Dil ke Karib (Early Acess Ch 13)

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The rain had stopped.

Outside the open window, the last drops clung to leaves, trembling like secrets not yet told. Inside, Nandini was wrapping her saree with her damp hair wrapped in a towel as she heard a throat clear behind her. She turned and saw Rajeev standing there. She quickly fixed her pallu and stared at him.

“I spoke to Maa — told her not to give you any heavy work. Your leg needs rest,” Rajeev said, looking anywhere but at her.

Nandini stared at him, not knowing how to react to his unexpected kindness. She felt a mix of gratitude and confusion as he left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She combed her hair, touched the mirror, and applied her sindoor. For the first time, a smile crept onto her lips as she realized Rajeev’s gesture had touched her heart. He had always been kind, but this quiet act made her see him in a new light. She couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to their relationship than she had once believed.

She fixed her pallu over her head and stepped out of the room, a warmth blooming in her chest. The possibility of a deeper connection with Rajeev lingered in her mind as she went about her day, eager to see where it might lead.

Her foot still ached from the sprain she’d gotten slipping on wet grass, but the pain faded into the background as her thoughts wandered to him.

As Rajeev had said, there wasn’t much she could do. Her mother-in-law taunted her, refusing to let her take on heavy chores like washing clothes or scrubbing floors. So she cooked and managed the lighter tasks that didn’t strain her leg.

Despite the limits, she found solace in Rajeev’s quiet presence — in how he had begun to make space for her. Even her mother-in-law’s scolding seemed different now, as though it were a rigid form of concern. Maybe this was her way of showing care.

A woman with a tainted reputation, dragged before the panchayat, orphaned, poor, and without dowry— yet this family had taken her in. They had been kind, protective even, offering her a sense of belonging she had never known. But did she deserve it? Could she ever repay them for giving her a place in this world?

These questions haunted her more than the pain in her leg.

It was evening when Rajeev and the others returned from the fields, tired and sunburnt from a long day’s work.

Despite the storm in her chest, Nandini smiled and served dinner with quiet grace. It felt almost instinctive now.

But Vikrant’s gaze made her skin crawl.

He looked at her as if peeling back the veil with his eyes alone. That voice — the same one that had once whispered lies under moonlight — tightened something in her stomach. No matter how far she tried to bury the past, it clawed its way back through him.

She couldn’t let him see her face. Not fully. Not here. If he did, the fragile peace she’d found in this home would crumble.

The clang of the spoon was louder than it should’ve been. Her breath hitched as Vikrant leaned forward, voice sickeningly sweet — and sharp like sugarcane splinters.

“Bhabi, can you give me some dal…?” he said with a smirk, licking his finger, eyes glinting as he caught a glimpse of her through the veil.

She turned away quickly, heart pounding.

The ladle clinked against the pot. Her fingers trembled, warm dal sloshing dangerously close to the rim. Vikrant’s smirk wasn’t just disturbing — it was a reminder: some ghosts don’t stay buried.

She had to talk to Rajeev.

Vikrant — his cousin — was the man who had betrayed her. The man who defiled her trust and her body with false promises dressed as love. Who watched her fall and disappeared, letting her reputation burn.

Her ears still rang with the jeers of the panchayat, the shame thick in her throat as she had stood there with her pallu clutched like a lifeline. Would Rajeev still look at her with softness if he knew? Or would he believe Vikrant—blood over truth?

She couldn’t carry this weight alone anymore. Not with Vikrant so close. Not with her heart slowly opening to Rajeev.

Tonight, the silence would end — not with fury, but with truth.

Not with shame, but with the hope that love, fragile and flickering, might still find its way through the wreckage.

******

✨ Author’s Note ✨

Hey loves! 🌟 I hope you're feeling the heat in this chapter because things are about to get INTENSE! 🔥 There’s a lot of tension brewing between Nandini, Rajeev, and Vikrant... and trust me, it’s only the beginning. 😏

I know the plot is moving slow, very slow, but I promise you—it’s totally worth it. Every little moment counts, and the tension is only building for what’s to come. 🙌

Nandini’s heart is starting to open up to Rajeev’s quiet kindness, but Vikrant’s shadow looms over her past. Will she ever be able to trust again? And will Rajeev stand by her once he knows the truth? 🤔

I’d love to hear what you think — do you feel the simmering chemistry between Nandini and Rajeev? Or do you think the past might just come crashing back? Let me know your thoughts below! 👇💬

If you’re enjoying the story so far, please don’t forget to like, comment, and share! Your support means everything! 💖
Until next time, loves! ✨

Until next time, Lovelies. 🌙

Shaar Shree. 😉