Chapter 71: A Restless Night

The night grew darker.

The highway stretched endlessly ahead.

Veeresh sat behind the steering wheel of his SUV, the headlights cutting through the darkness as he drove towards Bikaner.

The roads were mostly empty.

Soft music played on the radio, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

He smiled to himself.

"Poons must be waiting."

He remembered how she had scolded him over the phone.

"How could you forget your migraine tablets?"

A smile escaped his lips.

Veeresh (to himself): "She worries so much."

He continued driving, determined to reach Bikaner before morning.

Back in Bikaner...

The entire house had gone to sleep after dinner.

Mahendra and Mahesh were asleep.

Haji and Shabana had also retired for the night.

The children were sleeping peacefully after an exciting day.

Only one room still had its light on.

Poornima sat near the window, wrapped in a shawl.

Her phone rested in her hands.

She kept looking at the screen every few minutes.

There was no new message.

She remembered his last text.

"I'm driving. Will reach soon. Don't worry, Poons."

Instead of feeling relieved...

Her heart became even more restless.

She looked at the clock.

Midnight had passed.

She tried lying down.

Within a minute, she sat up again.

Sleep refused to come.

She held her mangalsutra tightly.

Closing her eyes, she whispered,

Poornima: "Please keep him safe."

She touched the sindoor in the parting of her hair.

Poornima: "Protect him from every obstacle."

She folded her hands again.

Poornima: "His migraine... please don't let it trouble him while he's driving."

Her eyes became moist.

She wasn't asking for anything else.

Just one thing.

"Bring him back safely."

Every few minutes, she unlocked her phone.

No message.

No call.

She looked out of the window towards the silent night sky.

Somewhere, hundreds of kilometres away, Veeresh was driving alone on the highway.

Poornima quietly continued praying.

She didn't know why her heart felt so uneasy.

She only knew that she wouldn't truly be at peace...

Until Veeresh walked through the door and she saw him safe with her own eyes.