Billionaire's Broken Trust

-NATALIE-

On Saturday evening, I watched my husband, Franklin Howard, laughing so hard with my half-sister, Amelia Jackson, in the living room.

What pained me most was seeing how well he got along with her. Franklin had never chuckled like that with me before, and yet here he was, laughing happily with my older sister.

Amelia Jackson was my half-sister. We had the same father but different mothers. My mother was a mistress to my father, and because I was the unwanted child, my family didn't like me.

I had three older brothers—James, Asher, and Felix—all of whom doted on Amelia. Amelia and I were the same age, but she was a month older, so that made her my elder sister. We were both fair in complexion, but while she was tall, I was short and chubby.

Franklin was a billionaire in this part of the city where we lived, and he never liked me, his wife. It was a mistake that led to Franklin's and my marriage—a mistake I shouldn't have accepted.

Three years ago: my father and Franklin's father were best friends. When my father hosted a business party at home, he invited many tycoons. One thing led to another, and Franklin and I were caught in my room. I knew Amelia was the one who set us up, but no one believed me. Even Franklin didn't believe me. He thought I was the one who drugged him and lured him to my room so he would sleep with me.

We were forced to become a couple to hide the embarrassment, as Franklin's family was also disappointed. Everyone knew I was the illegitimate daughter of my father, and they would wonder why he had kept me instead of kicking me out and allowing Amelia to marry Franklin.

It was after my wedding to Franklin that I discovered Amelia had a hidden crush on him. She regretted drugging my drink, since that was what I had served Franklin when he came to speak to me on that eventful night.

Many guests had come with their children, who were already adults, but none of them came to talk to me.

I was twenty-two then, naive, and when Franklin and I were caught in a compromising position on the bed, we got married while Amelia wept that Franklin was supposed to be her husband.

Franklin didn't like me. After that night, we didn't sleep together, and I didn't conceive, even though it was my first time. We lived like neighbors who hated each other, and now that Amelia had graduated, Franklin wanted to divorce me to marry her.

How shameless a sister to want to date her younger sister's husband! Amelia was so shameless. Franklin was five years older than me. I was twenty-five now, and he was thirty.

I watched as Franklin wore a white singlet that revealed his masculine abs, since he loved to go to the gym. He was fair in complexion, more handsome than any other man I had seen. His skin glittered like the sun, and I saw the way Amelia was drooling over him.

Franklin was very tall. His arms were big, and likewise his thighs. I wasn't up to his chest—to tell you, I was a shorty. Although I had an hourglass shape, Franklin didn't in any way find me attractive.

"How were your studies, Amy?" I heard Franklin ask Amelia. He had switched from calling her Amelia to Amy as her nickname.

Amelia blushed as she picked up the glass cup that Franklin had refilled, while I sat at the dining table setting up our dinner.

We had no maid at home, simply because Franklin mandated that I wouldn't go to work since I didn't have any meaningful certificate.

As the illegitimate child of my parents, I didn't further my education. I was forced by my stepmother to learn tailoring while Amelia went to university and became a certified accountant.

I wasn't even allowed to sew, because Franklin felt it was a useless profession, like becoming a fashion designer. He called me ugly and said I wasn't fashionable. He didn't like to take me out to hang out with his friends, nor did he give me money for upkeep.

I only managed to get money for my upkeep when he gave me money to restock the house with foodstuffs. Only then could I save some for my personal use.

"It was fine, Frankie," Amelia replied. I heard as she and my husband called each other pet names. This was my matrimonial home, and Franklin only called me "Natalie!" In short, he shouted my name with so much rage, as if he didn't want to see me.

"Natalie! Is the dinner ready?" Franklin asked me, just as he settled across from Amelia on the next black couch in our exquisite living room.

I was through preparing the delicious African delicacy of pounded yam and vegetable soup. I looked at the food I had prepared, then at my husband and my half-sister.

"Natalie! I am talking to you!" Franklin shouted at me again.

"Hmm, no food for you both," I replied, and covered the food that I had already served.

Firstly, I didn't invite Amelia to my home, nor would I serve her any food. She should get out and return to our father's house and find her own husband to call pet names with.

Franklin immediately rose from the couch and dashed up to meet me.

"Where are you taking the tray of food to? Have you lost your mind?" Franklin slapped me as he approached, then collected the tray from my hand.

I looked at him irritably, then at Amelia, who smiled and rolled her eyes. I knew her target: she wanted to steal my husband. She had sent me a text message the previous month, telling me she was coming back to take everything she thought I had stolen from her, including my husband.

"Franklin, you slap me for what? I cooked this food, and you cannot eat it," I said.

"Why? Did I not give you the money you used to prepare the meal? Did you work for the money? Move away and get me a bowl of water to wash my hands, and do not think that I will apologize to you because of the slap. Come, Amy. Do not mind your sister. That's how silly she behaves," Franklin called out. I watched as Amelia stood up seductively from the black couch in her brown dress that made her look like a model, the brown dress accentuating her hips and bosom.

Amelia walked up to the dining table, and I stood there watching as Franklin served her the delicious plate of pounded yam and vegetable soup that I had suffered to cook. I knew Amelia was my sister and I wasn't supposed to be jealous, but Franklin had never served me any food before, let alone the one I had cooked myself.

Franklin also saw that I hadn't served any bowl of water, so he went to the kitchen by himself and brought a bowl for Amelia to wash her hands. He sat across from her, and she was blushing, not caring to ask me to join them in eating.

"Franklin!" I shouted, and walked toward the plate of soup I had served out for myself—the portion Franklin had served for Amelia as her own plate.

"What's wrong with you, Natalie? Should we leave this food for you to eat? Come, Amy, let's go out to get something more palatable to eat," Franklin said, standing up from the dining table. I hated it whenever I suffered to cook and my husband would have to go out of our matrimonial home to eat.

"Franklin!" I tried to stop him, and he warned, "Stay away from me, Natalie. Just go and eat your food since you don't want your sister and me to eat it. Who knows if you have poisoned it?"

"What?" I frowned as Franklin's words broke my heart. He quickly took the stairs in our living room and dashed up to his bedroom. Yes, Franklin and I had different bedrooms.

I looked back at Amelia and shouted, "You shameless slut, aren't you ashamed to be dating your sister's husband? As beautiful as you are, you cannot use your beauty to find your own husband!" I cursed at Amelia, and she hissed.

"Get out of my house!" I was enraged, remembering that Amelia and her three brothers had never liked me. They had mostly maltreated me, and I had thought that getting married would bring me my own happiness and family. Yet this very same family, which didn't want my happiness, wouldn't let me be.

As I rushed to push Amelia out of the house, she fell down and pretended to be hurt.