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Allegra

"This one is magnificent!" Claire gushes, standing in front of a painting I have just finished putting the final touches to. It was the last one I would do for a while and one I had been working on for weeks.

It is an exact replica of the view I am looking at now, the sea lapping the shore gently, palm trees decorating one side of the view while on the other, a couple walks hand in hand on the beach. From the side, they look like I imagine myself and Niklaus would look. Except in my painting, I am not on the verge of popping a small being out of my body.

"Well, it took long enough, so I'm glad it doesn't suck," I laugh as she takes a sip of her coffee.

God, how I missed caffeine. I gave it up months ago, and while I do feel less anxious, the craving is no less strong than the first couple of days of going cold turkey.

"My client is going to love it, Ally," she praises, calling me the name I now went by.

I didn't want to veer too far from my given name, and with Ally being such a common name, I didn't think it would raise any flags if anyone were looking for me. Ally Emmerson. Initials the same as my old ones. My new identity.

When I arrived in the Bahamas all those months ago, I was worried with this island being a destination for the rich and famous that I might be found here. But I also remembered Niklaus's words to me that he hated this as a holiday destination due to its commerciality. And Ricardo, the contact Lisa gave me, who is actually her cousin, reassured me that hiding in plain sight is usually more effective. I also made a killing, selling my paintings through Claire to local tourists and some of her international clientele.

When she saw the paintings I had done from my time with Niklaus on his island, she pestered me for the collection. While I was reluctant to part with them, the amount I got set me up on this island and also paved the way for more projects. I had a comfortable, fully furnished little bungalow right on the beach, just a stone's throw from this studio I rented. I didn't need transport and could walk here and back home in five minutes. It was also close to a small supermarket that had everything I needed.

For the first time in such a long time, I was happy. And stronger mentally than ever. I started doing yoga and got back into meditation. Slowly, I started working through all my issues. All the abuse I suffered. All the feelings of inadequacy and insecurities that plagued me. While I still had trauma I was working through, I had released a lot of negativity. My baby would already be without a father. I needed, no wanted, to be the best version of myself for my child. And that couldn't happen as the old me.

As it was, I was already considering going back to New Hampshire. After the baby is born and old enough, it is time for me to face my past. The more I thought about it and about what had happened with David Jnr, the name I have only recently been able to say instead of him, the more I knew I wasn't responsible for his death. David manipulated me and made me think it was my fault so that he could use it as leverage. Use my naivety and gullibility to force me to be with him.

Eventually, I would need to stand up to him. Eventually, I would.

"You okay, sweetie?" Claire asks me gently, her hand on my shoulder pulling me from my thoughts.

"Better than ever," I smile, patting her hand reassuringly. She had become a good friend to me. My only friend here.

"You are amazing, you know that. I don't know many women who would go through this alone and remain so positive. You also look amazing. I hope when I am pregnant, I look as stunning. Aside from your belly, you haven't gained any weight. I gain just looking at a cookie," she moans, feigning sadness.

"You will look amazing. I have no doubt," I say to her, getting up slowly so that I can remove my apron.

"Look. I must go. But give me a shout if your water breaks. I will come get you or meet you at the hospital," Claire says, grabbing her bag and turning around as she reaches the door. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

I wave her off, smiling at her concern before she finally leaves.

I was due any minute. I had gone a couple of days past my due date, which was fine with me. It gave me a little more time to sort out some things. Now, everything was ready to go. My maternity bag was packed and next to the door at home. The hospital was ten minutes away by car, and I had the ambulance service on speed dial in case of any issues.

A sharp kick to my ribs makes me groan, my hand rubbing the spot soothingly.

This would be the last time I would be at my studio for a while. Lifting the picture off the easel, I waddle over to a wall with an empty hook.

The door to my studio opens. Probably Claire. She is always forgetting something.

"Did you forget something, sweetie?" I ask, using the pet name we always call each other by.

"Allegra." My heart skips a beat, and I wonder if I am dreaming. It must be a dream because that voice belongs to my past. To a man who I only dream about at night. Not one who exists anymore in my reality.

"Allegra." Gruff and louder this time, but definitely real. Goosebumps form over my skin as the gravelly tone of his voice strokes me.

I grip the picture tightly, using it as a shield as I turn, the canvas size big enough to cover my enormous belly.

God, seeing him in person again, I am reminded of how gorgeous he is. I stopped reading newspapers, not keen to see him and Eve splashed all over the place. She must be close to popping herself, based on our last conversation.

I pull my thoughts away from her and try to regain some composure as I stare at Niklaus. His gray eyes look at me with disbelief, as if he is seeing a ghost. His hair is a bit longer, reaching his collar and some. The suit he wears is missing a tie, the top button open, revealing some of the ink I know covers his chest. I wonder if he got the red rose on his pec covered, the thought sending a stab of pain to my heart.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him when the silence drags on for so long it becomes awkward. And my feet start aching. They were so swollen it was painful.

"You were expecting someone else, I take it. Your 'sweetie'," Niklaus says, his emphasis on the last word sounding bitter. He moves, taking a step toward a painting hanging on the wall.

"You haven't answered my question. What are you doing here, Niklaus? How did you find me?" A small part of me is getting anxious. If he found me, then David could also.

"Your paintings are hanging in my latest resort acquisition. Ally Emmerson. Very original. If it weren't for that painting of my beach chairs, I would never have known it was you. You have managed to evade even my best investigators." His finger runs over my painting slowly before stopping on my initials in the bottom right corner.

"Why are you looking for me? You are engaged to Eve. I'm sure she isn't impressed with you hunting your ex down, especially considering her state right now," I sat to him accusingly, moving over to the high chair I was sitting on earlier. I lean against it, trying to take the pressure off my feet from standing so long in one spot.

"We are not engaged. The news will break in a day. It was a fabrication. It wasn't real, Allegra," he says harshly, turning around to face me.

"But-but what will happen with the baby?" I stutter out, his words leaving me shocked. If their engagement were off, surely Niklaus wouldn't write their child off.

"What baby?" Niklaus asks, confused, his brow furrowing as he squints at me.

"Your baby. Eve told me in the powder room that you guys were pregnant." A sinking feeling forms in my belly as Niklaus's face changes from confusion to anger.

"I'm going to fucking kill her. I went to the powder room to meet you. When I got there, she told me no one had been there besides her. She lied to you, Allegra. She lied to both of us. We are not having a baby together."

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