn’t wait for arguments.

She picked up her suitcase and walked past everyone, her footsteps sharp, echoing her anger.

She didn’t look back.

Not even once.

She disappeared into the hallway leading to her room, the sound of her door closing echoing like a verdict.

---

Veeresh Remains Still

Every eye turned toward him.

But Veeresh’s expression didn’t move.

Didn’t flinch.

Didn’t betray the pain slicing through his chest.

His voice remained low, controlled.

“Sir,” he said, breaking the heavy silence, “we need to leave. You have a meeting in forty minutes.”

Rehan stared at him, frustration mixed with sympathy.

“Alright,” he finally said.

Veeresh nodded and stepped aside to let Rehan walk ahead.

But before leaving, Rehan looked back at him—and at the closed door behind which his daughter sat silently.

“They say time changes everything,” Rehan murmured. “But sometimes… it breaks things beyond repair.”

Veeresh didn’t reply.

He simply lowered his gaze and followed Rehan out of the mansion.

The door closed behind them.

And Poornima’s cold hatred lingered in the air like a scent he couldn’t escape.