DASH - Chapter 170

“Evil God of the Universe, You are in every space and time. Present in every dimension of reality and govern the darkness of our world.Oh, almighty Atticus! Hear our plea and grant us your presence tonight, awaken my Lord!”The rain had completely stopped and the strong gale had subsided into the fading raindrops. The night had turned eerily silent and only the sizzling and cackling of the fire entered their ears.Suddenly, they all felt like floating from their feet despite setting foot on the watery, hard ground, as if they were traversing into space. The darkness of the night gradually turned darker, enveloping them, morphing into everyone, like a void eating them slowly. Sequentially, their breathing turned oddly slower. Despite exaggeratedly inhaling air to breathe, it was to no avail, as if a higher entity was limiting them from breathing.Nolan felt his throat and tried to open his mouth to gasp more air but failed. Everyone but him was in a state of indignation and panic as they struggled to breathe to fill their lungs with air. Nolan tried to calm his heart. He closed his eyes and stopped inhaling air in pure panic, instead, he put his heartbeat and breathing into a rhythm. It was hard at first, but after a minute, he found his breathing gradually went stable.His whole being was in pure anticipation of what was going to happen next.After a couple more minutes, the storm completely subsided, the night turned to normal. Nolan remained standing, taking in his surroundings with his eyes closed. Everything turned silent. The eerie atmosphere and the crackling of the fire from the hay figure didn’t even enter his ears. Nolan waited for a couple more minutes, his breathing turning normal. He was reluctant to open his eyes, afraid he might ruin their ritual.“It’s alright now, Young Master. You can open your eyes now.”Nolan’s breathing hitched. He jolted on his feet as he fluttered his eyes open.“Atticus? W-why are you here?”The butler, standing in front of him, a raincoat hung on his arm, smiled. “I am everywhere, Young Master, in order to best serve you.”****Atticus, a demi-god from the underworld, was cast out of his parents' realm and banished to the human world. The reason? He had yet to give them any grandchildren.Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is purely the product of my imagination. Any resemblance to real people, events, or beliefs is entirely coincidental. The intention is not to disrespect or diminish any faith or tradition, but rather to explore ideas within a fictional context. Reader discretion is advised.

Zhou Yu was ordered to enter the city and get married. Even though my wife didn't like me, my father-in-law disapproved of me, my colleagues always wanted to bully me, and the bad guys were always looking to take me down, but touch me, that's fine, touch my wife, that's not. Whoever lays a hand on her, I'll take down. I fought until the whole world bowed down, then returned to the village with my wife in glory!

“You better stop the fucking prank, woman, and just pick up your phone and call your alpha! Otherwise, I will press the damn button and blow you up,” A man with a very ugly-looking scar on his face said menacingly, holding a time bomb remote control in his hand and shaking it back and forth before a woman.In the last moment of her death, Rose looked into her heart and cried bitterly.“If I had a second chance, Rolan, I would never have agreed to marry you. I would never have had hopes in you.” _____On the day of her sister's wedding, Rose found herself thrust into an unexpected role as the bride when her sister failed to show up. Marrying a man who had loved her sister for three years, Rose held onto the fragile hope that he might one day care for her. But her dreams of love quickly crumbled—he ignored her, treated her coldly, and never gave her the attention she longed for.Even at her lowest, when Rose’s life hung by a thread, he was nowhere to be found, choosing instead to enjoy his time with her sister. Rose’s heart shattered as she took her final breath, consumed by betrayal and despair.When she opened her eyes again, she was back in her younger self—not before the wedding, but on the very same day she was meant to die. This time, Rose vowed to rewrite her story. She would stop loving him, leave him behind, and refuse to let herself be caught in their web of betrayal again.But the peaceful life Rose planned never came to be. Against all odds, she discovered she was pregnant—carrying his child. Now bound together by this unbreakable link, Rose must face the man she once loved, all while trying to guard her heart.Why is he chasing her now? Why wasn’t he with her sister when she ran away and left him? Why does he seem desperate to win her back when all she wants is to stay far away?

“That baby is mine, and so are you,” He declared, pointing at Kate’s belly while his deep green eyes gazed at Kate, like a viper ready to strike.Kate couldn’t believe that he– Henry Grant, her new boss eight years younger than her, was the father of her unborn child.“We should be together by default. But I will give you a choice. Go and suffer with your deadbeat husband, or come with me, I will show you the fun you’ve missed.”=====For the past five years of her marriage, Katherine “Kate” Woods, 32, had always believed she was infertile. She was unable to conceive a child and her deadbeat husband Matt always insulted her for it, calling her a useless woman despite never finding a job himself, forcing Kate to be the sole breadwinner of their family.Yet, he still had the nerve to cheat on her with her own sister!Heartbroken, Kate escaped to her office late at night with four bottles of strong red wine. To her surprise, she wasn’t alone.A handsome young man stood in her office, watching her.He refused to give her his name, but offered to keep her company for the night. With lust and booze coursing through her veins, Kate readily abandoned herself to her basest, most repressed instincts, seducing the nameless but willing visitor.In her drunken stupor, she boldly declared, ”If my husband wants to sleep with every woman on earth, then two can play that game.“She didn’t care if they did it raw, as she always thought she was barren. Only to find herself staring at a positive pregnancy test a month later.Kate Woods, the supposedly ‘barren woman,’ was pregnant.The stranger had accomplished in one night what Matt could not in five years.Now that Henry has given her a choice, would Kate leave her deadbeat husband and jump into the sea of uncertainty with this young man?Or would she stay with Matt, her husband who cheated on her for the sake of their families?