The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 76

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

Autumn was not exaggerating in the slightest.

What Owen Bennett had orchestrated was nothing short of monumental.

In fact, if anything, Autumn was underplaying the entire situation.

But even this was more than sufficient to firmly place that scoundrel, Mars, in his rightful position.

From the very moment he learned that she was expecting, right up until this moment, Mars had not sent her a single cent, nor had he ever once inquired about her well-being.

He was already a husband whose irresponsibility was infuriating beyond measure.

Yet, he still had the audacity to strut around as if he were the head of the household in her presence.

The only reason Autumn refrained from bursting into laughter was that she was granting Mars the last shred of dignity he had left.

“The way you phrase that…” Mars was acutely aware of how far out of line he had been, and to make matters worse, he was already in the wrong regarding Lydia.

He fumbled for words, his mind racing, before he finally acquiesced, albeit with evident reluctance, “Fine, we don’t have to live together. But I just feel like this doesn’t portray us as a family.”

Autumn pressed him further, her voice steady and unwavering, “So, the way things were before seemed like a family? Were you not always out late? You claimed you were networking, that it was easier to stay close to work instead of coming home.”

“Were you just lying to me about all that?”

Mars’s expression tightened, a mixture of frustration and guilt flickering across his face. Despite his dissatisfaction, he dared not utter another word.

Autumn hadn’t yet delved deep into the matter. If he said something foolish out of stubbornness and raised her suspicions, it could all blow up in his face.

“Alright, alright, let’s just drop the subject.”

A flicker of scorn flashed in Autumn’s eyes.

He was the one who was feeling guilty, yet he was adept at playing the victim.

“But you’ve hired so many people… that must’ve set you back a pretty penny, right?”

Mars hesitated, glancing at Autumn as uncertainty clouded his features.

Autumn placed a gentle hand on her stomach, her tone softening slightly. “This is my first baby, and I’m navigating this all on my own. My mother is my stepmother, so it’s not like she’s going to guide me through this, and your family has never been part of our lives. If I don’t bring in professionals to assist me, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life if anything happens to the baby.”

At least that part was undeniably true.

Seeing the logic in her argument, Mars fell silent, merely nodding with a small, reluctant smile. “You’ve clearly thought this through.”

Autumn chose not to respond.

The remainder of the journey to the Lopez family villa was enveloped in an uncomfortable silence. In a surprising deviation from their usual routine, Oliver and Mrs. Lopez were waiting at the door, their expressions brightening at the sight of them.

“Mom, Dad, what’s all this? Do we require a formal welcome just to return to our own home?”

Mars rushed forward, taking one of their hands in each of his, his enthusiasm palpable.

Oliver and Mrs. Lopez held onto Mars’s hands affectionately, while Autumn trailed behind them, feeling increasingly isolated.

To any observer, it would appear as though it was their son and daughter-in-law returning home, rather than their daughter and son-in-law.

“Mom, Dad, how could you overlook my sister like that?”

Lydia, wearing a smug expression, sauntered over to Autumn and linked her arm through hers with feigned sincerity. “Don’t be upset, sis. It’s just that Mars is so well-liked, Mom and Dad adore him so much they’ve completely forgotten about you.”

“Let’s just us sisters have a little chat. Don’t mind them.”

Only at that moment did Oliver and Mrs. Lopez realize they had been neglecting Autumn. They exchanged glances, a hint of embarrassment coloring their features, and softly said, “Autumn, you too. Why are you lagging so far behind? This is your home; do we need to send you an invitation?”

The old Autumn would have felt slighted and immediately offered an apology.

Now, however, Autumn simply shrugged nonchalantly, “You and Mars seemed to have so much to discuss; I didn’t want to interrupt.”

The smiles on Oliver and Mrs. Lopez’s faces froze in an instant, replaced by confusion.

“Autumn, that’s not fair. Don’t you see? We’re showering our son-in-law with affection so that he’ll shower you with love in return. How can you be so ungrateful for your parents’ feelings?”

A cold laugh escaped Autumn’s lips, and she remained silent, her attitude causing her father to erupt in a fit of rage.

He roared in fury, striding up to Autumn with a menacing glare, his hand raised high in anger.

Autumn stood her ground, refusing to flinch or dodge. Her eyes seemed to pierce through him as she defiantly tilted her chin up, presenting her face to him.

“Go on, hit me!”

“If anything happens to the baby in my belly, I’ll make you all pay!”

Mars had been seething with anger at the sight of Lydia getting hit, thinking it was a perfect opportunity for Oliver to put Autumn in her place. But hearing her words, a wave of terror washed over him.

“Dad! Dad!”

Mars rushed forward, panic evident in his voice. “You can’t hit her! You absolutely can’t!”

The baby in Autumn’s womb was his and Lydia’s. If anything were to happen, it would spell disaster for everyone involved.

Oliver shot daggers at Autumn’s stomach, his fury so intense he could barely breathe, nearly fainting from rage.

Mrs. Lopez’s eyes were filled with venom. She took a deep breath to suppress her resentment, clinging to Lydia as if they were a pair of helpless victims, letting out soft sobs.

Seeing Lydia’s pale face, Mars’s heart ached with concern.

“Autumn, we returned for a lovely dinner. Why create a scene and put everyone in such an awkward position?”

“Listen to me, let’s stop this. Let’s all go eat first.”

He placated one person after another, finally managing to usher everyone to the dining table.

Oliver struggled to keep his tongue in check but couldn’t resist a passive-aggressive jab: “Having a baby in your belly sure makes you bold. Now you even dare to start fights with your own family.”

Autumn slammed her chopsticks down onto the table. “If you don’t want to eat, then let’s not eat!”

“You!”

Seeing Autumn actually make a move to leave, Oliver had to swallow his pride, recalling his original plan.

“I won’t say any more. Sit down, and let’s have a decent meal!”