The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 73

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

**Chapter 73**

Lydia felt a creeping suspicion that Mars Wright had been orchestrating a game from the very outset.

Autumn’s urgent need to liquidate assets, coupled with Mars’s seemingly generous offer of money for Lydia to spend as she pleased—it all began to feel like a carefully spun web of deceit, designed to keep her placated and oblivious.

After all, he was the CEO of Cloudbreak!

How could he stoop to such a repugnant level?

Who, in their right mind, transfers a substantial amount of money one moment only to demand its return the next? Did he possess even an ounce of decency?

Lydia found herself at a loss for words, her mind racing with confusion and hurt.

Instead of crafting a response, she opted for simplicity, sending him just a solitary question mark.

Almost instantly, her phone rang, and Mars’s name illuminated the screen.

“Lydia, please, let me explain,” he urged, his voice laced with urgency.

But she remained silent, tears streaming down her cheeks, each sob echoing her despair.

The sound pierced through Mars’s heart like a dagger.

“Lydia… please listen to me… don’t cry, okay?”

Panic gripped him.

For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed his mind to let her keep the money.

But then he recalled Autumn’s words about doubling their returns.

Autumn never joked about such matters.

When she mentioned “doubling,” it was likely a conservative estimate.

Who would turn down the prospect of more wealth?

Wasn’t he investing this money now to ensure they would be even wealthier in the future?

That thought fortified Mars’s sense of justification.

“Just send the money back to me for now. I promise, it’s still yours, and no one can take it away from you. I’ll return it, doubled, later on.”

Lydia felt her frustration boiling over.

Was he truly trying to pull a fast one on her? Did she really appear that gullible?

“Mars, be honest with me. You never intended to build a future with me, did you?”

“Deep down, you still prioritize Autumn and the baby she’s carrying, don’t you?”

“If that’s the case, why lead me on?”

This was her go-to tactic, one that had never failed her before.

Yet today, Mars didn’t retreat as he usually would. His voice was resolute. “Lydia, I’m merely asking for my money back. You don’t need to react this way. I’m not saying I won’t give it back; I just need it for something urgent right now.”

Mars intentionally avoided mentioning that he was funneling the money to Autumn for an investment.

His instincts warned him that revealing that detail would send Lydia into a frenzy.

He simply didn’t have the energy to placate two women simultaneously.

In moments like this, Mars found himself appreciating Autumn more than ever.

She never threw tantrums or made unreasonable demands. Instead, she consistently sought to understand his perspective, and even in her pregnancy, she was focused on generating more income for their family and the company.

Unlike Lydia, who seemed consumed by the desire to spend money and relied on him to solve every minor issue, acting as if the world was ending over trivial matters.

Mars was genuinely fatigued.

The thought only served to strengthen his resolve to reclaim the money.

“Lydia, did you hear me? I’ll buy you jewelry and accessories later, but right now, you need to return that money to me as soon as possible.”

Lydia detected the firmness in his voice, and she realized this was non-negotiable. She had to return the money. The idea twisted her stomach in knots, making her feel as though her heart was bleeding.

“I know. I’ll transfer it to you right now.”

It wasn’t the right time to sever ties with Mars completely. Burning that bridge over a trivial amount of money would lead to far greater losses than gains.

What should have been a swift transfer turned into a torturous ten minutes.

As she watched the substantial sum vanish from her account, the dam broke, and she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

She had been searching for a plausible way to categorize this money as an “investment,” and Mars had unwittingly handed it to her on a silver platter.

Quickly, she sent him a text confirming receipt of the funds, then immediately reached out to Owen Bennett’s assistant, Julian Moore.

[What can I do for you, ma’am?]

Julian’s response was instantaneous, catching Autumn slightly off guard. [Aren’t you busy?]

Wasn’t he supposed to be Owen’s assistant? How could he reply so quickly?

The silence on the other end stretched for over a minute before a new message appeared: [Just finished up. Was there something you needed, ma’am?]

Autumn sensed something was amiss, but there was no time to ponder it.

Instead of typing, she opted for a voice call.

In the main conference room, Julian felt the weight of his boss’s icy glare and nearly crumbled.

Hadn’t the CEO ordered him to be on call 24/7 and not to delay anything for Mrs. Lopez?

So why did the CEO appear so furious that she was reaching out to him?

Had he made a mistake?

Julian had no time to contemplate. Autumn’s call was about to disconnect.

He flashed an awkward smile at a colleague near the door, muttering that he was stepping out to the restroom, and quickly slipped out the back.

After what felt like an eternity, Autumn finally heard Julian pick up. Sensing his breathlessness, she said apologetically, “Sorry, are you busy?”

Julian stifled his panting and replied softly, “Not at all. The Executive Office was unusually quiet, and I didn’t want to disturb anyone, so I stepped out to take your call.”

Though Autumn remained skeptical, Julian’s inquiry about her needs brought her back to the matter at hand.

“Here’s the situation. I have a sum of investment capital, and I need your assistance in investing it. Make it appear as though the investment failed, and then transfer the money to my overseas account.”

Autumn was determined to leave Mars with nothing.

She had fought hard to extract this money from Lydia, and there was no way she would allow Mars a chance to reclaim it.

By the time he discovered the truth, it would be far too late. That was the nature of investing—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Even if he suspected she was moving assets, there would be nothing he could do about it.

“That’s easy. Give me three hours, and that money will be safely in your pocket, ma’am.”