Love Is Out of Balance

Chapter 1

At the mall, a crystal chandelier fell from the top floor and crashed right into me.

Blood soaked my clothes as I lay there in shock, hurting, dizzy, barely able to move.

That's when I saw my husband, Xavier, walking by with his first love, Nicole Phillips. She paused, her eyes widening in horror at the sight of me. For a second, I thought she might help.

But Xavier tugged her arm and said coldly, "Don't worry about her. She's not going to die that easily."

I wanted to scream, but everything went black.

It wasn't him who rushed me to the hospital, it was mall security. The doctor said it was mostly surface injuries, but I'd lost a lot of blood. If I'd gotten there any later, it could've been life-threatening. Dozens of stitches covered my back.

I dragged my battered body home, only to find a piece of lacy lingerie lying carelessly on our bed, sexy, red, and definitely not mine.

I tossed it in the trash. Then I picked up the phone and called him.

"Xavier," I said, voice like ice. "Let's get a divorce."

His angry voice came blasting through the speaker.

"Grace, are you serious right now? Just because I didn't take you to the hospital myself, you want a divorce?"

I laughed bitterly. "No, Xavier. I want a divorce because you clearly love Nicole more. So I'll do you a favor and get out of your way."

Before I could hang up, I heard Nicole's sweet, sultry voice in the background.

"Who is it, Xavier? It's late… come take a shower."

Then the line went dead.

My phone slipped from my fingers. Tears blurred my vision.

This weekend, I'd originally asked Xavier to come shopping with me. He told me he had to work late. Said he couldn't make it.

But there he was, with her, at that exact same mall.

Nicole saw me first. She looked stunned, even reached for her phone to call someone, but Xavier stopped her. Instead of helping, he dragged her away and said those cruel words.

At that moment, something inside me broke.

He didn't care. Not even a little.

I blacked out and woke up in a hospital bed. And he wasn't there.

He never even called.

Later that night, as I lay in bed sore and humiliated, I told myself I was done. Done with the lies. The excuses. The endless humiliation. I would divorce Xavier Walsh.

I fell asleep crying from both pain and heartbreak.

The next morning, I woke to find him standing at the foot of the bed, watching me with that unreadable expression.

I looked at him, cold and empty. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your first love?"

He hesitated, swallowed hard.

"Nicole was just… having a rough day. She asked me to walk with her and we ended up at the mall by accident. I didn't mean to ignore you."

I laughed bitterly. "So you weren't done shopping with her in the afternoon, and you just had to sleep with her at night too?"

His face darkened. "Grace, could you not be so dramatic? She twisted her ankle, okay? I took her home, got her medicine, made sure she was okay. It got late, so I stayed to help. That's all."

I stared at him, stunned by the sheer audacity. Nicole sprained her ankle and got a full night of attention. Meanwhile, I got hit by a falling chandelier and had dozens of stitches in my back, and he hadn't even asked if I was okay.

He always had excuses when it came to me.

But when it came to her? He'd drop everything.

Sensing the tension, Xavier reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet jewelry box.

"Here," he said, placing it on the bedside table. "I bought this for you. See if you like it."

I recognized the box instantly. My heart clenched.

I opened it slowly, and sure enough, there it was. The same pearl necklace Nicole had flaunted on her Instagram last night.

He always tries so hard to please me, even if I don't like it. He's just a clueless man who loves me too much, she had written.

I remembered the caption. The smug little smile on her face.

So this was her castoff?

I picked up the discarded lingerie from the trash, wrapped the necklace in it, and handed it back to Xavier.

"Please return these to her," I said calmly. "I don't wear things that have already been used by someone else."