CHAPTER 5

NATALIE

When I awoke from my nap, I heard loud banging on the door.

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

I thought he was joking, but he was damn serious as he carried me in his arms and took me straight to our bedroom.

Before my mind could register what he was about to do, Franklin started kissing me hungrily like his life depended on it.

Franklin hadn't kissed me for three years since we got married. He doesn't even want to acknowledge me as his wife, as he mostly avoids me.

He only eats my food and says he doesn't like eating outsiders' food. That they don't cook it well and often mismanage ingredients. So he returns home to eat what I prepare for him, or he orders me to bring his lunch to his office.

"Franklin, stop!" I tried to stop him, to catch my breath, as he laid me on the bed, and I couldn't push him away.

I was supposed to be excited that my husband was finally making love to me, but I knew Franklin. Once he awoke the following morning, he would accuse me of taking advantage of him.

Franklin wasn't in his right frame of mind, and I sensed that Amelia had drugged him. Now Franklin came home accusing me of being the one who drugged him.

Why would I?

Franklin stopped kissing me and gazed at me. He hastily pulled off my green nightgown and tossed it away. In a flash, he stripped himself too.

I told him to stop, but he didn't listen. He held me close and forced himself on me.

I should have left him when I had the opportunity to. Franklin's mother doesn't like me. She often calls me names in the presence of her three children and says I am not fit to be her daughter-in-law.

None of Franklin's two siblings likes me. They don't relate with me or approve of me in their midst.

The only person who was kind to me was Franklin's best friend, Michael Austin.

Michael was the only one who smiles at me and happily eats my food whenever he comes to visit Franklin in this house, especially on weekends.

But Franklin doesn't like it and has warned his friend to stop teasing me.

Franklin says I don't know how to cook, and each time I try to improve my cooking skills to win his heart so he would love me and appreciate me, he wouldn't. He would only remind me that he was the one who provided money for the food, and that he doesn't owe me any gratitude for cooking it.

Franklin was mean to me, but I kept enduring him, believing that he would change and get to love me.

I didn't want to leave my marriage or be referred to as a woman who couldn't stay in her marriage.

Some referred to my mother as a prostitute. I had seen her once, after I got married to Franklin. She came asking me for money and telling me that my husband was a billionaire, so it was right that I take care of her.

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

My mother advised me to report Franklin to the police department around us, and said that he was my husband, and he ought to take care of me and give me money to take care of her.

But I let her know that Franklin and I weren't in love.

I informed her how Amelia had set me up with Franklin, and she wasn't happy about it. She advised that I divorce Franklin and leave him, telling me that I was pretty enough to win any serious bachelor in the city to marry me.

Well, I didn't want to. Franklin is my husband. We got married accordingly even as he glared at me at the altar and refused to say, "I do." I happily told him, "I do."

I love Franklin very much and wanted to be with him. However, he doesn't trust me and believes that I was the one who drugged him that night.

This night, he didn't take it easy on me. He pulled off my pant, searching for my wet folds and directed himself into me.

I remember him holding me down until he finished. Then he laid down next to me and fell asleep.

My body ached from what he did. I was supposed to be mad at him, but I wasn't.

After catching my breath, I carefully crawled out of bed to have a quick bath.

Ever since Franklin and I got married we haven't had sex. I couldn't remember that night three years ago because of what Amelia gave us. But tonight was different, I clearly remembered everything, and I know Franklin won't remember.

What was Amelia's target? She wanted my husband to sleep with her. Yet, she couldn't be patient enough to wait until Franklin and I got divorced, before she drugged him.

Amelia drugged Franklin and allowed me to suffer the consequences of her actions. I had always suffered her wrath, and I wanted to get my revenge on her.

As I got out of the bed, I picked up my phone from the shelf, managing to stand up as my legs shook. I saw the time was already midnight.

Franklin got home late at 10 p.m. and now it was midnight.

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

"You bìtch! What did you do to my husband?" My anger was evident as I asked Amelia over the phone, almost shouting.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Natalie?! You shameless slut and bastard! What did you do to Frankie?" She barked at me, pretending not to know.

"Don't pretend like you didn't know what you did to Franklin. He went out with you, and now he came home drunk and acting under the influence of whatever you gave him. Do not think that Franklin won't find out about this. I will have you arrested tomorrow!" I shouted, and Amelia laughed.

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

I knew Franklin would accuse me of drugging him once he awoke the next morning, and I feared what his anger would lead to.

Franklin doesn't beat me up, but he slapped me just because I refused to allow Amelia to eat my food.

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

I blinked my tears away and went into the bathroom to wash myself, as my body ached.

Although I love how Franklin made love to me, I wished he had done it with clear eyes and not under the influence of whatever Amelia had given him.

I was exhausted, so after I finished with my bath, I got out of the bathroom and went to the closet to pick a light white nightgown to wear. I donned it and went back to the vast bed to sleep.

This master bedroom was mine now, since Franklin used the next room.

Franklin didn't give me any specific room in this house.

When I arrived here with him two years ago, after he bought this mansion and offered to leave his family house, his father insisted that he take me along.

When we got here, Franklin said the room was his own, and I was only temporarily using it, until he asks me to leave his house.

We share the closet, but he hasn't mistakenly slept with me once. He sometimes uses the other rooms on the top floor that were furnished too, whenever he wants to avoid me.

But most times, I lie to him that I am scared of sleeping alone and having nightmares. I told him that just to crawl onto the same bed as him, but Franklin hadn't taken advantage of me.

I laid on the bed and slept off as I was already exhausted.

–––

The following morning, I awoke and Franklin was still sleeping on the bed. I touched his chest to know if he was alright. But his head was hot, and likewise his entire body.

"What did Amelia give to my husband?" I sprang up on the bed, wondering if anything went wrong with Franklin, I would be in serious trouble. But I couldn't leave him at this point or flee his house.

I stepped down from the bed and rushed to bring half bucket of cold water and a small towel to wipe his forehead and chest, but he wasn't waking up.

I laid my head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat, and he was breathing loudly.

"My God!" I rushed out of our room to call the family doctor and to know if I should take Franklin to the hospital or not.