Chapter 1

~ Natalie Jackson ~

It was 6:00 p.m. on Saturday evening. I finished preparing dinner in the kitchen, set it on a tray, and walked out to the dining table to serve it. Just then, I saw that my older sister, Amelia Jackson, had arrived.

I watched my husband, Franklin Howard, laughing so hard with my elder sister. What pained me more was seeing the way he got along with her.

Franklin had never laughed like this with me before, and here he was laughing loudly with my sister in the living room.

Amelia Jackson was my elder sister. We had the same father but different mothers. My mother was once a mistress to my father, and because I was the unwanted child, my family did not like me.

I had three older brothers—James, Asher, and Felix—all doting on Amelia.

Amelia and I were the same age, but she was only a month older than me, which 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 all a mistake that led to Franklin and my marriage—a mistake that I should not have accepted.

Three years ago, my father and Franklin's father were best friends. While my father hosted a business party at home and invited a lot of 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 did not believe me. He felt I was the one who drugged him and lured him to my room so that 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 my father's illegitimate daughter, and they wondered why my father had kept me instead of kicking me out and allowing Amelia to marry Franklin.

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

A lot of invitees had also come with their adult children, but none of them came to speak to me.

I was already 22 years old then, naive, and with Franklin and me caught in a compromising position on the bed. We got married while Amelia wept that Franklin was supposed to be her husband.

Franklin did not like me. After that night, we did not sleep with each other, and I did not conceive either, even though it was my first time. We were living like neighbors who hated each other, and now that Amelia had graduated, Franklin wanted to divorce me to marry her. How shameless of a sister to want to date her younger sister's husband! Amelia was so shameless.

Franklin was five years older than me. At 25 years old now, he was 30.

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

Franklin was tall; his arms and thighs were big. I did not even reach his chest—to tell you the truth, I was a shorty, although I had an hourglass shape. Franklin did not find me attractive in any way.

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

Amelia blushed as she picked up the glass cup of red wine 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 could not go to work since I did not have a meaningful certificate.

As the illegitimate child of my parents, I did not further my education, and my stepmother forced me to learn tailoring while Amelia went to the university and became a certified accountant.

I was not even allowed to sew, because Franklin felt it was a useless profession, much like becoming a fashion designer. He called me ugly and said I was not fashionable. He did not like to take me out to hang out with his friends, neither did he give me money for upkeep.

I only managed to get money for my upkeep when he gave me funds to restock the house with foodstuffs. Only then did I manage to save a little for my personal use.

"It was fine, Frankie," Amelia replied. I hated 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, acting as though he did not want to see me.

"Natalie! Is the dinner ready?" Franklin asked, just as he settled across from Amelia on the 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 that I had prepared, and 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 did not invite Amelia to my home, nor would I serve her any food. She should get out, return to our father's house, and look for her own husband to exchange pet names with.

Franklin immediately rose from the couch and dashed up to meet me. "Where are you taking the tray of food? Have you lost your mind?"

Franklin slapped me as he approached me and collected the tray from my hands.

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

"Franklin, why did you slap me? 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. Do not think I will apologize to you because of the slap. Come, Amy, do not mind your sister. That is how silly she behaves," Franklin called out to Amelia, and I watched as she seductively stood up from the black couch in her brown dress, which made her look like a model. It accentuated 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 was not supposed to be jealous, but Franklin had never served me any food before, let alone something I had cooked myself.

Franklin noticed I had not provided a bowl of water, so he went to the kitchen himself and brought a bowl of water for Amelia to wash her hands. He sat across from her, and she blushed, not even caring to ask me to join them.

"Franklin!" I shrieked and walked toward the plate of soup that I had served for myself—the very portion Franklin had just handed to Amelia as her plate.

"What is wrong with you, Natalie? Should we leave this food for you to eat? Come, Amy, let us 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 chose to leave our matrimonial home to eat elsewhere.

"Franklin!" I tried to stop him, but he warned me.

"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 have poisoned it?"

"What?" I frowned as his words broke my heart.

He quickly took the stairs in our living room and dashed up to his bedroom. Yes, Franklin and I had separate bedrooms.

I looked back at Amelia and shouted at her, "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 cussed at her, and she hissed.

"Get out of my house!" I felt enraged, remembering that Amelia and my brothers never liked me. They constantly maltreated me. While I had thought that getting married would grant me my own happiness and family, this same family that opposed my happiness refused to let me be.

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