ONIKA'S POV My heels clicked against the marble floor as I walked into the gallery the next day, my chin raised as I sauntered straight to the room where my paintings were being kept.Amara was already there, her hands crossed around her body and her face set in deep thoughts before she heard the door open at my arrival and she looked up at me, a smile spreading her lips as she looked relieved. “Good morning ma'am”I paused in my tracks, my lips slightly parting as I looked at the paintings back in their places. “How the hell did these get back?” I asked, taking off my sunglasses.She looked at it again, the edges of the painting frame glinting in the dim light of the room. “I have no idea. Dean called me this morning and told me he had found the paintings in front of the gallery this morning during his routine morning check. It wasn't there when he had passed it earlier but then it was there when he came around for the second time”I bit my lip in confusion, resisting the urge to ru
ONIKA'S POV I rolled in bed, careful not to put pressure on my belly as I tried to drown out the persistent sound of my alarm going off.“Does this thing never shut up?” I groaned, my voice muffled by my pillow as I fought the urge to grab the alarm clock and smash it to bits.This was supposed to be my day off. Why couldn't it start with something good?I groaned and sat up, trying to let my eyes adjust to the light streaming in from the curtains.“Fuck” I muttered, swinging my legs off the bed so I could wear my slippers that were just a few feet away from the bed.After what felt like a minute of shuffling, I finally got my legs in and I stood up on wobbly legs, the memories from last night rushing into my brain with a maelstrom of emotions coursing through my veins with the thoughts of what Nathan had said.He had been extremely polite and not even trying to push his boundaries yesterday and that was something that threw me off balance because I was waiting for him to do somethin
Onika's POV My hands trembled as I read the headline again, my heart slamming against my chest like it was trying to break free."Miss Onika caught in another controversial relationship? Months after failed marriage, could she have gotten a new beau?"No. No. No.This wasn’t happening.Not again.My breath came out uneven as I scrolled through the article, my fingers feeling numb. They had taken the worst possible picture of me and twisted the narrative. The comments were already flooding in speculation, judgment, criticism.My vision blurred.How could this be happening again?"Onika! Talk to me!" Laura’s voice rang in my ears, pulling me back.I looked up at the screen, her face a mix of concern and frustration. "Laura… I can’t stay here. I have to leave."Her brows furrowed. "What? No! This is just the media being the media. It'll blow over."I shook my head furiously, shoving my phone into my pocket as I stood up so fast that the stool nearly toppled over."You don’t get it," I s
Nathan's POV The amber liquid burned down my throat, a sharp contrast to the numbing void in my chest. II welcomed the pain, savoring the way it bit into me, a cruel reminder that I was still alive. Barely. My fingers tightened around the glass, it pooling beneath it on my desk. I had lost count of how many drinks I had downed, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing ever was.Onika was gone. Again.I should have taken my chance, I shouldn't have waited this long, I should have reached for her. I should have...I exhaled sharply, raking a hand through my already disheveled hair. I should have expected this. From the moment I saw her face plastered on the news, I could picture her expression, fear, uncertainty, I knew she would run. Just like before. Just like always.I had been a fool to think I could get close to her again. A fucking idiot to believe that maybe, just maybe, she would let me in. Let me prove to her that I wasn’t the monster she thought I was.But Onika never stayed.And now,
Onika's POV Just when I thought I was getting my life back, just when I thought everything was going fine and I was going to be okay, this happens.There was no way I could explain that the man in those photos was Nathan himself, who would believe me? No on e would.I slumped on the bed my eyes swollen and suken from the late night cries, I looked like a zombie in an apocalypse. I didn't eat well, I couldn't sleep well. Nothing was going well for me, I guess it's just the universe decision."You're going to be fine Onika," Laura muttered but I knew it was a lie.I'm not going to be fine, I'm never going to be fine."No, you know I'm not going to be fine," I mumbled."Stop saying that, you're going to be fine, you're going to be alright okay? You need to be strong for yourself and the baby,, you can't keep leaving like this," Laura muttered.After waiting for a response and getting none, she stood up and went to the kitchen to do something.I stared at the ceiling, unblinking, the wei
Nathan's POV I sat in my office, staring at the glass of whiskey in my hand. The ice had melted, watering down the alcohol, but I hadn’t taken a sip in a while. I didn’t even know why I poured myself a drink. Maybe out of habit. Maybe because it was the only thing that dulled the chaos in my mind.Onika was gone.Again.It shouldn’t have surprised me. She never stayed. Every time I got close, something would push her away, and I was left chasing after a shadow. This time, though, it felt different. Maybe because I had hoped stupidly that she wouldn’t run. That she would finally let me in.I leaned back in my chair and exhaled. Work was piling up, and I had meetings to attend, but none of it mattered. I had spent the past few days locked in my office, avoiding calls, drowning in thoughts I had no control over. I needed to clear my head before I lost it completely.A business meeting had already been scheduled at a hotel near one of the biggest malls in the city. I decided I would go,
