The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 302

The Bennetts were an old–money family with a legacy stretching back a century, and they had always maintained an impeccable reputation.

Family members kept their images clean, steering clear of any tabloid drama.

They were also incredibly open–minded and never insisted on marrying within their social class, which is why generations of Bennett couples had always gotten along so well.

But there was one exception.

Owen’s grandfather.

In his younger years, Owen’s grandfather was a confirmed bachelor.

There were even rumors that he might be into men.

He never responded to any of it.

His life was basically a straight line between home and the office, with no detours.

At twenty–six, under pressure from his parents, he married an heiress from an equally prominent family.

In the beginning, their relationship was lukewarm at best. Three years into the marriage, they were still so formal with each other they were practically strangers living under the same roof.

Then, one accidental night, they slept together, and she ended up pregnant.

“That was also around the time my grandfather suddenly got into hiking.

Hearing this, Autumn felt a sense of dread.

“Your grandpa… was he cheating?”

Owen shook his head, then nodded.

Autumn couldn’t make sense of the conflicting gestures. “Just keep going,” she said, her curiosity piqued.

“My grandfather wasn’t really the athletic type.”

“His newfound love for hiking caught a lot of people’s attention, including his wife’s older brother.”

Owen’s grandfather’s first wife came from the Williams family, which was another well–known name back in the day.

Her brother, Robert Williams, had taken over the family business early on and was a very successful man in

his own right.

To find out if his brother–in–law was actually betraying his sister, Robert made a point of going hiking with

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Owen’s grandfather.

After several trips with nothing out of the ordinary, Robert finally reassured his sister, “He just suddenly got into the feeling of reaching the summit. Don’t overthink it. Now that you’re pregnant, just focus on having the

baby. This is a child of the Bennett and Williams families, after all.”

Trusting that her own brother wouldn’t lie to protect someone else, the wife put her mind at ease and focused

on the pregnancy.

But people, perhaps, are always greedy.

After the baby came, she was no longer content with them just being good roommates and partners.

At first, Owen’s grandfather played along for the sake of the child.

But as her demands grew, he started to find it unbearable.

Gradually, he started using hiking as an excuse not to come home.

“My dad said my grandfather was under a lot of stress back then and used hiking to blow off steam, but he never expected to get caught in a massive rainstorm one time.”

“It even triggered a rare landslide.”

“The Bennetts offered a huge reward for a search and rescue team, and they finally found him on the third day after the storm.”

“He wasn’t alone. There was a young woman in her early twenties with him.”

Owen met Autumn’s gaze and said softly, “That was my grandmother.”

A look of understanding dawned on Autumn’s face.

She could pretty much guess what happened next.

And sure enough, as Owen continued his quiet story, a tangled web of love, hate, and difficult choices unfolded before her.

When Owen’s grandfather was in danger, it was Owen’s grandmother who saved him. The two of them, a man and a woman, were trapped alone in a cave,

During that time, Owen’s grandfather came down with a high fever, and Owen’s grandmother nursed him tirelessly.

They kept each other’s spirits up and eventually made it until the rescue team arrived.

After they were rescued, Owen’s grandfather learned that Owen’s grandmother was also an heiress from a wealthy family, but she was living with relatives and had a hard time at home.

To give herself a breather and put others at ease, she’d taken up hiking and long–distance trekking.

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She even went on solo road trips often.

Seeing that her interests perfectly mirrored his own, Owen’s grandfather started paying more attention to her.

Everyone else just saw them as two people who had survived a disaster together and didn’t think anything of it. In fact, they thought Owen’s grandfather was being noble and grateful.

But the Williams family obviously didn’t see it that way.

Even though Owen’s grandfather was very careful to keep his distance, and after formally thanking her for saving his life, he didn’t try to get any closer.

But since they had the same hobbies and moved in the same circles, they started running into each other more and more.

“Honestly, my grandfather and grandmother had probably seen each other countless times at different events before.”

“But back then, one was the most powerful man in the Bennett family, and the other was a poor, pitiful girl struggling at home, so their paths never really crossed.”

“But after they properly met, they started to really *see* each other. My grandfather began to notice her, and she began to avoid him.”

“My grandfather was actually in a lot of pain. He had finally found a kindred spirit, but any ideas he might have had were dead on arrival.”

Autumn sighed. “That’s the textbook definition of meeting the right person at the wrong time.”

Owen nodded, completely agreeing with her.

“Even though my grandfather hadn’t done anything, the Williams family was furious.”

“Around that time, Robert Williams made a reckless move that got the Williams Group into deep trouble. Isabella, who was eight months pregnant by then, went to my grandfather and begged him to step in and help.”

Seeing the look on Owen’s face, Autumn asked softly, “He didn’t help, did he?”

Owen nodded.

“But it wasn’t really his decision to make.”

“The board of directors reviewed the situation and concluded that the Williams Group’s problems were too big. They also felt there was something fishy about Robert’s so–called ‘reckless move.‘ Everyone thought the company was a bottomless pit that could even drag the Bennett Group down, so they flatly refused to let my grandfather help.”

“Since the board wouldn’t approve it, my grandfather obviously couldn’t just have the Bennett Group step in.”

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“The Williams family held a grudge against my grandfather for it. The stress and anger sent Isabella into premature labor, and she gave birth to a son. Because he was premature, he was immediately sent to an incubator. I hear he’s been frail and sickly ever since.”

Autumn felt even more regretful.

A child is always innocent. If the Williams family hadn’t caused such a scene, the baby might have been carried to full term in better health.

“Robert Williams was convinced my grandfather’s heart had changed, and he kept showing up at the Bennett Group to cause trouble, which made the shareholders very unhappy.”

“Just then, my grandfather happened to run into my grandmother as her relatives were forcing her into an arranged date. He stepped in to help her out, and someone, somewhere, snapped a photo. The Williams family used it as leverage, claiming my grandfather was cheating and demanding that the Bennett Group bail out their company, or they’d leak the picture to the press.”

“Of course, my grandfather refused. But the Williams family was relentless. In the end, my grandfather laid down the law: he would divorce Isabella, and he would personally use his own funds to bail out the Williams Group.”

Autumn thought back. When she was starting her own business, she had never heard of any major corporation with the name Williams. She made a bold guess: “The Williams Group eventually went bankrupt anyway, didn’t it?”

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