The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 102

**Chasing Light, Finding Peace – by Rohan Verma**

No one could have anticipated that Autumn Lopez would erupt in such a way.

Lydia Lopez, the unsuspecting recipient of that sudden outburst, stood frozen for a heartbeat, her mind racing. The sharp, fiery sting on her cheek jolted her back to the present, and the reality of the situation crashed over her like a tidal wave.

She had just been slapped.

By her own sister, Autumn.

“Autumn!” Lydia’s voice trembled with disbelief and anger, an emotional storm brewing within her.

In that moment, a whirlwind of rage surged through her veins, urging her to retaliate—she imagined yanking Autumn’s hair and delivering a swift slap in return. But she was acutely aware of the image she had to uphold, the facade she had crafted over the years.

So, instead of unleashing her pent-up fury, she pressed her palm to her cheek, tears cascading down her face like a relentless downpour. Each sob that escaped her throat was a melodramatic note in her carefully rehearsed performance, the picture of a damsel in distress.

“Why would you hit me… If you didn’t want to give me the dress, you could have just said so. Why would you do this to me?” Her voice quivered with a mix of sorrow and indignation, each word laced with a calculated sting.

“I know you’ve never liked me, but you can’t just humiliate me in front of everyone like this…” she continued, her voice rising with each syllable, echoing the hurt and betrayal she felt deep inside.

“Sob… This is my first day back at the company, and you pull this stunt to put me in my place. How is anyone supposed to respect me now?”

Lydia’s expression was one of heartbreak, but her words were like precision-guided missiles, aimed directly at Autumn’s heart.

As the atmosphere in the room shifted, the glances from onlookers began to morph. No one seemed to recall that Autumn had lashed out only after Lydia had made a grab for her dress. All they could see now was the scene of an older sister mercilessly bullying her younger sibling.

Mars Wright, who had been standing to the side, finally broke free from his stunned silence. He rushed towards Lydia, enveloping her in his protective embrace, his eyes narrowing into fierce slits as he directed his fury at Autumn. “Autumn, you’ve gone too far!” he declared, his voice booming with righteous indignation.

“Lydia is your own sister! How could you do something like that?” His tone dripped with disbelief, as if he couldn’t fathom the depths of Autumn’s actions.

“Slapping her in front of the entire Executive Office? You’re deliberately trying to humiliate her, aren’t you? Besides, it’s just a dress! Do you really need to be this petty?”

Mars’s anger was palpable, his neck craning forward as he confronted Autumn, his eyes blazing as if she had committed an unspeakable crime rather than a mere act of violence.

Meanwhile, the murmurs in the Executive Office began to swell, whispers of discontent weaving through the crowd.

“Secretary Autumn’s temper has really escalated since she got pregnant. Slapping people like that? Are we ever going to have a moment’s peace?”

“So, isn’t she leaving soon? Good riddance, I say. Otherwise, we’d have to cater to a pregnant woman hand and foot.”

“If she treats her own sister like this in front of us, just imagine how she behaves in private.”

“I always thought Secretary Autumn was too aggressive. I just didn’t dare speak up when everyone else was singing her praises.”

As the gossip amplified, Lydia, still cradled in Mars’s arms, felt a sly smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. A sense of triumph washed over her. She wasn’t entirely sure what had emboldened Autumn to stand up for herself, but the slap was a small price to pay for turning the tide of public opinion against her sister. It was utterly worth it.

She shot a look at Autumn, one filled with gloating satisfaction.

Autumn, however, wasn’t blind to the message Lydia was sending. She could read the smugness in her sister’s eyes loud and clear: Didn’t see that coming, did you? Your little slap just played right into my hands.

Internally, Autumn scoffed, recognizing the ruthless game Lydia was playing. To be slapped and then immediately turn it into a performance—Mrs. Lopez had certainly raised a daughter with an extraordinary talent for manipulation.

“Did I bully her?” Autumn tilted her head innocently, feigning ignorance. “Where’s the proof?”

Having suffered defeat at Lydia’s hands more times than she could count, Autumn had learned to play the game differently.

Neither Mars nor the others expected this reaction from her.

His anger had him stammering, “You—you have the nerve to ask?”

Hadn’t Autumn just lost control and struck Lydia?

Mars’s gaze bore into Autumn, his expression a mix of pain and disappointment.

“Autumn, when did you become like this? Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re pregnant. Everyone here has eyes.”

“If you treat people like this, who will want to be around you? If you can treat your own sister this way, how will you treat anyone else?”

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