The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 55

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

**Chapter 55**

“Autumn…”

Mars Wright stood in a hospital room that felt more like a pressure cooker than a place of healing. The air was thick with tension, and it seemed as though time had come to a standstill, leaving him trapped in a moment laden with unexpressed emotions.

Inside, a storm of words churned within him, each one desperate to break free, yet they remained stuck, lodged in his throat like stones. The weight of the situation pressed down on him, suffocating him with its intensity. Panic began to creep into his chest, tightening its grip with every passing second.

“It’s just a misunderstanding, sis. You’re not really angry, are you? I know it’s entirely my fault for coming to the hospital. Maybe I should just head home,” he stammered, his voice barely audible, a mere whisper against the backdrop of the sterile hospital room.

In that moment of chaos, it was Lydia Lopez who emerged as an unexpected beacon of hope. With her characteristic blend of gentle assertiveness, she deftly shifted the simmering tension away from Mars and onto Autumn Lopez, the very person who had remained silent throughout the ordeal.

“Autumn, you’re blowing this way out of proportion. You’re being overly aggressive for no reason. Lydia’s right; the doctor and nurse simply misinterpreted the situation. There’s no need to make this uncomfortable for everyone, is there?”

“Besides, Lydia is your sister. Right now, her health is the priority. Can’t you just let this go?”

As Autumn’s gaze fell upon the doctor and nurse, their expressions revealing a mix of embarrassment and concern, she felt an overwhelming wave of futility wash over her. The realization that her reaction had only escalated the situation gnawed at her.

Turning her icy stare back to Mars, she uttered a flat, “Oh.”

“Looks like my presence here is only causing unhappiness. I’ll just leave then,” she said, her voice void of warmth, a chilling contrast to the emotional turmoil swirling around them.

With that, she pivoted sharply and strode away, her posture radiating an unexpected sense of liberation, as if she were shedding the burdens of the moment with each determined step.

Suddenly, an unsettling panic gripped Mars’s heart, a visceral fear that something precious was slipping away from him forever.

“Autumn!” he called out, urgency threading through his tone as he remembered her delicate condition. “Wait a second—”

He lifted his foot, poised to chase after her, but the soft sob that escaped Lydia’s lips shattered the moment. “Mars, you need to go after her. I’ll be okay on my own. My sister and the baby are what truly matter.”

Her words sank in like stones, and the foot he had raised felt as though it were encased in lead, heavy and immovable.

He turned to face Lydia, whose face was pale, her frail form trembling as if she might collapse at any moment.

In that heartbeat, the thought of pursuing Autumn vanished, replaced by a heavy heart and a sense of duty.

With a reluctant sigh, he pulled out his phone and typed a quick message to Autumn: [Just head home and get some rest. Don’t let what happened earlier bother you; it was just some outsiders making a silly joke. Take care.]

Once he pressed send, he pocketed his phone and bent down, affectionately tousling Lydia’s hair. His voice was a gentle caress, a balm for the tension that still lingered in the air. “Silly girl. While they may seem important, you’re the one who’s here in the hospital. How could I possibly leave you all alone?”

“Alright, don’t be sad. Get some rest. If there’s anything you want to eat, just let me know, and I’ll have someone bring it over,” he added, his tone filled with warmth, a stark contrast to the chill that had enveloped the room moments before.

Lydia’s tears transformed into a radiant smile as she looked up at Mars, her eyes sparkling with affection. “Mars, you’re so good to me.”

“Who else would I be good to?” he replied, a hint of playfulness dancing in his voice, momentarily lifting the weight of the room.

The doctor and nurse observed the two of them, their gazes locked in mutual admiration, unable to suppress the glances they exchanged.

Unsurprisingly, they both felt a mix of disgust and helplessness in the other’s eyes.

In that instant, they felt like unwitting participants in a farcical play.

What they thought would be a simple medical visit had devolved into a melodramatic spectacle.

The brother-in-law and the wife’s sister… Ugh…

The nurse stifled a small gag, unable to contain her reaction.

The sound startled the love-struck duo, and Mars suddenly remembered the presence of others in the room. A flicker of awkwardness crossed his face, but he quickly brushed it aside, asking, “So, how is she?”

At this, the nurse nearly gave Mars a thumbs-up.

Just what one would expect from a man entangled in such a scandalous affair. His audacity was astonishing.

“It’s nothing serious. The cut on the patient’s wrist isn’t deep. With some ointment and rest, it’ll heal quickly. The key is for the family to be attentive to the patient’s mental health to prevent this from happening again,” she explained, her tone professional and devoid of emotion.

The doctor hesitated, almost saying that the cut on Lydia’s wrist was barely a scratch, but he held back, sensing the tension in the air.

