Chapter 0005

Natalie's POV 

I fell asleep waiting for Frank to return home after I had finished eating my dinner alone. When I awoke, I heard loud banging on the door.

As I rushed to unlock it, Frank was back and accusing me of drugging him.

I thought he was joking, but he was dead serious and started kissing me as he dropped me on the bed in our vast bedroom, before my mind could register what he was doing.

Frank hadn't kissed me in the three years since we got married. He doesn't want to acknowledge me as his wife. He only wants my food because he says he doesn't like eating outsiders' food, as they don't cook well and usually manage ingredients. So he returns home to eat what I have made for him.

"Frank, stop!" I tried to stop him as I was breathing heavily.

I was supposed to be excited that my husband and I were finally making love, but I knew that Frank wasn't in his right frame of mind. I sensed maybe Amelia had drugged him, and now Frank was home accusing me of being the one who had drugged him.

Frank removed my gown in a flash and continued kissing me. I should have left him when I had the opportunity to. Frank's parents don't like me; even his mother calls me names and says I'm not fit to be her daughter-in-law.

None of Frank's two siblings relate to me as they disapprove of my presence at their gatherings.

The only person who was kind to me was Frank's best friend, Michael. He was the only one who smiled at me and ate my food happily whenever he came to see Frank and me on weekends, like Saturdays and Sundays.

But Frank doesn't like it and had warned his friend to stop pleasing me, saying I don't know how to cook.

Each time, I try to improve my cooking skills so that Frank would love me and thank me, but he doesn't. He only reminds me that he brought the money to prepare the food and doesn't owe me any gratitude for cooking the ingredients that he gave me money to buy.

Frank was mean to me, but I kept enduring him as I didn't want to be referred to as a prostitute, or as a woman who couldn't stay in her marriage—the same label that my biological mother bore. 

I had seen my mother once after I got married to Frank. She came asking me for money, telling me that my husband was rich, so it was only right that I took care of her.

I couldn't believe my mother would say that to me, but I tried explaining to her that Frank doesn't give me money for anything.

She advised me to report him to a human rights association in our state because he was my husband and had to take care of me and give me money to take care of my family. But I let her know that Frank and I weren't in love. As our marriage wasn't built on love.

After I told her how Amelia had set me up, my mother wasn't happy and advised me to leave Frank. She said, I was pretty enough to win any serious bachelor to marry me. But I didn't want to leave Franklin.

He was my husband. Even as he glared at me at the altar of God, not wanting to say "I do," I happily told him, "I do."

I fell in love with Franklin after our marriage and wanted to be his wife, but he doesn't trust me and believes that I was the one who drugged him.

Frank didn't take it easy on me tonight. And just like the night before, three years ago, when we were caught on the bed inside my room, Frank pounded me so hard on the bed. He kept thrusting, moaning, and I didn't try to stop him. I allowed him to torture me all through the night until he got his relief and collapsed, sleeping on the bed next to me.

My body was sore and aching from the level of impact at which Frank handled me. I carefully crawled out of the bed, as it had been so long since Frank and I did it. I couldn't remember that night too, because of the aphrodisiac drug Amelia gave us. But tonight was different; I remember everything clearly, as I wasn't drugged, and I know Frank wouldn't remember.

What was Amelia's goal? She wanted my husband to sleep with her. Why couldn't she be patient and maybe wait until Frank and I got divorced before she drugged him? She drugged him and allowed me to suffer the impact of her actions.

I had always suffered the consequences of Amelia's actions, and I knew that this wouldn't be any different.

As I picked up my phone from the shelf, managing to stand up as I saw the time was already midnight.

Frank got back home by 10 p.m., and now it was midnight, and he lasted two hours nonstop, making love with me.

I wanted to message Amelia, but I was enraged, so I called her instead.

"What did you do to my husband??" My anger was evident as I asked her on the phone, almost shouting.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Natalie?! You shameless prostitute and bastard! What did you do to Frank?" Amelia barked at me, her tone laced with malice.

"Hmm, don't pretend like you didn't know. Frank went out with you, and now he came home drunk and acting under the influence of whatever you have given him. Do not think that Frank wouldn't find out about this. I will have you arrested!" I shouted, and Amelia laughed.

"Hahaha! If there's anyone that should be arrested, it's you who drugged Frank. You know what you did to him and gave him before I came to your house. So stop pretending or asking me nonsense!" Amelia ended the phone call on me, and my brows furrowed.

I knew Frank would accuse me of drugging him once he awoke, and I feared what his anger would lead to. Frank doesn't beat me up, but he slapped me just because I refused to allow Amelia to eat my food.

Frank showed his angry side to me for the first time in our marriage, and this has never happened before.

I blinked my tears away and went into the bathroom to wash myself.

Although I loved the way Frank was great in bed, I really did enjoy it, and if only he had done it with a clear eyes, not under the influence of whatever Amelia had given him.

I was exhausted, so I walked out of the bathroom after a quick shower and got on the bed to sleep.

This bedroom was my own; as Frank doesn't give me any specific room in the house, he said the room was his, and I was only temporarily using it until he asked me to leave.

We share the closet, but Franklin hasn't mistakenly slept with me.

He sometimes uses the other rooms that are furnished whenever he wants to avoid me, but most times, I lie to him that I cannot sleep alone just to crawl on the same bed as him.

I lay on the bed and fell asleep, as I was already exhausted.

The following morning, I awoke, and Frank was still sleeping on the bed. I touched his chest to see if he was all right. His head was hot, and likewise, his body.

"What did Amelia give to my husband?" I wondered, knowing that if anything went wrong with Frank, I would be in serious trouble, but I couldn't leave him at this point.

I went to get water to wipe his forehead and took care of him, but Frank wasn't waking up.

Afraid, I laid my head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat, and he was still breathing, but his breathing wasn't stable.

"My goodness!" I rushed out of our room to call the family doctor and to know if I should take Frank to the hospital.