Dil Ke Karib (Early Acess Ch 29

🎉 How was the last chapter? Will Raghav and Rajeev finally team up to tackle Vikrant?

🛎️ New to Nandini and Rajeev’s world? No worries! Catch up on Dil ke Karib (Chapters 1–28) on my website before diving in. Her story is just getting started… 💔✨

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Married to My Brother-in-Law, In Love with His Brother — dropping Mon–Fri at 9 PM
Dil ke Karib — continuing Mon–Fri at 9 AM

✨ Two stories. Two time slots. One unforgettable journey.

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

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Chapter 29 — The Door That Should Have Stayed Open

The sun slanted through the windows in lazy beams, painting warm stripes across the bedroom floor. Nandini sat by the mirror, oiling her hair slowly. Each movement was deliberate—measured, almost ceremonial. Her thoughts drifted to Rajeev, to the quiet way he had promised.

“I’ll be back before the stars show. Before the shadows stretch.”

She had nodded then, believing him. She still did.

For the first time in days, her breath moved freely. The silence of the house wasn’t heavy—it was soft. She lit an incense stick, tucked the corner of her pallu over her shoulder, and hummed under her breath.

But then she heard it.

A creak. Faint, but wrong. Not from the wooden hand fan or the shifting walls. Footsteps. Inside.

She froze.

She heard it again—a step, then stillness. Someone was in the room.

The air shifted. That kind of stillness that doesn’t feel natural—a pause between a blink and a scream.

A shadow moved just outside the doorway.

And then Vikrant stepped inside.

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Oh, poor Nandini, did Rajeev leave you alone again?” he said, like a compliment.

Nandini stood. Her hand instinctively found the edge of the dressing table, gripping it.

“Leave my home or I will shout,” she said, voice steady but thin.

“Go on, scream.” He glanced at his watch. “I have all the time. You think they’ll run to help you? Or ask, What did you do to deserve it?”

The words dropped like stones.

She turned fast, moving to the hallway—but the door slammed shut before she could reach it. The click of the lock was deafening.

“You think he can protect you?” Vikrant stepped closer. “He can’t even protect himself. He doesn’t know what you are.”

“I’m not yours to talk about,” she snapped, the defiance rising sharp in her throat. “You lost that right long ago.”

“I never lost it.” His voice dropped. “You gave it to me. Remember?”

Her skin crawled.

She tried the door. Pulled. Pushed. Nothing.

“You don’t have to do this,” she said, her voice barely audible.

“I’m not doing anything,” Vikrant said, stepping closer. “I just want to talk. Like before. You used to listen.”

Nandini backed away. Her heartbeat roared in her ears.

“One more step and I scream,” she said, the threat barely holding.

But he didn’t stop. His smile faltered—cracked into something feral.

“I told you I’d never leave you, Nandini. You’re the one who ran.”

She grabbed the lamp from the bedside and raised it, her hands trembling.

“Don’t touch me,” she said. “I swear—”

But her heel caught the corner of the rug as she backed away. Her balance tipped. The world spun sideways.

Then—

A hard crack.

Her head struck the metal trunk with a sickening thud. A line of red bloomed at her temple, threading into her hair.

The lamp dropped with her, crashing into silence.

Everything went dim.

The door burst open.

Rajeev didn’t remember how his feet found the steps, only that something felt wrong the moment he stepped onto the veranda. The air smelled of smoke and stillness. Not peace—pause. A house holding its breath.

Then he saw the bedroom door—ajar, then swinging. And beyond it—

Nandini on the floor.

Her saree twisted, hair unbound, eyes closed.

And just beyond her—

Vikrant. Standing far too close. Breathing hard.

Rajeev’s fists clenched at his sides. His eyes, wide with disbelief, didn’t leave Nandini’s body. His throat closed. She wasn’t moving. His mind went blank—then sharp. “What did you do?”

Vikrant raised his hands in mock surrender. “She fell.” Vikrant’s shrug was almost bored. “You always assume the worst.”

Rajeev didn’t answer. His eyes were locked on Nandini’s motionless form.

She was bleeding. But she wasn't moving either.

“Get away from her,” he said, voice low.

“She hit her head,” Vikrant added. “Maybe now she’ll remember what she owes me.”

Rajeev stepped forward. Slowly. Controlled. His fists clenched.

“Vikrant,” he said, his voice vibrating with restrained fury, “leave this house. Now.”

“It was just a conversation,” Vikrant said, smiling faintly. “You’re overreacting.”

“This house,” Rajeev repeated, pointing toward the hall, “was never yours to walk through. And after today, I swear on Baba’s name—you’ll never step foot in it again.”

The silence that followed was heavier than any shout.

Vikrant lingered one second too long before brushing past Rajeev with a shrug and a smirk.

“She’s good at making people feel sorry for her, huh?” he muttered as he passed.

Rajeev didn’t stop him.

Not yet.

Because he was already kneeling beside Nandini, his fingers trembled as they brushed her hair back from her face.

“Nandini,” he whispered, brushing her hair from her cheek. “Come back to me. Please... please.”

Author's Note 💔

Writing this chapter was like holding a match to everything fragile between them. Sometimes, the darkest moments are the ones that spark change. Vikrant crossed a line — and Rajeev is ready to cross back into the man he tried to leave behind.

The next chapter promises fire, truth, and maybe the first real cracks in Nandini’s silence. Are you ready for it?

💌 Catch up or re-read on my website — and stay tuned for Chapter 30, dropping Mon at 9 AM.

Your thoughts mean the world. What hit you hardest in this chapter? Drop a comment below! 🥹❤️

Shaar Shree.