Onika's POV I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming. Something bad. It had been three days since Laura said she saw him here. I didn’t know if he had seen me when I visited the mall, but I had felt his presence. The way my heart had pounded, the way my hands had trembled it could only mean one thing.He was close.And if he had seen me, then he knew.I had spent the past few days trying to go on with my life, but the fear wouldn’t leave me. I had avoided checking my phone, scared that I would see his name. Scared that he would come knocking on my door, demanding answers.What would I even say?I rubbed my stomach absentmindedly, trying to calm my nerves. My baby didn’t deserve this stress. I needed to stay strong. I needed to be prepared for whatever was coming next.I sat on the couch, staring at the unopened emails on my laptop. Bills. Doctor’s appointments. Random newsletters I never subscribed to. Nothing from Nathan. No threats. No demands. Maybe I was panicking
Nathan's POV I sat in my office, staring at the DNA report on my desk. It was real. There was no denying it now. The child Onika was carrying was mine.I should have been angry. I should have been furious that she kept something this big from me. But all I felt was a strange sense of relief mixed with a new kind of determination.She couldn’t run anymore, not from me, not from this.This child would connect us and bring us together and give me a chance to prove my innocence.It hurt me that she didn't believe me when I said I didn't do it, she should have trusted me, but I didn't blame her with a picture that convincing anyone would believe it.I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. My mind was spinning with possibilities. How the hell was I going to fix this? How was I going to bring her back into my life?She wouldn’t make it easy.She never did.Onika was stubborn, and after everything that happened, she had every reason to want to stay far away from me. But I
Nathan's POV "What's are you waiting for Onika, it's almost 7 pm you would be late for our dinner" I said to Onika, it was almost 7pm and she wasn't ready yet. "I'm coming she said walking down the stairs making me open my mouth in awe" she was wearing a long white flowing gown it was armless. Though her dressing was simple she still looked really elegant and beautiful in it. I felt so happy that she was going to belong to me soon, she's going to be my wife, my partner and the mother to all my children and I'm going to make everyday of her life a beautiful fairytale. "If you keep staring like that then I'm not sure we would be able to get to our destination before 7" she said teasing me. "It's not my fault, I just can't help but stare at the beautiful angel in my front. You look so beautiful honey" I said pecking her cheeks. Holding her hand we walked to where our car was parked entering it we went to our destination. As we arrived at the Cable Beach, Onika's eyes widened in aw
Onika's POV Nathan still wouldn't tell me where he was taking me to he kept insisting that he was a surprise and that I should just be patient and see what was going to happen. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me were we are going Nathan?" I asked for the hundredth time while on the flight. "Just be patient Onika, you would know when you get there" he said with a smile on his face. As the plane touched down, I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. Nathan still hadn't revealed our destination, but the warm tropical air and palm trees visible from the plane window hinted at a paradise. We collected our luggage and made our way to the taxi stand, where Nathan finally revealed our destination: Nassau, the capital city of the Bahamas.The taxi ride to our resort was a blur of colorful buildings, lively music, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore. As we checked into our luxurious beachfront villa, I couldn't wait to start exploring. Nathan handed me a tropical fl
Nathan's POV I couldn't stop myself from laughing when they both looked at me as if they had heard something bad. "I'm just joking no need to be so serious about it" I said making Laura laugh also."Well I was already planning the way you were going to carry the next baby," Onika said looking at me mischievously. "Com'on ladies can we go and do what we came here for, we need to check the wedding dress fitting for Onika today." I said they both needed. Soon the designer called Onika to come over to try her out her wedding dress. Onika came out of the dressing room looking like an angel the long white dress fitted her perfectly. It was an off shoulder fitted dress with a cape around the waist. I could help but open my mouth agape in shock. "The dress looked perfect on you" I complimented her and she blushed shyly. She change to her old dress while the receptionist packed the wedding dress into a shopping bag. "So my Onika is finally going to have her happy ending and even her dre
