The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 118

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

Autumn Lopez felt an unsettling knot form in her stomach as she glanced at her phone. The identity of the caller was painfully obvious, and that realization was the very reason she hesitated to answer. Instead of succumbing to the anxiety that gnawed at her, she opted to lose herself in the familiar comforts of her nightly routine, savoring the quietude that enveloped her. It wasn’t until she had nestled into the plush embrace of her bed, cocooned in soft blankets, that she felt compelled to confront the device she had been pointedly ignoring.

With a reluctant sigh, she reached for her phone, and her heart sank as the screen lit up with a shocking barrage of notifications: seventeen missed calls, thirty unread messages, and an unending stream of WhatsApp alerts clamoring for her attention.

A mix of annoyance and curiosity washed over her, and just as she contemplated silencing the cacophony and tossing the phone aside, the screen illuminated once more with an incoming call.

Clearly, they were relentless tonight.

With a resigned breath, she swiped to answer, mentally preparing herself for the storm that was about to break.

The moment she accepted the call, a thunderous voice erupted from the receiver, shaking her from her thoughts.

“Autumn Lopez, where on earth have you been?” His voice boomed through the line, thick with impatience and barely concealed rage.

“Do we need to go through the United Nations to get a hold of you?” he continued, sarcasm dripping from his words.

“You think you’ve grown wings, huh?”

Her father’s voice crackled with barely contained fury, each syllable a testament to the escalating frustration that had been building between them. Autumn took a moment to steady herself, pressing the speakerphone button, allowing his wrath to fill the room like an unwelcome storm cloud.

“Is there something specific you need?” she asked, her tone steady and calm, a stark contrast to the tempest brewing on the other end.

For a fleeting moment, her father was taken aback, momentarily rendered speechless by her composed demeanor. But it didn’t last long; regaining his composure, he launched into his accusations, still simmering with indignation. “I’m asking you, why did you bully your sister today? Why did you humiliate her and Mars in front of everyone?”

So, this was the purpose of his call—a score to settle. Not entirely surprising, given the chaotic dynamics of their family.

Even though she had anticipated this confrontation, a sharp pang of hurt pierced through Autumn’s heart at her father’s blatantly one-sided accusations.

She had always been the accommodating one, bending over backward to support her family, only to find herself blamed for every little mishap.

To the Lopez family, she was merely a pawn, a tool to be manipulated as they saw fit. They expected her to sacrifice her own happiness, her parents’ affection, and even her very identity for the sake of Lydia’s ambitions. After marriage, they would expect her to relinquish her husband and her own sense of self.

It was absurd.

If they had shown even a hint of gratitude for her sacrifices, perhaps she wouldn’t harbor such deep-seated resentment towards them.

“What does this have to do with me?”

Autumn’s tone was frigid, laced with heavy sarcasm. “Wasn’t it Mars who attempted to snatch my invitation first?”

“Is there anything Lydia has ever desired that I haven’t provided? If she wanted to attend the auction, couldn’t she have simply obtained her own invitation? If not, couldn’t she just ask me for it? Why did she need Mars to steal mine? Are they that close?”

“Well…”

At the mention of Mars and Lydia’s connection, her father fell into an uneasy silence. After a lengthy pause, he responded, his voice lacking its earlier conviction, “That’s beside the point.”

“I’m referring to your sister being doused with water in the auction house restroom and turned into a laughingstock. Why didn’t you, as her older sister, step in to assist her?”

Autumn had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes.

She had always known that Lydia and her parents played fast and loose with the truth, but she never imagined Lydia would still be spinning the narrative after today’s events.

“You mean to say you wanted me to announce that the person fooling around with a man in the men’s restroom, igniting a fire and nearly causing a disaster at the auction house, was Lydia?”

“From what I heard, that scandalous couple was such a mess that no one could recognize them. Are you seriously asking me to clarify for everyone that, oops, sorry, that was my sister?”

Her father fell completely silent, the weight of the truth pressing heavily upon him.

All he knew was that Lydia had nearly been caught in a fire at the auction. And then he had learned that Autumn had made a scene at the entrance, which had prompted his furious call.

Who could have guessed the real story behind it all?

“By the way, who was the guy?” Autumn asked, feigning curiosity.

Of course, she was well aware that the scumbag was Mars, but revealing that particular truth at this moment would only raise alarms.

The cooling-off period for their divorce was nearly over; she would settle all their debts, both new and old, soon enough.

“How would I know!” Her father’s voice trembled, guilt evident as he attempted to shield Lydia. “It was probably some man trying to frame your sister.”

Autumn nearly burst into laughter.

“Are you suggesting that a man dragged Lydia into the men’s restroom and attempted to assault her?”

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