Unfortunately, Mars completely missed the implication.

“Wait, mental? Is there something wrong with her mentally?” he asked nervously, his brows knitting together in concern, his heart racing at the thought of Lydia suffering more than he realized.

“Doctor, are you saying she’s… mentally ill?”

Lydia’s expression turned to one of disbelief.

She barely managed to keep her composure, shooting the doctor a sharp glare that could cut through steel.

In the end, the doctor opted for discretion, softly stating, “You’d need to consult a psychiatrist or therapist to determine that.”

Feeling he had shared all he could, he offered a few more instructions before leading the nurse out of the room.

Of course, he couldn’t abandon Lydia in her fragile state.

But admitting that to Autumn felt like an admission of weakness, a crack in his façade.

“I’m staying here to take care of Lydia for you. Otherwise, Mom and Dad would definitely criticize you for being a bad sister,” he said, attempting to mask his embarrassment with a veneer of responsibility.

“I’m being incredibly considerate of you. Aren’t you grateful?”

Autumn let out a cold, humorless laugh. “Can’t you afford a private nurse? A grown man ‘taking care’ of a young woman who doesn’t even have a boyfriend? Just how badly do you want to tarnish my sister’s reputation?”

Mars’s temper flared at her words. “What the hell are you talking about? Forget my reputation; you said it yourself—Lydia doesn’t even have a boyfriend. Don’t you feel ashamed saying something like that as her sister?”

“I know exactly what I’m doing. And if I don’t do these things for you, do you think Mom and Dad would easily forgive you? I’m doing this for your own good. Why is your mind always in the gutter?”

“Just take care of yourself. Now that you’re out of the hospital, return to the office. As my Executive Assistant, it doesn’t look good for you to keep taking sick leave like this. Are you just going to neglect the company?”

Autumn almost laughed out loud.

She was supposed to clean up his messes at the company while he and Lydia cozied up in the hospital.

What a brilliant scheme.

She could have unleashed a verbal barrage on the shameless duo, but remembering the need for a cooling-off period, she managed to hold her tongue.

“Fine. I’ll go back to the office tomorrow.”

Mars’s anger began to subside, and his tone softened. “I knew you’d come through for me, Autumn. I promise, once the baby’s born, the three of us will create a beautiful life together.”

**Conclusion**

In the aftermath of the tumultuous events, Mars stood at a crossroads, grappling with the weight of his choices and their consequences. The tension between him and Autumn had reached a boiling point, exposing the fragile threads that held their relationships together. As he looked back at Lydia, whose frail form now represented both his commitment and his guilt, he felt a pang of realization. The love he thought he shared with Autumn had become tainted, overshadowed by the betrayal that lingered like a dark cloud. Yet, in the midst of this chaos, he also recognized the strength of his bond with Lydia, a bond that demanded his attention and care. The emotional arc had come full circle, forcing Mars to confront the reality of his actions and the impact they had on the people he claimed to love.

Autumn, on the other hand, was left to navigate the storm of her emotions, her heart heavy with disappointment and disdain. The sardonic smile that had briefly crossed her lips was now replaced with a deep-seated resolve to reclaim her sense of self. She understood that the path forward would not be easy; it would require her to confront the truth of Mars’s betrayal and redefine her own worth in the midst of the chaos. As she drove away from the hospital, the weight of the moment settled upon her, but so did a flicker of hope. In the pursuit of light, she realized, finding peace would mean embracing her own strength, learning to let go of what no longer served her, and ultimately, choosing a future that was hers alone. The emotional journey had transformed them both, setting them on divergent paths that would forever alter the course of their lives.

**What to Expect in Next Chapter?**

In the upcoming chapter, readers can expect the tension between Mars and Autumn to reach a boiling point as their tangled emotions and unspoken truths threaten to unravel everything they’ve built. Autumn’s simmering resentment is poised to erupt, and her confrontation with Mars promises to be explosive. With each word exchanged, the stakes will rise, and the facade of civility they’ve maintained will begin to crack. Will Mars finally understand the depth of Autumn’s anger, or will he remain oblivious to the turmoil he has caused? The dynamics of their relationship are on the precipice of change, and the fallout could be devastating.

Meanwhile, Lydia’s fragile condition hangs in the balance, adding another layer of complexity to the already fraught situation. As Mars tries to juggle his responsibilities towards Lydia and his tumultuous relationship with Autumn, the pressure will mount. Will he be able to navigate the storm brewing around him, or will he find himself caught in a web of his own making? The emotional stakes are higher than ever, and with each revelation, the characters will be forced to confront their own truths. Prepare for a chapter filled with raw emotion, heart-wrenching decisions, and the potential for a reckoning that could change everything.