Love Is Out of Balance

Chapter 3

The emcee stared at me, clearly confused, but I kept my gaze locked on Xavier and Nicole, a mocking smile playing on my lips.

"Oh, this is really something. Mr. Walsh, my dear husband. I didn't realize Nicole had replaced me as your wife. Care to explain to everyone, who exactly am I?"

Xavier's face drained of color, and Nicole looked panicked beside him. The audience instantly began whispering to each other.

"Wait, what's going on? Why are there two Mrs. Walshs?"

"Didn't Xavier's wife used to be Grace? I thought they were still together... Did they divorce and he remarried?"

"Yeah, I know Nicole. Isn't she Xavier's secretary? Did he cheat on Grace?"

The murmur of confusion spread through the crowd as the emcee looked to Xavier, his face a picture of bewilderment. Xavier's expression darkened, and he shot me a murderous glare before speaking in a clipped, cold tone.

"Grace, what exactly do you want from me?"

I raised an eyebrow, keeping my voice steady. "Oh, I'm not the one with the questions here. Since you're so eager to marry Nicole, why are you dragging your feet on divorcing me?"

Xavier clenched his jaw. "This is just a misunderstanding. I don't have time to explain right now. Please, let's just talk later, at home, in private."

Nicole, standing by his side, gave me a pitiful look. "Grace, I'm really sorry. I had no idea what was happening until I got on stage. There must be some mix-up. But now... well, everyone's watching. For Mr. Walsh's sake, can we just step down for a moment?"

Just as the tension between us three was hanging thick in the air, a voice rang out from the crowd, dripping with sarcasm.

"Mr. Walsh, you're quite the player. A wife and a lover? You must be living the dream."

With that, a young, attractive man leapt onto the stage, and the crowd gasped.

"Wait, isn't that Caleb, the son of Heather Hall, the richest guy in town? I heard he's famous for not liking women, but I didn't expect to see him here!"

"Looks like Caleb's ready to stand up for Ms. Lewis. This is going to be interesting!"

"Caleb's got crazy high standards, but maybe he's finally found someone worth his time. Could he really be into Ms. Lewis?"

I'd seen Caleb's face in the news plenty of times, but seeing him in person was something else, he was even more stunning up close. Xavier's expression soured when he saw Caleb, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he forced a smile.

"Mr. Hall, this is a misunderstanding. I'll explain everything to my wife later, I promise."

Caleb gave Xavier a mocking look. "A misunderstanding, huh? Funny. It's too bad Ms. Lewis has to put up with this embarrassment because of your 'little mistake.' Hey, Ms. Lewis, your good-for-nothing husband is about to trade you in for someone else. How about we make a deal? What do you say you ditch him and take me instead?"

Caleb's words hit like a thunderclap, not only taking me by surprise but shocking everyone in the room.