The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 231

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

She simply couldn’t wrap her mind around it!

The title of Mrs. Bennett should have been hers, without a doubt. Why on earth was she left to pick up the pieces of her life while someone like Mars Wright loomed in the background?

And that insufferable man had the audacity to act as if he was above marrying her!

“We’ll discuss the shares later,” Mr. Lopez said, his voice taking on a gentler tone, as if a new thought had just crossed his mind.

“Lydia is our only daughter now,” he added, his meaning unmistakable.

He had only one daughter, and all the shares of the Lopez Group, along with the family’s wealth, would be hers. There was no way they would allow those assets to slip into the hands of an outsider.

As long as Mars agreed to marry Lydia, they could restore their family unity. They could wipe the slate clean of all past grievances and start anew.

“Should’ve just said that from the beginning,” Mars muttered, his exhaustion evident. He was done with the endless debates with the Lopez family. “Fine. I’ll marry Lydia, but I just got divorced, so obviously, I can’t make a grand spectacle out of it.”

“Besides,” he continued, “I have a mountain of work waiting for me at the office. You should head home and focus on your pregnancy. I’ll visit when I can.”

It was painfully clear that Mars was merely offering empty reassurances.

Yet, Lydia had no choice but to accept them.

“Then I’ll be waiting for you to come find me,” she replied, forcing a smile as she turned to link her arm with her mother’s. “Mom, Dad, let’s head home.”

Mr. and Mrs. Lopez nodded in agreement. Though the marriage arrangement was finally settled, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken discontent.

While the outcome was what they had aimed for, the journey to get there had scorched all their bridges. They might have put on a facade of civility for the time being, but deep inside, resentment simmered like a lit fuse, ready to explode at any moment.

As the family of three climbed into their car, Mars’s form dwindled into a mere speck in the distance.

Mr. Lopez abruptly tore his gaze away from the rearview mirror, his expression grave as he addressed Lydia, “Lydia, I have a mission for you.”

Lydia’s heart sank like a stone. She instinctively raised her gaze to meet her father’s. “Dad, what do you mean?”

“Find a way to make Mars marry you. Even if there’s no wedding ceremony, I want that marriage certificate signed. Our family has done right by Mars, and we deserve a share of his Cloudbreak Corporation.”

“That wretched girl Autumn has plotted against her own family. I’ll settle the score with her in due time,” he continued, his voice laced with bitterness.

“It’s clear that Mars has other intentions now, too. You must use every trick in your arsenal to secure those Cloudbreak shares.”

Lydia had anticipated this directive from her father.

But strangely, she found herself in agreement.

After everything that had transpired, she had come to a powerful realization: nothing felt better than being in control.

The only reason Autumn had dared to defy them was because she was capable, wasn’t she?

Lydia recognized that she might not possess Autumn’s brilliance, but she had her own strengths to leverage.

If she had once managed to ensnare Mars enough to conceive a child, surely she could do it again.

Once she held both the Cloudbreak and Lopez Group shares in her grasp, she wouldn’t have to live in fear of being unwanted, would she?

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll figure out how to get my hands on those Cloudbreak shares,” she assured him, determination rising within her.

“That’s my girl. Don’t fret, Lydia. You’re my only daughter now. The Lopez family fortune will be yours as soon as you secure those Cloudbreak shares. I’ll help you with yours someday. Just focus on managing Mars. We’ll make sure he pays for daring to bully my daughter!”

“Thanks, Dad,” Lydia replied, a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face.

Beside her, Mrs. Lopez narrowed her eyes, a hint of suspicion creeping in.

“Oliver, what’s your plan for Autumn?” she interjected, her tone sharp.

Noticing how her husband and daughter were so fixated on Mars that they had completely overlooked Autumn, Mrs. Lopez offered a pointed reminder. “If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t be in this predicament with Mars.”

The Lopez family’s mistreatment of their daughter had become a hot topic among their friends on social media.

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