Dil Ke Karib (Early Access CH 46)

🎉 How was the last chapter? Comment down your thoughts.

🛎️ New to Nandini and Rajeev’s world? No worries! Catch up on Dil ke Karib (Chapters 1–43) on my website before diving in. Her story is just getting started… 💔✨

🔥 Don’t miss:
📖 Read: “Married to My Brother-in-Law, In Love with His Brother” — a forbidden 1950s romance filled with duty, desire, and defiance.

✨ Two stories. One unforgettable journey.

Now, let’s dive back into the latest chapter… 👇

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Chapter 46: Counting Days✨

Night slid over the courtyard like ink spilled across stone. The jasmine’s faint perfume mingled with the cooling air, and the last warmth of the day clung stubbornly to the walls.

Rajeev crouched by the shattered clay pot, his fingers brushing the jagged edges. Each shard caught the moonlight like a blade—a silent reminder of Virkant’s temper and how easily peace could splinter.

Soft steps padded behind him.
“Ji…” Nandini’s voice trembled in the stillness. “Are you hurt?”

He rose, meeting her eyes. “Not a scratch. But it’s a warning. His anger’s growing.”

She stepped closer. He closed the gap, his hand settling on her arm—not casually, but as if anchoring her to him. Her skin prickled at his touch.

“I don’t like seeing him like that,” she murmured. “It’s… dangerous.”

A faint scrape echoed from somewhere in the courtyard. Rajeev’s gaze shifted toward the door, his voice dropping. “That’s why I need to be near you. Always. To protect you… and our child.”

The words hung between them like a fragile thread.

“I know you won’t let anything happen,” she whispered.

They gathered the shards together, their fingers brushing—a quiet signal that neither would stand alone.

“Go and rest,” he said gently. “I’ll keep watch.”

She caught his wrist before he could move away. “No. Come with me. We face whatever comes—together.”

He didn’t argue. Inside, the door clicked shut. The quiet pressed in, broken only by their steady breathing.

On the bed, Nandini leaned into his shoulder with a soft sigh.
“You know I’m scared,” she said.

His fingers laced with hers. “I’m here.”

She tilted her face toward him. “I’m not scared for me. I’m scared for Sobha.”

Rajeev’s eyes softened, brushing her hair back from her face. "We'll protect her," he promised, his voice steady.

“But she’s with him now,” Nandini pressed. “Alone.”

“If he dares, he’ll regret it.” Rajeev said firmly, his jaw clenched. “Why do you think we keep both of them here in our house?”

Realization widened her eyes. “To keep her safe.”

“Exactly. We won’t let anything happen to Sobha.” Relief flickered, shadowed by lingering unease.

“I still don’t understand why she agreed to marry him.”

Rajeev moved to the window, his eyes tracking the darkness as if it might answer her question. “Because she’s counting the days,” he said at last. “Waiting for the right moment to strike.”

He paused, one hand gripping the sill. Outside, something shifted — or maybe it was only the wind.

“Sometimes our pain is heavier than fear,” he continued quietly. “Sobha didn’t marry Vikrant out of love. She married him to bring him down from within.”

“You knew?” Nandini’s voice was a whisper.

“Yes. Bhai found her at the cliff’s edge.” His voice dropped, almost lost to the whispering wind outside. “She wasn’t screaming. Wasn’t crying. Just… still. The waves were crashing so loud you could feel them in your bones, but she didn’t even blink. The wind tore at her sari like claws, and she didn’t move to stop it. When he called her name, she didn’t flinch.”

A faint thump echoed beyond the door. Nandini’s gaze darted to the curtain, but Rajeev’s hand tightened on hers, steadying her.

“She was ready to let go,” he finished.

“This marriage,” Rajeev said, turning toward her, “wasn’t salvation. It was a weapon.”

Nandini’s breath caught in her dry throat as images flashed in her mind: Sobha in a bridal veil, the cliff wind whipping her hair, and the glint in her eyes like sharpened steel.

“But marriage can’t erase what’s happened to her,” she murmured.

“It wasn’t about erasing,” Rajeev replied, taking her hand. “It was about giving her a weapon—a reason to keep living.”

“She’ll destroy herself if she keeps putting herself in danger.”

“She won’t listen to reason,” Rajeev admitted with a sigh. “Before, she had already chosen death. Now, at least, she believes she has some control over her fate.”

“Still… we don’t know how cruel Virkant can be,” Nandini said. “We need to protect her without pushing her away.”

“Sobha and Bhai have a plan,” Rajeev replied. “All we can do is wait… and support them.”

Nandini opened her mouth. “But what if—”

A shadow slid across the thin curtain.
A floorboard outside groaned under a heavy step.
The bitter scent of tobacco drifted in.

Silence.

*****

✨ Author’s Note ✨

Okay but WAIT—did that chapter not feel like sitting in the dark with your heart in your throat?! 😱 Between Rajeev’s quiet protectiveness, Nandini’s fear, and Sobha basically using her own marriage as a weapon (iconic, terrifying, heartbreaking—all at once) … my brain is still spinning. 🤯

And can we talk about that cliff flashback? 🥺 Girl was staring down the ocean like, “waves, do your worst.” Absolute chills. Then the ending? A shadow, a creak, and that whiff of tobacco smoke?? Please. WHO gave Virkant permission to be this scary?? 🚨

I swear, this chapter had me whispering “don’t breathe, don’t move” at my own laptop. 🙃 These characters are out here playing with my blood pressure. And yes—I wrote all this. God, I’m dangerous. Men, careful. 😏🔥

So tell me 👇
➡️ Do you think Sobha’s plan will actually work, or is she playing too dangerous a game? 🎭
➡️ And be honest—did that last scene make you want to hide under your blanket, or was it just me? 😂

Drop your wild theories in the comments—I live for your chaos and detective brain. 🕵️‍♀️✨

And if you’re new here… why are you starting at Chapter 46, bestie?? 😏 Go binge from Chapter 1 on Wattpad or catch up on my website. 📖💫

Until the next round of nail-biting drama… stay hydrated and keep your lights on. 🥵👀

— Shaar Shree 💃