The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 78

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

With a resolute stance, Autumn Lopez turned on her heel and strode away, her posture exuding determination.

But an unsettling feeling gnawed at Oliver Lopez, a sense of foreboding that he couldn’t quite place.

Mars Wright, who stood nearby, felt that unease even more acutely.

Something about Autumn felt drastically altered. The girl he once knew, who had always approached life with a calm demeanor, was now quick to anger, ready to erupt at the faintest hint of disagreement. It was as if she had reached her limit, a point of no return.

His heart raced, but he steeled his voice, trying to sound authoritative. “Don’t get too confident, Autumn. You really think hiring a bodyguard will change anything? We are your parents! Don’t for a moment believe that just because you’ve sprouted wings, you can simply fly away from us!”

“Let me be clear,” she shot back, her voice unwavering. “I’m returning to the Lopez Group tomorrow. With your pregnancy, it’s best if you stay home and focus on your health.”

“The role of chief secretary will be handed to your sister. We’re a family, after all. Would we ever do anything to harm you?”

“Once you have Mars’s baby, we’ll return every single thing that belongs to you.”

Autumn scoffed internally; not a word of it rang true.

The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning: this was their so-called “family dinner.”

Her parents had seen the Lopez Group secure a significant contract with Mistveil Group, and now they were eager to swoop in and reap the benefits of her hard-earned success.

As if life were that simple.

When the Lopez Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, they had shoved the entire burden onto her shoulders. Now that fortune had finally smiled upon them, her father suddenly wanted to reclaim control?

Autumn felt a wave of gratitude wash over her for having heeded Owen Bennett’s advice.

His foresight was nothing short of remarkable.

Perhaps it was true that sometimes an outsider could perceive things more clearly than those entrenched in the chaos.

Even though Owen had never met her father or her family and remained oblivious to their true nature, his keen intuition had guided him to offer her the most viable solution.

Choosing to carve her own path had been the most astute decision Autumn had ever made.

“Is that so?” she retorted, halting in her tracks. “You want it back? Let’s see if you have what it takes to reclaim it.”

With that declaration hanging in the air like a challenge, Autumn slid into her car, determination radiating from her.

Chapter 78

Her words left Oliver breathless, a mix of shock and disbelief washing over him. Mrs. Lopez and Lydia scrambled to locate his blood pressure medication, panic etched on their faces.

Mars had always been the dutiful son-in-law, the one who rushed to help in times of crisis.

But today, his gaze remained fixed on Autumn, and a strange sense of dread gripped him. She felt like a stranger to him now, and a voice in his head screamed that if he let her leave now, she might vanish for good.

Ignoring everyone else, Mars took a step forward, intent on following her.

Lydia, noticing his movement, felt a flash of resentment toward Autumn.

She quickly composed herself and turned to Mars, her voice tinged with urgency. “Mars, I think Dad’s in serious trouble. Could you please take him to the hospital?”

“We can’t handle this alone right now, and I can only rely on you. Please, Mars, will you help us?”

Caught between Lydia’s desperate plea and his own instincts, Mars hesitated.

He glanced back at Autumn, who was now a figure in the distance.

Then he looked at his family, their faces marred with worry and despair.

In the end, he made his choice.

“I’ll get the car. You all help Dad to the front door. We’ll head straight to the hospital.”

Lydia’s face lit up with gratitude, her eyes flicking toward Autumn with an expression that screamed triumph.

It was as if to say, “See, Autumn? No matter how much you rage or act out, Mars will always choose me.”

Autumn caught Lydia’s smug expression but felt nothing but indifference.

In the past, such a sight would have ignited fury within her. But now, having distanced herself from them emotionally, they appeared to her as nothing more than pathetic clowns in a circus.

If Lydia wanted to tie herself to a man like Mars, she was welcome to him.

The thought that her divorce would soon be finalized filled Autumn with an unexpected sense of elation.

“Let’s go,” she said to her bodyguard.

As Mars pulled the car around, he caught a glimpse of Autumn’s vehicle disappearing down the road.

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