Chapter 3

FRANKLIN

"You're right. We would have gotten married, but it's not too late to divorce your sister now. She isn't up to my standard, and I do not like her," I replied as the waiter brought our dinner.

Amelia smiled. "How about me? I have always admired you. Honestly, that night, I felt so sad seeing Natalie drug you and use you as her pawn to escape our parents' home. She's just wayward. I had always admired you, hoping we would become married," she said, tears gathering in her blue eyes.

I sighed. "Do not worry, I will end my marriage with Natalie, okay? She can move on with her life with whomever she pleases—I do not care," I told Amelia, and she smiled at me.

"Does that mean you will consider dating me now? I really do love you, Frankie," Amelia asked, looking at me intently.

She was beautiful, and with her large blue eyes shining, I couldn't say no to her request. I had always wanted to date Amelia; I used to like her back then. She was tall, like a model, with slender legs, a slim waist, and an ample bosom.

In those days, my father used to send me on errands to meet Mr. Liam Jackson, and I would catch a glimpse of Amelia.

Similarly, whenever our families hosted an event at the end of the year—like New Year festivities, Christmas, or birthday celebrations—my dad would invite the Jackson family to our home, and I would get to meet her.

Currently, since getting married and moving away from my father's house, I live alone with Natalie. I hardly attend these end-of-year celebrations anymore because I feel ashamed to be seen in public with my wife. I usually travel or make up excuses to my dad as to why I can't show up.

"I'll be right back. I need to use the restroom," I told Amelia, and she smiled at me.

"Okay," Amelia replied while the waiter positioned our meals on the table.

I knew I wasn't supposed to leave my food unattended, but Amelia was like family to me, and I trusted her. I quickly brushed off the uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach as I left for the restroom to relieve myself. I stole a final look at Amelia on my way out, seeing her smiling sweetly back at me.

I hurried into the men's restroom. There were several stalls for patrons to use, as this restaurant could get crowded.

As I exited the restroom, I bumped into Michael Austin—my best friend in the city. Michael wore a white shirt paired with black jeans similar to mine, along with black canvas shoes.

"Franklin! What brought you here, bro? Hold up, let me use the restroom quickly," Michael said, rushing into the restroom while I waited for him to come out.

"Franklin!" Michael said as he came back out, and we shook hands.

"What's up with you, Mike? What brings you here?" I asked.

Michael smiled and replied, "I was just bored at home. You know—no wife or girlfriend, so I came here to see if I could find a pretty lady to hang out with."

Michael had a dark complexion, compared to my fair skin.

"That's fine. I have to go now, as I came here with my date," I replied, wanting to leave without mentioning that my date was my wife's half-sister.

"Your date?" Michael looked taken aback as he stopped me, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, can't I go on a date?" I asked. I saw him frown, but he quickly laughed it off.

"Of course, Franklin. Hahaha, you can go on a date. But with your wife, I guess? Who did you arrive here with?"

"Come on, let's go out and meet her. She's waiting for me," I told Michael. He didn't seem happy to hear that I was here on a date—and certainly not with my wife.

Damn it, I had never gone on a date with Natalie. I had never taken her out to a restaurant or taken her shopping. I just planned to divorce her.

As the matter was still weighing heavily on my mind, I hadn't discussed it with Michael yet, even though he was my best friend. I knew he wouldn't support me in divorcing Natalie, as he had a soft spot for her.

Michael and I were age mates. He owned several hotels in the city, thanks to his wealthy parents—he was a billionaire, and his father was a senator.

We exited the men's restroom and returned to the private dining area to join Amelia.

As I approached the table where Amelia sat, I saw that the waiter had already served my order. I quickly introduced Michael to Amelia.

"Hey bro, meet my girlfriend, Amelia Jackson. Amy, this is Michael Austin, my childhood best friend," I said as I moved to take my seat, wanting to finish my dinner quickly and return home to my unwanted wife.

"Hi," Amelia said, standing up from her seat and extending her right hand to Michael for a handshake.

Michael only stared at Amelia's hand and refused to shake it.

"Franklin, isn't she your wife's elder sister? Are you fụcking both your wife and her sister now?" Michael asked me. His anger was evident, which pissed me off—especially since he shouted so loudly in the private dining area.

Some of the other patrons looked over at our table in shock, despite the dim lighting in the room, while Amelia looked tense.

"Shut up, Michael! What has gotten into you?" I barked, furious that my friend always took my wife's side over mine. He never found any fault in Natalie and would constantly disagree with me whenever I said Natalie was ugly and not my type.

"I am not fụcking Natalie at home, and whatever relationship I have with Natalie or her sister is none of your business!"

"Really? I thought you arrived here with your wife, but here you are, actually fooling around with her sister! Don't you feel any shame, Franklin? And even if you want to cheat on Natalie, must you cheat on her with her own sister?!" Michael shouted, gathering even more attention from the restaurant staff.

Raising his voice like that completely disrupted the calm atmosphere of the private dining room.

"Michael, you can leave now and stop disturbing me or lecturing me on how to live my life," I told him, seeing how embarrassed Amelia looked.

Michael glared at us, then turned around and walked away as I told Amelia to sit back down.

I treasured my friendship with Michael, but he was getting on my nerves every time he argued with me about divorcing Natalie. Most of the time, he told me I was blind for not seeing how beautiful Natalie was.

"I apologize to you on my friend's behalf. He's always like that—taking Natalie's side so much that I'm beginning to wonder if he's fụcking her behind my back, as cheap slut that she is," I told Amelia, trying to ease her tense mood.