Amelia Jackson was my elder sister. We shared the same father but had different mothers. My mother was 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 of whom doted 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-complexioned, but while she was tall, I was short and chubby.
Franklin is a billionaire in this part of the city where we live, and he never liked me, his wife. Our marriage was all a mistake-one that I shouldn't have accepted.
Taking you back to three years ago, my father and Franklin's father were best friends. During a business party at my father's house, he 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 didn't believe me. He thought I had drugged him and lured him to my room so that he would sleep with me. We were forced to marry to hide the embarrassment, as Franklin's family was disappointed.
Everyone knew I was my father's illegitimate daughter, and they wondered why he had kept me around instead of kicking me out and letting Amelia marry Franklin.
After my wedding to Franklin, I discovered that 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 that eventful night.
A lot of guests had brought 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, claiming that Franklin was supposed to be her husband.
Franklin didn't like me. After that night, we didn't sleep together, and I didn't conceive, even though it was my first time. We lived like neighbors who hated each other, and now that Amelia had graduated, Franklin wanted to divorce me so he could marry her.
How shameless for a sister to want to date her younger sister's husband? Amelia was so shameless. Franklin is five years older than me, and as I'm 25 now, he's 30.
I watched as Franklin, wearing a white singlet that revealed his masculine abs-he loved to gym-was fair-complexioned and more handsome than any other man I had seen. His skin glittered like the sun, and I could see the way Amelia was drooling over him.
Franklin was very tall, with bigger arms and thighs. I didn't even reach his chest; to tell you the truth, I'm a shorty. Although I have an hourglass shape, Franklin didn't find me attractive in any way.
"How was your studies, Amy?" I heard Franklin asking Amelia. He had switched from calling her Amelia to Amy, her abbreviated name.
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 because Franklin had mandated that I wouldn't go to work since I didn't have any meaningful certificate. As the illegitimate child of my parents, I hadn't pursued further education and was forced by my stepmother to learn tailoring, while Amelia went to university and became a certified accountant.
I wasn't even allowed to sew, as Franklin felt it was a useless profession, like becoming a fashion designer. He called me ugly and said I wasn't fashionable. He didn't like taking me out to hang out with his friends, and he never gave me money for upkeep. I only managed to get money for myself when he gave me cash to restock the house with foodstuffs; only then could I save a little for my personal use.
"It was fine, Frankie," Amelia replied, and I hated how she and my husband were using pet names for each other.
This was my matrimonial home, and Franklin only called me "Natalie!" In fact, he shouted my name with so much rage, as if he didn'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 had finished preparing the delicious African delicacy of pounded yam and vegetable soup. I looked at the food I had prepared, 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 hadn't invited Amelia to my home, and I wasn't going to serve her any food. She should get out and go back to our father's house to find her own husband to call pet names with.
Franklin immediately rose from the couch and dashed over to me. "Where are you taking the tray of food? Have you lost your mind?" Franklin slapped me as he approached and took the tray from my hand.
He looked at me irritably and at Amelia, who smiled and rolled her eyes-I knew her target was to steal my husband. She had sent me a text message the previous month, telling me she was coming back to take everything I had "stolen" from her, including my husband.
"Frank, you slapped me because of what? I cooked this food, and you can't eat it."
"Why? Didn't I give you the money you used to prepare the meal? Did you work for it? Move away and get me a bowl of water to wash my hands. And don't think I'll apologize for the slap. Come, Amy-don't mind your sister. That's how silly she behaves," Franklin called out to Amelia.
I watched as she seductively stood up from the couch in her brown dress that made her look like a model, as the 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 to cook.
I knew Amelia was my sister, and I wasn't supposed to be jealous, but Franklin had not served me food before, let alone something I had cooked myself.
Franklin saw that I hadn't served any bowl of water, so he went to the kitchen himself and brought one for Amelia to wash her hands. He sat across from her, and Amelia blushed, not caring to ask me to join them.
"Frank!" I shouted and walked toward the plate of soup I had served for myself-the portion that Franklin had originally served for Amelia.
"What's wrong with you, Natalie? Should we leave this food for you to eat? Come on, Amy, let's go out to get something more palatable," Franklin said, standing up from the dining table. I hated it whenever I suffered to cook and my husband went out of our matrimonial home to eat.
"Frank!" I tried to stop him, but he warned, "Stay away from me, Natalie. Just go and eat your food since you don't want your sister and me to have any. Who knows if you 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 had separate bedrooms. I looked back at Amelia and shouted at her, "You shameless slụt, aren't you ashamed to be going after your sister's husband? As beautiful as you are, can't you use your beauty to find your own husband?"
"Get out of my house!" I was enraged, remembering how Amelia and her brothers had always mistreated me. I had thought that getting married would bring me happiness and a family of my own, yet this very family that didn't want me to be happy wouldn't let me be.
As I rushed to push Amelia out of the house, she fell down and pretended to be hurt.