Chapter 5

Natalie:

I was sleeping on the living room couch when the loud banging on the huge entrance door roused me.

When I rushed to unlock the door, Franklin was back and accusing me of drugging him.

I thought he was joking, but he was serious, and he carried me on his shoulders and took me upstairs to our bedroom.

Franklin didn't let go of me as he unlocked the bedroom door and carried me straight to the bed.

Dropping me on the bed, Franklin mounted me and started kissing my lips before my mind could even register what he was doing.

Franklin had not kissed me in the three years we have been married. He didn't want to acknowledge me as his wife. He only ate my food and complained that he didn't like fast food because it wasn't cooked well and had mismanaged ingredients. Therefore, Franklin returned home and ate my meals or ordered me to bring his lunch.

"Franklin, stop!" I moaned and tried to push him away as I was breathing heavily.

I was supposed to be excited that my husband was making love to me, but I knew that Franklin wasn't in his right frame of mind. I sensed maybe Amelia had drugged him, and now he was home accusing me wrongly.

Franklin stripped off my nightgown in a flash and continued kissing my lips.

I should have left him when I had the opportunity. Franklin's parents didn't like me, and his mother called me a 'prostitute' and said I wasn't fit to be her daughter-in-law.

Franklin's two younger siblings didn't like me. They disapproved of my presence at their gatherings.

The only person who was kind to me was Franklin's best friend, Michael Austin. Michael was the only one who smiled and ate my food happily whenever he came to visit Franklin on weekends.

However, Franklin had warned his best friend to stop teasing me and said that I didn't know how to cook.

Each time, I tried to improve my cooking skills to win Franklin's heart so that he would love me and appreciate me as his wife, but he wouldn't.

Franklin was mean to me, and he would remind me that he was the one who brought the money to purchase the foodstuffs and that he didn't owe me any gratitude for cooking the food ingredients that he gave me money to purchase.

I kept enduring Franklin because I didn't want to leave my marriage or be referred to as a prostitute—the same label my biological mother was given.

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

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

Mom advised me to report Franklin to the human rights authority, as she said that my husband was rich and he had to take care of me and give me money to take care of my family.

However, I informed my mother that Franklin and I weren't in love, and our marriage was a sham to cover up our embarrassment.

After I told my mother how Amelia had set me up, she wasn't happy and advised me to divorce Franklin.

According to my mother, I was beautiful enough to win over any serious bachelor to marry me. But I didn't want to leave my husband. Even though he glared at me at the altar, not wanting to say "I do," I happily told him, "I do."

After our marriage, I fell in love with Franklin and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, but he didn't trust me. He believed that I was the one who had drugged him that night.

However, this night was different. Franklin didn't take it easy on me as he gained access into me. He kept pounding faster and moaning aloud in my ear, "Damn it, Natalie. You're so sweet."

"Mmm," I didn't try to stop Franklin. I allowed him to pleasure me throughout the night, thrusting deeply into me, until he climaxed and got his release. Franklin then collapsed on top of me on the bed, breathing heavily.

Pushing him away, my body ached from the level of impact at which Franklin handled me.

I carefully slid out of the bed and moved to the nightstand to grab my phone. It had been a long time since Franklin and I did it. I couldn't remember that night three years ago because of the drug Amelia gave us. But this night was different, and I remember everything. However, I knew that Franklin wouldn't remember.

'What was Amelia's goal? She wanted my husband to sleep with her. Couldn't she be patient and maybe wait until Franklin and I got divorced before she drugged him?'

Amelia drugged my husband and allowed me to suffer the impact of her actions.

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

As I unlocked my phone screen, I saw the time was midnight. Franklin got back home by 10 p.m., made love to me until midnight. I wanted to message Amelia, but I was enraged, so I called her instead.

"Hello, Amelia, what did you do to my husband?" My anger was evident as I yelled over the phone.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Natalie?! You shameless prostitute and bastard! What did you do to Frankie?" Amelia yelled back.

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

"If there's anyone who should be arrested, it's you who drugged Franklin and not me. You know what you fed him before I came to your house. So stop asking me nonsense!" Amelia ended the phone call, and my brows furrowed.

I knew Franklin would accuse me of drugging him once he awoke, 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, and this has never happened before.

I blinked my tears away and went into the bathroom to wash myself. Although I loved how hot Franklin was hot in bed, if only he had done it with a clear mind and not under the influence of whatever Amelia had given him.

I dropped my phone and went to have my bath. Afterwards, I walked out of the bathroom, went into the closet, and grabbed a new nightdress.

After wearing the white nightdress, I moved over to the bed to sleep. This room was my own because Franklin didn't give me any specific room in this house.

Two years ago, Franklin bought this new house and told his parents he was moving out. His father said that he must take me along.

When we arrived here, Franklin said this master bedroom was his, and I was only temporarily using it until he asked me to leave his house. We share the closet, but he hadn't mistakenly slept with me.

Franklin sometimes used the other rooms that were furnished if he wanted to avoid me, but most times, I lied to him that I was scared of sleeping alone just to climb into the same bed as him.

As I lay on the bed, I fell asleep. The next morning, I awoke and Franklin was still sleeping on the bed.

Touching his chest, I wanted to know if he was alright. However, his head was hot, and likewise his body.

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

Going to the bathroom, I brought a half-bucket of water and a small towel to wipe Franklin's forehead and chest. As I took care of him, he wasn't waking up.

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

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