The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 53

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

**Chapter 53**

Autumn stood resolutely, her gaze fixed on Mars Wright, who stood before her like a statue, chiseled from the very essence of worry. His anxious demeanor was palpable; the deep lines etched around his eyes and the tautness of his lips spoke volumes about his internal turmoil. To any other woman, his striking good looks might have evoked sympathy or concern.

But for Autumn, those feelings were as distant as the stars.

As her thoughts drifted to the clandestine dealings he had orchestrated with Lydia Lopez, her heart turned to ice, solidifying into an impenetrable wall.

She found his show of concern utterly absurd.

Just moments before, he had donned the mask of the perfect brother-in-law, charming her parents with a facade of warmth and attentiveness that felt as false as a cheap imitation.

Yet, when the tide had turned against her, with her parents uniting in opposition, he had stood silent, a mere observer at Lydia’s bedside, seemingly eager to distance himself from the chaos.

Now, with her parents out of the equation, he was frantically trying to piece together his “good husband” image, as if it were a jigsaw puzzle missing crucial pieces.

His remarkable ability to slip between identities was nothing short of astonishing, like a magician performing an illusion that left the audience in awe.

Autumn couldn’t help but marvel at his audacity. She found herself eagerly anticipating the moment when his true self would be exposed for all to see, the mask slipping to reveal the man beneath.

“Say something!”

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, until Mars’s patience began to fray like an old rope. His voice sliced through the tension, sharp and tinged with irritation. “Are you mad or something? I haven’t even asked you why you were at the Bennett Group tower today, and you’re giving me the cold shoulder?”

“Autumn, can you stop acting like a child?”

As she watched the impatience etch deeper into his features, a slight nod escaped her lips. There it was—the deceitful scoundrel she had come to know all too well, the one who had betrayed her trust.

“The Lopez Group has a partnership with the Mistveil Group, which, in turn, collaborates with the Bennett Group. I merely wanted to leverage that connection to gather some information,” she explained, raising an eyebrow, her gaze piercing through him like a knife. She didn’t bother to ask why he had been at the Bennett Group tower; instead, she cut straight to the heart of the matter. “And what was your reason for being with Lydia?”

“…”

Mars’s eyes flickered away, guilt radiating from him like heat from a flame, a telltale sign that he was cornered.

The old Autumn would have shied away, allowing him to sidestep the issue, but this new version was unyielding; she had no interest in preserving his pride or sparing his feelings. She locked her gaze onto him, unrelenting. “Did you go there specifically to see her?”

“But weren’t you inebriated before? So intoxicated that you nearly harmed me, yet you didn’t even think to check if I was alright. I assumed you must have blacked out.”

“I’m surprised you even remembered to seek out Lydia. What did you two discuss? Why did she suddenly attempt to take her own life?”

“Did you hurt her?”

Autumn’s rapid-fire questions left Mars momentarily speechless, caught in a web of his own making.

How could he possibly articulate the reasoning behind his call to Lydia?

In the chaos of the Bennett tower, his first instinct hadn’t been to reach out to his wife but rather to his sister-in-law. There was no way to spin that into something palatable.

“Did you drive her to suicide?”

Autumn clutched her stomach, disbelief washing over her as she stared at Mars, her heart racing. “Don’t tell me you did something to Lydia—”

In an instant, Mars erupted. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He longed to clarify, to explain his actions, but the words lodged in his throat like stones. His face flushed a deep crimson, the embarrassment evident.

After savoring his flustered state for a moment, Autumn broke into a radiant smile, her voice light as she teased, “I’m just kidding. Look at how scared you are. Anyone would think you have a guilty conscience.”

“Lydia is my sister. Of course, I trust both of you.”

“But if you ever actually got involved with her, I would absolutely destroy you both.”

Mars’s breath hitched at her final words, caught somewhere between his lungs, making it hard for him to breathe, the weight of her threat pressing down on him.

He dared not meet her gaze, his eyes darting around in a panic, seeking an escape from the conversation.

A chilling glint danced in Autumn’s eyes.

She had already unraveled the truth of this man before her.

At his core, Mars was nothing more than a pathetic leech, thriving off the efforts of women.

Once, Autumn had loved him deeply, willing to overlook his flaws and accommodate his every whim, which had only fueled his arrogant and entitled demeanor.

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