Onika's POV It was already time for me to be discharged from the hospital. Nathan has been very happy since the birth of our child, he has always been around, he even went as far as learning how change diapers saying he wanted to act like a normal father and not a billionaire. This act makes my heart melt in love and happiness. My Nathan was no longer the proud and arrogant father, he was now a loving and doting father. "Lucas get the car ready, we need to get going now" Nathan said to his assistant as he carried Daniel in his arms. We finally decided to name our child after Nathan father. Daniel it was such a nice name. Nathan mother was very happy and touched when she heard the name we gave to our child. "Your dad will be so proud and happy when ever he is" she said with a smile on her face. We need to get going now Onika Laura said with a smile on her face. We walked out of the hospital only to be met by the media outside. "Congratulations Miss Onika on giving birth to your
Onika gives birth Nathan's POV Four months later. "Com'on Onika can't you be any faster we need to go shop for child's clothing" I called out from downstairs. I've been waiting for her to get ready for over an hour now. She's already in her due month and she could give birth anytime in this month. We were able to find out the child's gender even though we didn't mean to. Onika's was feeling really skin and we had to do a scan on her that was how we found out about our child's gender. We even did our child's gender reveal party a week ago, everyone was happy especially my mom and her best friend Laura. "Will come and drive me to the boutique or will you keep on day dreaming about God knows what." Onika said smiling looking a bit irritated. She is easily irritated by things these days, I asked my mom about it she said it's because of her pregnancy. I could only nod in confusion not understanding pregnant women and there mood swings.As we arrived at the boutique, Onika's irrita
Onika's POV Nathan mother was standing at the door smiling sheepishly at me, I thought I was dreaming until she spoke up "can I come in?" She asked. I could only nod my head walking back inside as she followed me quietly. "Who's that babe?" Nathan asked while serving the dish on the table."Nathan" his mother called from the living. Making Nathan look up in shock, it was obvious that he had no idea that his mother was coming. "What are you doing here mum?" He asked his face looking stern. "Can't I come to see my son and my future daughter in-law" she said making both of us look up in shock. She walked over to the dinning table sitting on down to have breakfast with us, "will you keep on standing or will you both join in for breakfast" she said serving food into her plate. As we sat down at the table, the tension was palpable. Nathan's eyes were narrowed, and his jaw was clenched. I could tell he was still upset with his mother.Willow, on the other hand, seemed determined to ma
Onika's POV "Let's leave this place" I said to Nathan feeling nauseous after see so much blood. I still can't believe that Gina killed herself just like that. Even though she made my life a living hell from the beginning, I was still willing to forgive her but she ended her own life just to escape prison. I feel like I'm the one to blame for this. Nathan held my hand in a comforting manner "it's not your fault Onika she brought it upon herself" he said leading me out of the hospital. Nathan drove us back to the house in silence, he seems to be contemplating on what to say. "How are you feeling now?" I asked smiling a bit. "I'm okay, I just had bruises on my stomach and my head" he said making me look up at the bandage on his head. It was already turning red now. It seems his wound has reopened. I made a mental note to myself to change it when we get home. As we arrived home, Nathan seemed to be struggling to keep his balance. He was weak and pale, and I could tell that he was in
Nathan's POV I opened my eyes slightly looking around to see the doctors and nurses walking around my room carrying trays with some medical stuffs on them. "Doctor, Mr Nathan has regained consciousness" one of the nurses said calling the attention of the doctor. He came closer to me checking my vitals and injures to see how I was doing, "thank goodness mr McAllison you woke up sooner than we expected. Do you know where you are or do you recall anything?" He asked. "Calm down doctor I haven't lost my memory yet" I replied him jokingly looking around the room in search for onika. "Any problem Mr McAllison?" He asked when he noticed me looking around confused. "Where is onika, doctor?" I asked him as he looked at me confused. "The police contacted Miss onika when you got an accident but she is yet to come Mr Nathan" the doctor said. "What that can only mean that something bad had happened to onika, call my assistant for me" I said feeling really anxious. "Sir, you are awake, are
Onika's POV I braced myself for death.Tears streamed down my face as I waited for the gunshot that would end my life. My chest tightened, my breaths coming in shallow gasps. My child... they wouldn’t get to see the world, to take their first breath, to feel my love.It was heartbreaking.I squeezed my eyes shut.But the bullet never came.“What the hell?” Gina's voice dripped with rage.My eyelids fluttered open, and through my blurry vision, I saw her shaking the gun, pulling the trigger repeatedly. Nothing happened.The gun was empty.A dry laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.Gina’s furious gaze snapped toward me, and for a split second, I saw something else beneath her anger, panic. She hadn’t expected this.Her face twisted, and before I could react, she struck me hard across the face.Pain exploded in my skull, my head snapping to the side. Blood filled my mouth, the sharp metallic taste making me gag. I gasped, blinking through the ringing in my ears.“Just wait, Oni