The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 65

**Chasing Light, Finding Peace** – by Rohan Verma
**Chapter 65**

“Wh-what are you implying? Are you seriously suggesting that I’ve mistreated you?”

“I’m your father!”

The weight of Oliver’s words hung heavily in the air, and the guilt laced within his voice was palpable, resonating with everyone who was listening intently.

The group chat erupted into a frenzy, a cacophony of messages that mercilessly mocked him and his entire family.

As the tension mounted, Oliver’s voice notes became increasingly terse, his tone spiraling into a frantic pitch.

He seemed to be consumed by a fear that others might misinterpret Lydia’s actions, causing him to momentarily forget his intention to chastise Autumn. Instead, he found himself embroiled in a heated debate with the others in the chat.

“Lydia isn’t like that!” he insisted, desperation creeping into his words.

“Don’t you all dare take this too far!”

“She’s your niece, and you’re the adults in this situation! How can you tear her down like this?”

His overt favoritism only served to ignite the anger simmering within the group chat, fueling their outrage further.

In a bold move, the Auntie initiated a group voice call, her determination evident.

As Autumn joined, she was immediately met with her aunt’s sharp, biting tone. “Oliver, I almost feel embarrassed for you just hearing those words come out of your mouth!”

“Honestly, both girls are remarkable in their own ways. Autumn is mature and sensible; she’s always been capable. Lydia is the bubbly one, full of life and charm, and she’s brought joy to all of us.”

“It’s perfectly fine if you have a preference for the lively one, but you can’t just walk all over Autumn like this!”

“The Lopez Group was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy because of your blunders, and you just dumped the entire mess onto Autumn’s shoulders. Not only did she have to start a new business alongside her husband, but she also had to pick up the pieces of the disaster you created at the company. Meanwhile, you and your wife have been living it up, vacationing here, there, and everywhere. You just spent all that time abroad—where do you think that money came from?”

“What has Lydia done for you all these years? Ask yourself honestly, have you truly treated your two daughters equally? What did Autumn do to deserve such a different treatment?”

“It’s one thing for you two to fawn over Lydia, but why drag Mars into this? Yes, he’s your son-in-law, but he’s married to your older daughter, not your younger one! If Lydia thrives on being pampered by a man, then she should just get married already!”

“I seem to remember your wife constantly trying to set Autumn up with so-called ‘eligible bachelors,’ wasn’t she? So why has she gone silent now that it’s her own daughter’s turn? Has she finally realized that none of those suitors were good enough for her precious Lydia? Her true stepmother colors are really showing, aren’t they?”

The Auntie was on a roll, a true force to be reckoned with in the family group chat.

After this barrage of truth, Oliver found himself forced into retreat.

“You… you’re being incredibly harsh. It’s not as if we’re completely unfair to Autumn. Both Autumn and Lydia are my daughters. Of course, I love them both.”

Without missing a beat, the Auntie shot back, “Then why do you treat them so differently, right down to how you talk about them?”

“Isn’t that a double standard right there?”

Oliver was left speechless, the weight of the accusations pressing down on him.

With all the dirty laundry now aired, Autumn finally decided to intervene. She played the role of peacemaker, but her words were like pouring gasoline on an already raging fire.

“Auntie, I truly appreciate you standing up for me. I was being impulsive just now. We’re all family, and I really shouldn’t have acted like that.”

“Lydia is my sister, after all. I shouldn’t say anything about her wanting to come live with us. My dad did mention once that what’s mine is also Lydia’s. So let’s just leave it at that. I can handle myself and the baby on my own.”

“I’m really sorry for all the drama today, everyone. Next time, I’ll make sure to treat you all to a meal to make it up to you.”

As she spoke, Autumn sent several generous cash gifts to the group chat, each one a small token of goodwill.

Oliver scoffed, his disdain palpable. “What’s wrong with that? So a brother-in-law and sister-in-law aren’t family now? Besides, Mars is helping Lydia because he wants to. Are we supposed to tell Lydia she’s not deserving of his kindness?”

“If you ask me, this is all Autumn’s fault!”

“She’s been married to Mars for years and only just got pregnant. She can’t even manage her own husband, and instead of focusing on herself and the baby, she’s running to the group chat to stir up trouble. Does she not realize how much our relatives love to gossip?”

“She just had to air all this out and embarrass our entire family.”

A faint smile flickered across Mrs. Lopez’s lips, though she kept her agreement to herself.

Instead, she calmly replied, “Autumn has never really been close to us anyway. The fact that she’s voicing her concerns in the group chat just shows that she doesn’t have anyone else to confide in.”

“Why don’t we invite her here for her pregnancy? Being pregnant is stressful, and Mars is busy managing his company, so he won’t have much time. Plus, this is their first baby, and neither of them has any experience. If Autumn could come stay at the main house, with the staff to look after her, wouldn’t that be better than her being alone at home, overthinking everything?”

“That way, we can be immediately aware of her needs, right?”

“And besides…”

Mrs. Lopez trailed off, lowering her gaze as if reluctant to continue.

Oliver had been listening intently, and seeing her pause, he frowned and pressed, “Besides what? Don’t leave me hanging!”

With a sigh, as if the words were being dragged from her, Mrs. Lopez finally spoke.

“Besides, the Lopez Group has been doing quite well these past few years. Didn’t they just sign a deal with Mistveil Group? Once that project is completed, the nearly defunct Lopez Group will be fully revived.”

“Oliver, don’t think I’m just trying to fight over the inheritance. When I married you, I made it clear that I didn’t care about any of that. I just feel it’s unfair to you.”

“You retired so young. Can you honestly say you’re happy with that?”