Chapter 5 05

Natalie Jackson:

The loud banging on the door roused me from my sleep on the couch. 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 in his firm arms and took me to our bedroom on the top floor.

Franklin didn't let go of me as he unlocked the room door and dropped me on the bed. Before I could protest, he mounted me and started kissing my lips. Even before my mind could register what he was doing.

Franklin, who hadn't kissed me in the three years we'd been married, was kissing me. He didn't want to acknowledge me as his wife. He only ate my food and complained that he didn't like fast foods because they didn't cook them well and mismanaged ingredients. Therefore, Franklin returned home and ate my meal 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 and accusing me wrongly.

Franklin stripped off my nightgown in a flash, and he resumed kissing my lips again.

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 that I wasn't responsible enough 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 and I on weekend days.

However, Franklin had warned his 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 he didn't owe me any gratitude for cooking the food ingredients that he gave me money to purchase.

I kept on enduring him, believing that he would change because I didn't want to leave my marriage or be referred to as a prostitute, the same name my biological mother was called.

I had seen her once after I got married to Franklin. My mother came to my house, asking me for money and said 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 mother.

However, I informed my mother that Franklin and I weren't in love, and our marriage was a scam 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 any serious bachelor to marry me, but I didn't want to leave my husband, even as 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 and thrust into me. He kept pounding faster and moaning aloud in my ears.

I didn't try to stop him. I allowed him to pleasure me throughout the night, until he got his release.

Franklin then collapsed on top of me on the bed, and I breathed out heavily.

Pushing him away, my body was aching 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 long 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 had 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. and made love to me till 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 have given to him. Do not think that Franklin wouldn't find out about this. I will have you arrested tomorrow!" 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 didn'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 the way 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 to him.

I walked out of the bathroom, went into the closet, and grabbed a new white nightdress.

After that, I moved over to the bed to sleep. This bedroom was my own because Franklin didn't give me any specific room in his house.

Two years ago, after 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 own, and I was only temporarily using it until he asked me to leave his house.

We share the closet, but Franklin hadn't mistakenly slept with me.

He 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 on the same bed as him.

As I laid on the bed, I slept off. 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 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, and he was still breathing, but his breathing wasn't stable.

"My goodness!" I rushed out of our room to call the family doctor and to know if I should take Franklin to the hospital or not.