Une nouvelle vie et un enfant retrouvé

- NATALIE

When I finished cooking dinner in the kitchen, I served it onto a tray and stepped out to the dining table to drop it off. Just then, I saw my half-sister, Amelia Jackson, had arrived.

I watched my husband, Franklin Howard, laughing so hard with my elder sister in the living room.

What pained me the most was seeing the way he got along with her.

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

Amelia was my half sister. We have the same father but different mothers.

My mother was once a mistress to my father, and because I was the unwanted child, my family didn't like me.

I had three older brothers: James, Asher, and Felix. All doting on Amelia.

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

We were both fair in complexion, but while she was tall, I was short and chubby.

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

It was a mistake that led to Franklin and my marriage. A mistake that I shouldn't have accepted.

Three years ago, my father and Franklin's father were best friends. And while my father had a business party at home, he invited many 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 didn't 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 were also disappointed.

Everyone knew I was the illegitimate daughter of my father, and they would be wondering why my father had kept me since 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, because that was what I had served Franklin when he came to speak to me on that eventful night.

Many invitees had come with their grownup children, but none of them came to speak to me.

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

Franklin didn't like me. After that night, we didn't sleep with each other, and I didn't conceive. Even as it was my first time.

We were living like neighbours 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 is so shameless.

Franklin is five years older than me. And as I'm 25 years now, he's 30 years.

I watched as Franklin wore a white singlet that revealed his masculine abs as he loved to gym. He was fair in complexion, more handsome than any other men I had seen.

His skin glittered like the sun, and I saw the way Amelia was ogling over him.

Franklin is very tall. His arms are bigger, and likewise his thighs. I am not up to his chest; to tell you, I'm a shorty. Although I have an hourglass shape. Franklin doesn't in any way find me attractive.

"How were your studies, Amy?" Franklin asked Amelia. He had switched from calling her Amelia to Amy as her nickname.

Amelia blushed as she picked up the glass cup of red wine that Franklin had refilled as I sat at the dining table setting up our dinner.

We have no maid at home. Simply because Franklin mandated that I won't be going to work when I don't have any meaningful certificate.

As the illegitimate child of my father, I didn't further my education, and my stepmother forced me to learn tailoring while Amelia went to the university and she was a certified accountant.

I wasn't even allowed to sew, because Franklin felt it was a useless profession as becoming a fashion designer.

Franklin calls me ugly and says that I wasn't fashionable. He doesn't like to take me out to hang out with his friends. Neither does he give me money for upkeep.

I only managed to get money for my upkeep only when Franklin gives me money to restock the house with foodstuffs. Only then did I manage to see money to save for my personal use.

"It was fine, Frankie," Amelia replied. I hated that she and my husband were calling themselves pet names.

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

In short, he shouts my name with so much rage like he doesn't want to see me.

"Natalie! Is the dinner ready?" Franklin asked me, just as he settled across from Amelia on the next 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 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 replied and covered the food that I had already served.

Firstly, I didn't invite Amelia to my home. Neither will I serve her any food. She should get out and return back to our father's house and look for her own husband to be calling pet names with.

Franklin hastily rose from the couch and dashed up to meet me.

"Where are you taking the tray of food to? Have you lost your mind?" Franklin slapped me as he approached me and collected the tray from my hand.

I looked at him irritably and at Amelia who smiled and rolled her eyes as I knew her target. She wanted to collect my husband.

She sent me a text message the previous month, telling me that she was coming back to collect everything that I had stolen from her, including my husband.

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

"Why? Did I not give you the money you use to prepare the meal? Did 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's how silly she behaves," Franklin calls out for Amelia, and I watch as she seductively stood up from the black couch in her brown dress that made her look like a model, as the brown dress 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 and cooked.

I know Amelia was my sister and I wasn't supposed to be jealous. But Franklin has never served me any food before, not to mention the one that I cooked by myself.

Franklin also noticed that I didn't serve any bowl of water for washing our hands, and he went to the kitchen by himself and brought a bowl of water for Amelia to wash her hands.

Franklin sat across from Amelia, and she was blushing, not caring to ask me to join them in eating.

"Franklin!" I shouted and walked toward the plate of soup that I served out for myself, because that was the portion that Franklin had served for Amelia as her own plate of soup to eat.

"What's 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 said, standing up from the dining table, and I hated it whenever I suffered to cook and my husband would have to go out of our matrimonial home to eat.

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

"Stay away from me, Natalie. Just go and eat your food since you don't want your sister and I to eat it. Who knows if you have poisoned it."

"What?" I frowned as Franklin's words broke my heart. He quickly took the stairs in our living room and dashed upstairs to his bedroom.

Yes, Franklin and I have different 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 look for your own husband!" I cussed at her, and she hissed.

"Get out of my house!" I felt enraged and remembering that Amelia and her brothers never liked me. They mostly maltreated me, and while I had thought that getting married, I would have my own happiness and family. Yet this very same family that doesn't want my happiness wouldn't let me be.

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