Chapter 72 — Don’t Leave Me

Poornima stood still in his arms for a moment, breathing unevenly.

Veeresh didn’t rush her.

He just stayed there, steady, waiting.

Slowly, she leaned in.

Her grip on his shirt tightened slightly, like her body made the decision before her thoughts could interfere.

And then she hugged him back.

Veeresh exhaled softly, almost like he had been holding that breath for too long.

“Come back,” he said quietly.

Poornima hesitated.

A small pause where her mind flickered between doubt and exhaustion.

“I… I don’t know,” she whispered.

Veeresh lowered his voice even further.

“Please.”

That one word shifted something.

Not magically.

Not perfectly.

But enough.

Her shoulders dropped slightly.

And in a quieter voice, she said, “Okay…”

Veeresh didn’t wait for the hesitation to return.

He gently cupped her face and kissed her.

Soft.

Careful.

Not demanding.

Poornima froze for a second—

then kissed him back.

It wasn’t perfect.

It wasn’t certain.

But it was real in that moment.

When they finally separated, Veeresh rested his forehead lightly against hers.

His voice came out low and firm.

“Just don’t leave.”

A pause.

“Whatever happens… fight with me. Shout at me. Slap me if you want.”

His fingers tightened slightly—not possessive, but afraid of distance.

“But don’t leave me.”

Poornima looked at him quietly, still trying to process her own emotions.

Veeresh continued, softer now.

“I can take everything else…”

A pause.

“But not you disappearing from me.”

The room stayed silent.

And for the first time in a long time, Poornima didn’t step away immediately.

She just stood there in his space—torn between memory, fear, and something her heart still couldn’t fully name.

Chapter 73 — A New Rule

The Dreewan mansion felt different that evening.

Not tense like before.

Not heavy.

Almost… settled.

Mr. Dreewan looked at Poornima when she entered and for once there was no calculation in his eyes, only relief.

“Beta,” he said gently, “don’t leave again like that.”

A pause.

“Even if you get angry… shoot him, beat him… but don’t leave the house.”

Poornima blinked at him for a second, then gave a small, uncertain smile.

Mrs. Dreewan stepped forward and softly tied a black thread around Poornima’s wrist.

“Never remove this, beta,” she said quietly. “It will keep you safe.”

Poornima looked at it for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Veeresh watched all of it in silence.

Then he gently took Poornima’s hand.

“Come,” he said.

He led her upstairs to their room.

Once inside, the door closed, and the noise of the house faded.

Veeresh turned to her.

“Poons… look at me.”

Poornima did.

Her eyes were tired, but calmer than before.

Veeresh’s voice softened.

“Anything you feel… tell me. Don’t hold it inside.”

Poornima hesitated slightly.

“Anything?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said immediately. “Anything.”

A pause.

Then she nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

Veeresh studied her for a moment, then asked carefully, “Are you consulting any doctor right now?”

Poornima nodded.

“Yes.”

Veeresh exhaled slowly. “Can we visit once together?”

She looked at him, thinking for a moment.

Then she nodded again.

“Yes.”

But then her expression shifted slightly—less calm now.

“Salvatore…” she said quietly, “I don’t want the same questions every time… and more tablets.”

Veeresh’s jaw tightened slightly.

She continued, voice lower.

“That doctor is my dad’s friend… I don’t trust him.”

Silence.

Veeresh stepped closer.

“You won’t go to him again,” he said firmly.

Poornima looked up. “What?”

Veeresh repeated, calmer but final.

“No more listening to your father in this.”

A pause.

“You will choose your doctor. We will choose together.”

Poornima stared at him for a second.

Then slowly nodded.

“Yes… I won’t.”

Veeresh’s expression softened slightly.

“Good.”

A quiet pause settled between them.

Not fixed.

Not healed.

But for the first time—

she wasn’t being controlled from every side anymore.

And Veeresh wasn’t just reacting.

He was finally building something stable for her to stand on.

Chapter 74 — Can Someone Like Me Love?

The room was quiet after their conversation.

Poornima sat near the headboard, absentmindedly playing with the black thread Mrs. Dreewan had tied around her wrist.

Veeresh stood near the balcony for a while before finally turning toward her again.

There was something unusual in his expression tonight.

Not anger.

Not control.

Something uncertain.

He walked back slowly and sat beside her.

