Chapter 0004

Franklin's POV,

"Okay," Amelia replied, and we started eating the chicken pepper soup that the waiter had earlier served us.

We didn’t speak as we ate, since the pepper soup was spicy. After we finished, and after having a few drinks, I began to feel a slight headache. I smiled at Amelia and told her, "I have to go home now. How about we meet up again tomorrow, Sunday? Do you go to church?"

"Um, yes, Frank. But I would like to have some time with you today. You know, just you and I," Amelia said, seductively touching my hand. I quickly withdrew it, understanding what she wanted.

"No. We cannot do anything silly right now. I'm still married to your sister, and my family isn’t aware that I want to divorce her," I told Amelia as I was beginning to sweat despite the air conditioning unit in the private parlor.

Amelia frowned and tried to touch me again. "No one would know, Frank. I have always wanted you, and now that I'm back, we will be together, and you will send Natalie away."

I wanted to give in to what Amelia was saying. My mother didn't like Natalie either, and I had only married her to hide our family's shame. My father wouldn't want the news to spread that I had slept with a young woman in her father's house.

I had little memory of how Natalie and I had sex, and each time I tried to think about it, I developed a headache.

"No." I rose to my feet and told Amelia, "I cannot do that now. We will get to do all that later. I promise you I’m not sleeping with your sister. After she set me up, no way. I've been living with her as my neighbor, and we haven’t done anything intimate, like making love."

"Really?" Amelia's eyebrows shot up as she looked at me in shock.

"Yes. We have separate bedrooms, but sometimes we use the same room, and she knows not to cross boundaries with me."

"But you have seen her nàked?" Amelia asked, curiously.

"No!" I quickly waved off the topic of seeing my wife náked. It was something I didn't like to think about.

Natalie was more beautiful náked than she was clothed. What could I expect from the daughter of a prostitute? Thanks to the fact that she didn't know how to dress, she mostly wore loose-fitting clothes of poor quality.

I wondered who had advised her to learn fashion when she wasn’t fashionable at all.

I would have preferred to open a supermarket for Natalie, but what if she seduced her male customers and drugged them?

She was still my wife, and I was very famous in this part of the city. I wouldn’t want my wife to tarnish my name with her reckless lifestyle, especially since I hadn’t touched her since we got married. So it was best that she stayed home.

Although I enjoyed Natalie’s cooking skills, I didn’t want to acknowledge that I liked anything about her.

Once I divorced her, I would hire a chef to take care of my meals, as I didn’t like eating fast food. I would also hire a dry cleaner to manage my laundry.

That way, Natalie would be of no use to me.

"Come on, let’s go home. I’ll drop you off, as it’s getting late. Tomorrow we can hang out again," I told Amelia as I noticed her frown.

She stood up and hugged me, saying, "I really want to spend tonight with you."

"No. Do not worry, we will meet later." I carefully pulled Amelia away from hugging me, as I was beginning to feel sick and perspiring.

"Waiter!" I called, and soon cleared our bill with my debit card. Once we left the restaurant, I drove back to the Jackson's residence first, knowing it was a short distance away from my home.

I arrived at the front gate and parked my car while I unlocked it from within, unable to get out and open the door for Amelia.

"Frank, you promise that we will hang out together tomorrow?" Amelia asked me, once more, looking at me with her lovely blue eyes.

"Yes," I replied, and she got out of my car.

"Take care, sweetie! See you tomorrow," she waved at me as I watched her walk back to her father's house.

I locked the car door properly and felt a rush of desire, wanting a warm body at that moment.

"What's wrong with me? Was I drugged?" I wondered as I quickly started my car engine and drove home.

In the three years I had been married to Natalie, I hadn't patronized a prostitute. I didn't want to start now, so I drove home, thinking that once I got there, I would feel all right.

It was my habit to feel unwell each time I ate outside, as I didn’t like it.

I arrived home late, driving into my compound and parking my car.

I staggered as I got out of the car and dragged myself into the house. I didn't know what time it was, but I was certain it was already late.

As I arrived at the front door, I rang the doorbell, but there was no response. I banged on the door, and when it finally opened, Natalie was standing there in a light green gown.

"Welcome back," she greeted me as she moved away from the door to let me enter.

I stepped inside, and as she locked the door and turned to face me, I couldn't hold it back anymore. I grabbed her waist, and yelled, "What did you do to me?"

"Huh! What did I do wrong?" Natalie asked, her big brown eyes welling up with tears.

I looked at her face, unable to believe that I was starting to find her very attractive. As I tried to look away from her face, my eyes kept drifting downward to stare at her huge bosom.

"You drugged me again, didn’t you? Why can't you accept that I don’t love you and that our marriage is fake?" I yelled again, wanting to suppress my desire, but my body was overheating, and I didn’t know how long I would endure this.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Aren't you the one who just left the house with Amelia? What did she do to you that you came back home accusing me?" Natalie sobbed, and I refused to believe that Amelia would drug me.

"Shut up! We've been at home since morning. I ate your food before going out with Amelia. Was that why you refused to let her eat your food? Because you put a love potion in it?" I shouted, not wanting to believe that now, I had made up my mind to divorce Natalie, she dared to use voodoo on me.

"No! I would never do that! I know you do not like me, but I would never stoop so low as to drug you. I want us to end our marriage peacefully and go our separate ways," she cried. "I will get the divorce papers ready by Monday."

"And you want me to believe that? I have spoken to you several times about getting a divorce and for you to leave, and you refused. Now you've drugged me again just because you saw me laughing with your sister tonight. Well, guess what? It worked, and I can't help but desire to have you tonight."

"What??" Natalie struggled to break away from my strong grip on her arms, by the door and yelled, "No, Frank! I don't want you! Once you wake up tomorrow, you will lie that I used you. Let me go!"

I ignored Natalie’s screams as I lifted her up in my arms and took her straight to our room on the top floor.