Dil Ke Karib (Early Acess Ch 6)

Nandini lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling that seemed so far away, her mind restless, tangled in a mess of memories she couldn’t escape. The night stretched out before her like an endless road, and her body ached with the weight of her thoughts.

Why couldn’t I forget? Why couldn’t I let go?

Her eyes closed briefly, but all she saw was his face. His face, the man who had promised her everything. His words still echoed in her mind, warm and sweet, as though they were a blanket she could never wrap herself in again. He had made her feel cherished, like she was the only woman in the world.

But now... now all that remained was the coldness of his absence.

She had loved him—she had loved him so much, given herself to him, body and soul. She had believed him when he told her he cared. She had allowed him into the most intimate parts of her being, not just physically but emotionally. She had trusted him.

But he wasn’t who he seemed to be.

She could still remember the way he brushed her hair from her face under the banyan tree, whispering promises only the moon and the gods could hear. "You're my forever," he had said. A lie sweeter than honey, more poisonous than venom.

Her hands curled into fists beneath the blanket as her heart twisted in pain. The memories of their time together had once been sweet—filled with laughter, whispered secrets, and stolen moments of closeness. She had believed they had something real. Something that could last.

But what did she have now? What did she have after he left her, after his promises unraveled like a thread pulled too tightly?

He had taken everything. He had used her—used her love, her trust—and discarded her when it no longer served him. She could still remember the way he had looked at her the last time she saw him, his face cold, indifferent, as if she had never mattered at all. His betrayal wasn’t just the physical act—it was the emotional destruction he left behind.

You made me believe I was enough for you, but I was nothing more than a fool.

The pain of it still felt fresh, still ached as sharply as it did that day. The betrayal had fractured her in ways she didn’t know could be fixed. She had given him everything—her heart, her trust, her very self—and he had torn it all apart with lies and betrayal.

It wasn’t just the affair; it was the lies. The whispered sweet nothings he had filled her ears with, only to turn away when she needed him most. She had thought he loved her. She had thought he cared. She had thought he was different.

But when she learned the truth, the truth about his deceit, about the other woman—about everything he had hidden from her—it shattered her.

I wasn’t enough.

Her breath hitched as she recalled the moment everything fell apart, the pain of realizing she had been a fool for ever trusting him. The way he had so easily walked away. The ease with which he had discarded her, leaving her standing in the ruins of what they had shared.

And then came the aftermath—the whispers. The gossip. The village, her friends, and even her family all turned their eyes on her. Her reputation was tainted. He had smeared her name, and now, no one would ever look at her the same way. The shame, the judgment, the cruel words—it had all been part of the package he left behind.

And now, she was here.

Here, with Rajeev.

Her eyes flickered briefly to the spot where her husband lay, but the sight of him brought no comfort, no solace. He was here because of circumstances. He had been forced into this marriage by the villagers; they thought Rajeev was the one who ruined reputations. But as she looked into his eyes, she saw understanding and kindness, not judgment. But why is he so good to her?

Nandini could see it in his eyes—the way he looked at her sometimes, there was a depth of compassion and empathy that she had never experienced before. It was as if he saw past her pain and understood the turmoil within her, offering a sense of solace that she had longed for.

But still she can't overlook that she's the reason. Rajeev's reputation is tarnished in the eyes of the villagers. Every breath she took in this house was heavy with the knowledge that she had ruined Rajeev’s life, too. He

She reached for the cloth bundle on the small table beside her, her fingers brushing over it with an absent touch. The homemade snacks were still untouched, as they had been when she first noticed them earlier. She hadn’t even been hungry—how could she be when her soul felt so starved?

Her eyes drifted back to Rajeev, still sleeping, his form a dark silhouette against the dim light filtering in through the window. His breath was steady, quiet, as if he were at peace, unaware of the storm raging inside her.

But he wasn’t the one who had betrayed her. He wasn’t the one who had shattered her.

Still, her guilt pressed down on her, suffocating in its weight. She had ruined his life by being the woman who had been abandoned, the woman whose reputation had been smeared beyond repair. And yet, here he was—still kind, still distant, still trying to be what she couldn’t understand.

She thought back to earlier that evening, from the midnight snack, knowing she was hungry, to sleeping on the floor in his own house. Rajeev is silently doing things that she couldn't comprehend.

Why does he care? Why are you still here, Rajeev? Why didn't you speak up in the panchayat?

The question lingered in the air, unanswered, as her mind spiraled further into the chaos of her past. She had never truly had the chance to heal from the betrayal, never truly had the time to recover from the man who had taken her heart and shattered it. And now, in this quiet, suffocating room with Rajeev, she was left to wrestle with a broken version of herself.

Nandini squeezed her eyes shut.

Would she ever be free of the memories of him? Would the pain ever stop?

Could she ever truly forgive herself?

Her chest tightened at the thought. The silence between them— the silence dripped from the walls, thick and suffocating, a constant reminder of the fractured woman she had become. She had allowed herself to believe in a love that wasn’t real, and now, no matter how much she wanted to run away from the guilt, it was always there. Her mind twisted in the thorns of her past.

And yet… Rajeev stayed.

Maybe Rajeev would never leave. Maybe... neither would the ghosts. And in the quiet, broken stillness of the night, Nandini realized she wasn't sure which scared her more.

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Author’s Note ✨

Hi dear reader, 👋

Thank you for diving into Nandini’s head. 💔

This chapter is a quiet, raw look inside her mind — a space filled with memories, heartbreak, and the heavy silence that follows betrayal. Sometimes, it's not the physical wounds that hurt the most... it's the betrayal by someone you once trusted with your whole heart. 💔🔪 Emotional pain, as Nandini is learning, cuts far deeper than any scar the body can bear.

In this part of her journey, Nandini is trapped between her past and her guilt, not yet ready to speak, only able to feel. Her healing won’t be fast or easy — but every silent battle she fights is part of her becoming stronger. 🌙

Thank you for your patience as we slowly peel back the layers of her story. 💬✨ I promise, there’s more ahead — more truth, more healing, and yes, even a little hope. 🌿

Stay with me — and with Nandini — for what’s to come. 💖

With love and gratitude,

Shaar Shree.