For a few seconds, he said nothing.

Then quietly asked,

“Poornima… do you think someone like me can love?”

She looked up immediately.

The question itself surprised her.

Because Veeresh Dreewan never sounded unsure of himself.

Ever.

Poornima studied him silently for a moment before speaking.

“You really want my answer?”

Veeresh nodded once.

“Yes.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

Small.

Soft.

“You can.”

Veeresh’s eyes stayed on her.

Poornima leaned back slightly, thinking carefully before continuing.

“You know why?”

A pause.

“Because people who cannot love… never worry about whether they can.”

Silence.

Veeresh’s expression shifted faintly.

Poornima continued softly,

“You care too much for someone who says he’s heartless.”

A small breath escaped her.

“You notice everything about me.”

“The moment my breathing changes…”

“The moment I panic…”

“The way I sleep…”

“The medicines…”

“The things that scare me…”

Her voice lowered slightly.

“Even when I push you away, you still come back.”

Veeresh didn’t interrupt.

Poornima looked at him quietly now.

“That’s not obsession anymore, Salvatore.”

A pause.

“That’s love trying to happen.”

Something moved behind Veeresh’s eyes at those words.

Poornima smiled faintly again.

“You just don’t know how to show it normally.”

That made him huff out the slightest laugh.

And for the first time in days, the tension between them eased.

Veeresh looked down briefly before asking in a lower voice,

“And what if I ruin it?”

Poornima’s expression softened.

“You already did once,” she admitted honestly.

The words hit him, but she didn’t stop there.

“But you stayed after ruining it.”

A pause.

“That’s the difference.”

Silence settled again.

Comfortable this time.

Then Poornima leaned lightly against his shoulder.

And Veeresh, without saying another word, wrapped an arm around her carefully—as though holding something precious still felt unfamiliar in his hands.

Chapter 75 — Mine in Every Lifetime

That night felt quieter than the others.

No arguments.

No panic.

No running away.

Just silence and exhaustion after too many emotions.

Poornima had fallen asleep in Veeresh’s arms without even realizing it.

No sleeping pills.

No forced sleep.

Just her body finally giving in to comfort.

Her head rested against his chest while one of her hands loosely held his shirt, like some part of her still needed to make sure he was there.

Veeresh looked down at her for a long time.

Carefully.

Almost intensely.

The dim light of the room softened her features, making her look younger… more fragile than the strong woman the world saw outside.

And suddenly all the truths he learned about her hit differently.

The juvenile torture.

The shock treatments.

The fear.

The forgetting.

The loneliness.

Someone had broken her mind piece by piece—

and somehow she still found a way to trust him.

Even after what he had done.

Veeresh slowly brushed his fingers through her hair and pressed a lingering kiss against her forehead.

“I would never leave you,” he murmured quietly.

His voice was low, almost dangerous in its certainty.

“Not now. Not after this.”

Poornima shifted slightly in her sleep, unconsciously moving closer to him.

That small movement did something to him.

Something possessive.

Something deeper than love and far more consuming.

Because Veeresh realized he no longer saw her as someone temporary in his life.

She had become part of him.

Necessary.

Like breathing.

Like instinct.

His arm tightened around her waist slightly.

Not enough to hurt.

Just enough to feel her there.

Safe.

“With me,” he whispered.

His eyes stayed fixed on her sleeping face.

“You’re everything I want.”

The confession came easier in the dark.

No walls.

No ego.

No Salvatore mask.

Just obsession stripped down into honesty.

Veeresh had spent years controlling empires, men, fear, violence—

but nothing had ever consumed him the way Poornima did.

Not because she obeyed him.

Not because she belonged to him legally.

But because somewhere between revenge and protection…

she became the only person capable of calming the chaos inside him.

And that terrified him.

Because Salvatore Dreewan was not built for soft things.

Yet here he was—

holding her like losing her would destroy him completely.

His thumb slowly brushed over her wrist, over the black thread his mother tied earlier.

A strange calm settled in him.

Then his thoughts darkened again.

If anyone touched her now…

hurt her…

tried to erase her again—

he knew he would become merciless.

Not for revenge anymore.

For her.

Because Veeresh was no longer fighting to own Poornima.

He was fighting because his entire existence had quietly started revolving around keeping her alive, sane, and beside him.