CHAPTER 1

Natalie's POV

I watch my husband, Franklin Howard, laugh hard with my elder sister, Amelia Jackson, in the living room.

What pains me most is the way he gets along with her.

Franklin never laughs like this with me, but he laughs loudly with my sister in the living room.

Amelia Jackson is my half sister. We share the same father but have different mothers.

My mother serves as a mistress to my father, and because I am the unwanted child, my family dislikes me.

I have three older brothers, James, Asher, and Felix. They all dote on Amelia.

Amelia and I are agemates, but she is only a month older than me, so that makes her my elder sister.

We both have fair complexions, but while she stands tall, I remain short and chubby.

Franklin is a billionaire in this part of the city where we live, and he never likes me, his wife.

A mistake leads to Franklin and my marriage. I should not have accept that mistake.

I take you back to three years ago. My father and Franklin's father are best friends. My father hosts a business party at home and invites a lot of tycoons.

One thing leads to another, and Franklin and I get caught in my room.

I know Amelia sets us up, but no one believes me. Even Franklin does not believe me. He feels I drug him and lure him to my room so that he sleeps with me.

We become a couple to hide the embarrassment, as Franklin's family also feels disappointed. Everyone knows I am the illegitimate daughter of my father, and they wonder why my father keeps me instead of kicking me out and allowing Amelia to marry Franklin.

After my wedding with Franklin, I discover Amelia has a hidden crush on him. She regrets drugging my drink, as that is what I serve Franklin when he comes to speak to me on that eventful night.

Many invites come with their children who are already adults, but none of them come to speak to me.

I am already 22 years old then. Naive, and with Franklin and me caught in a compromising position on the bed, we get married while Amelia weeps that Franklin is supposed to be her husband.

Franklin does not like me. After that night, we do not sleep with each other, and I do not conceive, even as it is my first time.

We live like neighbors who hate each other, and now that Amelia graduates, Franklin wants to divorce me to marry her.

How shameless of a sister to want to date her younger sister's husband?

Amelia is so shameless. Franklin is five years older than me. As I am 25 years now, he is 30 years.

I watch Franklin wear a white singlet that reveals his masculine abs, as he loves to gym. He has fair complexion, more handsome than any other men I see.

His skin glitters like the sun, and I see the way Amelia gawks over him.

Franklin stands very tall. He's mascular, and I do not reach his chest; to tell you, I am a short woman. Although, I have an hourglass shape. Franklin does not find me attractive in any way.

"How is your studies, Amy?" Franklin ask. He switches from calling her Amelia to Amy as her short abbreviated name.

Amelia blushes as she picks up the glass cup of wine that Franklin refills, as I sit at the dining table and set up our dinner.

We have no maid at home. Simply because Franklin mandates that I will not go to work when I do not have any meaningful certificate.

As the illegitimate child of my parents, I do not further my education, and my stepmother forces me to learn tailoring while Amelia goes to the university and becomes a certified accountant.

Franklin does not even allow me to sew, as he feels it is a useless profession as becoming a fashion designer. He calls me ugly and says that I am not fashionable. He does not like to take me out to hang out with his friends. Neither does he give me money for upkeep.

I only manage to get money for my upkeep when he gives me money to restock the house with foodstuffs. Only then, I manage to save money for my personal use.

"It is fine, Frankie," Amelia says. I hate it as she and my husband call themselves pet names.

This is my matrimonial home, and Franklin only calls me "Natalie!"

In short, he shouts my name with so much rage like he does not want to see me.

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

I finish preparing the delicious African delicacy of pounded yam and vegetable soup.

I look at the food that I prepare and at my husband and my half-sister.

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

"Hmm, no food for you both," I reply and cover the food that I already serve.

Firstly, I do not invite Amelia to my home. Neither will I serve her any food. She should get out and return to our father's house and look for her own husband to call pet names with him.

Franklin immediately rises from the couch and dashes up to meet me.

"Where do you take the tray of food to? Have you lost your mind?" He slaps me as he approaches me and collects the tray from my hand.

I look at him irritably and at Amelia, who smiles and rolls her eyes, as I know her target. She wants to collect my husband.

She sends me a text message the previous month, telling me that she comes back to collect everything that I steal from her, including my husband.

"Franklin, you slap me because of what? I cook this food, and you cannot eat it," I say.

"Why? Do I not give you the money you use to prepare the meal? Do 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 is how silly she behaves," Franklin calls out for Amelia, and I watch as she seductively stands up from the couch in her brown dress that makes her look like a model. The brown dress accentuates her hips and bosom.

Amelia walks up to the dining table, and I stand there watching as Franklin serves her the delicious plate of pounded yam and vegetable soup that I suffer and cook.

I know Amelia is my sister, and I am not supposed to feel jealous. But Franklin never serves me any food before, not to mention the one that I cook by myself.

Franklin also sees that I do not serve any bowl of water, and he goes to the kitchen by himself and brings a bowl of water for Amelia to wash her hands.

He sits across from her, and she blushes, not caring to ask me to join them in eating.

"Franklin!" I shout and walk toward the plate of soup that I serve out for myself, because that is the portion that Franklin serves for Amelia as her own plate of soup to eat.

"What is 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 says, standing up from the dining table, and I hate it whenever I suffer to cook and my husband goes out of our matrimonial home to eat.

"Franklin!" I try to stop him, and he warns. "Stay away from me, Natalie. Just go and eat your food since you do not want your sister and me to eat it. Who knows if you poison it."

"What?" I frown as Franklin's words break my heart. He quickly takes the stairs in our duplex mansion and dashes upstairs to his bedroom.

Yes, Franklin and I have different bedrooms. I look back at Amelia and shout at her, "You shameless slut, are you not ashamed to date your sister's husband? As beautiful as you are, you cannot use your beauty to look for your own husband!" I cuss at her, and she hisses.

"Get out of my house!" I rage, remembering that Amelia and her brothers never like me. They mostly maltreat me, and while I think that getting married gives me my own happiness and family, yet this very same family that does not want my happiness will not let me be.

As I rush to push Amelia out of the house, she falls down and pretends to be hurt.