The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 197

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

While the world seemed to be unfolding beautifully for Autumn Lopez and Owen Bennett, Mars Wright found himself spiraling into a chaotic abyss.

The moment the guests departed, a wave of urgency swept through them. Many of them wasted no time in instructing their lawyers to initiate the termination of their contracts with Cloudbreak Corporation. It was a swift and ruthless decision, one that left Mars reeling.

He hadn’t even managed to track down Autumn’s new phone number before his own device erupted with notifications, each ping a reminder of how quickly things were unraveling.

“What on earth is happening? Why are they terminating?” he demanded, his voice a mixture of disbelief and anger.

“Haven’t our companies always collaborated seamlessly? Why are they pulling out now? Don’t they realize they’ll face a hefty penalty for breaching their contracts?” The words tumbled out in a frantic rush, laced with desperation.

On the other end of the line, his assistant spoke in a subdued tone, as if afraid to amplify the gravity of the situation. “Mr. Wright, they said they would prefer to pay the penalty rather than continue working with us.”

“What? Why?” Mars’s frustration bubbled over. “What did they say?”

“They mentioned they can’t accept your character, Mr. Wright. They expressed concerns about your personal life being… too chaotic. They fear that your issues will eventually compromise the integrity of company projects. It’s easier for them to cut ties now than to wait for everything to collapse. They want a clean break, no strings attached.”

“Damn it!” Mars exploded, unable to contain his anger.

Cloudbreak had weathered far more severe storms without even a whisper of contract terminations. Yet, here he was, besieged by a horde of clients eager to distance themselves from him over a scandal involving his infidelities. It was maddening.

“Find out exactly what’s going on!” he barked, his voice rising in pitch. “Do they think I, Mars Wright, and the entire Cloudbreak Corporation are a bunch of fools?”

The absurdity of using something that hadn’t even transpired as grounds for contract termination was beyond him.

“Mr. Wright—”

“Just get it done!” His voice dripped with fury, and the assistant felt the weight of Mars’s ire even through the phone line.

The assistant, already frazzled with the pressure of his job, felt a flicker of defiance. “Mr. Wright, do we even need to discuss this? Secretary Autumn has completely severed her ties with the company. I’ve heard whispers that she’s even aligned herself with the Bennett Group. She divorced you, and the two of you had a catastrophic fallout—our investors were here because of her. With her gone, why on earth would they remain loyal to us?”

“Even if it’s just to get back in her good graces, they’ll continue doing business with us!” Mars shot back, his temper flaring.

The assistant’s words struck a nerve, and Mars felt a surge of rage, but a nagging voice in his mind whispered that the assistant was, in fact, correct.

He had always understood that the lifeblood of Cloudbreak was intertwined with Autumn’s contributions. Yet, he never imagined she would actually walk away from him, nor did he anticipate the fallout would be this severe.

He had convinced himself that he was evolving, that a day would come when he would no longer rely on her. True to his nature, he had envisioned a time when he would cast her aside for someone newer, someone more compliant.

Mars had always believed he wielded the power in their union, never once considering that Autumn would make such a decisive exit, leaving him no time to respond, no chance to plead his case.

“If they want to terminate, let them!” he shouted, humiliation and rage coursing through him as he dismissed the assistant with a wave of his hand. He hurled his phone across the room, the device clattering against the wall, and sank into his chair, an overwhelming sense of emptiness enveloping him.

“Let’s just go home for now,” he mumbled, feeling defeated.

Hugo and Myers, having finished tidying up the remnants of the birthday party, rushed to his side, their faces etched with concern. They had missed their own meal in their haste to check on him. Though they wanted to reprimand Mars for his reckless behavior, his despondent appearance made them hesitate; they feared pushing him further into despair.

“Mom… Dad…”

Seeing his parents felt like a lifeline thrown into turbulent waters.

“Help me… Please, I need your help… Autumn won’t answer my calls. I can’t reach her at all.”

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