My Safe Place.

ONE.

Aaliyah POV🦋 [Aaliyah James]

"Quinn you're hurting me" I say to Quinn who has his strong hand wrapped tightly onto my arm. "Who the hell is Martin, are you cheating on me?" he spits out and his grip around my arm tightens. "Quinn, stop you're hurting me...I swear, his just my partner for my biochemistry assignment." I say with my voice cracking and my eyes start to get blurry with tears indicating that I am about to cry.

"Answer me!" he says as he let's go of my arm and grabs me by the throat with his left hand. As I choke out for air, I feel myself being pushed back to the wall and Quinn lifts me into the air by my throat. This is not the first time he hits me. It's been 3 months now but he promised me would stop. I want to leave but I can't anymore...I found out I'm six weeks pregnant & I would hate for my child to grow up without a father.

"I'm telling you the truth" I scream out and he punches me with his free hand on my stomach.

"Ahh..Quinn, please stop" I try to speak out as I take all the punches I'm getting from him. "You are a lying ass bitch" he keeps hitting me and punching me and all I think about is the foetus that's in me. It won't make it.

"Qui- qui - Quinn...I'm pregnant" he stops and looks into my eyes & let's go off me as he drops me to the floor and I continuously cough trying to catch my breath. "You're what...no ways, that's not my child...ain't no way" he says in a harsh tone. "It's yours! I've never cheated on you ever since we've been together. Why are you doing this to me...why are you treating me like thi-" And as I am talking i feel a liquid substance drip down my legs. Blood. Blood clots start to fall out as well and I think I know what this means.

"My baby... no, Quinn help me!" He looks at me with disgust and turns around making his way out of our apartment. "Quinn" I cry out and a sharp pain hits me in my stomach. Everything hurts, from my head to my toe. My body is not able to move but I find the strength to reach for the telephone that is on the study desk and dial 911.

"Please help me...I'm in - I'm in.." my mouth numbs up and within that second, I pass out.

*****

My eyes open up and I see myself in a place I am not familiar with. The hospital. "Aaliyah, Liyah... Nurse, nurse she's awake" I turn to see my older brother who I haven't seen in years beside me. "Matthew" I cry out in joy. Matthew had been arrested and imprisoned for 4 years for theft and the selling of cocaine. It had always been the two of us, same mother but different fathers.

Luckily for him he knew his father but as for me, I didn't know who he was and still don't know who he is. And our mother...nowhere to be found. Rumour on the street was that she eloped with some Italian man to Paris. Haven't heard from her in years. So Matthew did whatever he could to take care of the both us and put food on the table.

Not until he got locked up and I was left alone to fend for myself. And that's how I met Quinn. The person who was supposed to be "the love of my life" . The person who promised me Heaven and Earth and I fell for all of it... including him. Little did I know it would all end in tears.

"Wait, when did you get out..how-"

"Shhh, I'll explain all of that later...tell me how did you end up in here"

And as I am about to explain everything, I remember myself being punched in the stomach and blood dripping out of me. I hold my stomach and remember that I have a little someone growing inside me. "My baby..my baby"

"Your baby..." Matthew asks in confusion. "Nurse what is she talking about."

"Unfortunately Ms. Aaliyah, I'm sorry to be the bearer of these bad news...but the baby was not able to make it."