Chapter 45 — Don’t Come Near Me

After breakfast, Poornima moved quietly back upstairs to the room.

Something about the kheer had unsettled her more than she wanted to admit. She didn’t understand why her hands had trembled, or why her chest had suddenly felt tight again.

She shut the bathroom door and turned on the tap.

Water poured into the sink in a steady stream, filling the silence with sound. She stood there for a moment, staring at it, trying to calm her breathing.

But it didn’t help.

Her fingers still shook slightly.

Her thoughts felt… scattered.

And then—

“Poornima.”

Her name.

She flinched instantly.

Veeresh had entered without her noticing.

The sound of his voice alone made something inside her snap sharply. Her panic rose instantly, irrational and overwhelming, as if her mind had suddenly refused to recognize safety.

“Don’t come near me!”

Before he could fully react, she grabbed a small sharp object from the counter in fear and instinctively struck out.

Veeresh caught her wrist immediately.

Not hurting her.

Just stopping her.

“Poornima—”

“I said don’t come near me!” her voice broke, trembling. “I won’t eat anything! Just stay away!”

Her breathing became uneven, panic rising fast now.

Veeresh didn’t let go.

Instead, he stepped closer slowly, carefully, like approaching something fragile.

“It’s me,” he said firmly, voice steady. “Veeresh. Salvatore.”

Her eyes flickered.

Confusion.

Fear.

Recognition trying to fight through something blocking it.

“Poornima, look at me.”

But her body gave up before her mind could respond.

Her grip loosened.

Her knees weakened.

And she collapsed unconscious in his arms.

“Poornima!”

Veeresh caught her immediately, holding her tightly before she could fall.

His jaw clenched as he looked at her pale face.

Without wasting a second, he lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the bathroom.

Carefully.

Fast.

Controlled.

He laid her on the bed gently, his hands steady despite the storm in his eyes.

He quickly called for assistance, changed her out of the slightly damp clothes with care, and made sure she was comfortable under the blanket.

Then he sat beside her again.

Watching.

Waiting.

The silence in the room felt heavier now.

Because Salvatore Dreewan finally understood something clearly—

Her fear wasn’t random.

It was memory breaking through something her mind had locked away for survival.