𝑆𝐸𝐶𝑅𝐸𝑇𝑆 𝐵𝐸𝑁𝐸𝐴𝑇𝐻 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑆𝑈𝑅𝐹𝐴𝐶𝐸

PROLOGUE

Prologue:

Aaliyah's small frame looked almost out of place amidst the expansive softness of Ken's king-sized bed. The dim light from the bedside lamp cast gentle shadows over her, accentuating her delicate features her light skin, her dark, flowing hair, and those soft, gentle eyes that always seemed to hold a quiet depth. They had both fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep after a long evening at her family's house, where laughter, food, and shared smiles had filled the air. The happiness from the night lingered as they rested, tangled together under warm blankets.

Then came her scream.

"Ken!" Her voice shattered the silence, sharp and filled with panic. It jolted Ken awake, his heart pounding as he shot up, groggy and disoriented. Rubbing his eyes, he barely registered the muffled sounds of her voice coming from the bathroom. But the urgency was unmistakable. Adrenaline kicked in, overriding his sleepiness, and he leaped out of bed, moving instinctively toward her.

He found Aaliyah in the small, softly lit bathroom, standing near the sink, her hands clutching the edge of the counter. Blood trickled down her legs, staining her pajama pants, a haunting contrast against her light skin. She looked up, her face pale, her wide, tear-filled eyes mirroring the terror and helplessness that Ken felt. He stood in the doorway, frozen, his mind racing but unable to grasp what he was seeing, much less what he should do.

"Aaliyah..." he murmured, barely able to find his voice. He felt the words lodge in his throat, thick and heavy. She was 4 months along a reality they were both just beginning to embrace, to get excited about. Just the day before, they'd seen the faint outline of their baby during an ultrasound, a tiny heart beating, too early to know the gender but real enough to feel like the start of something beautiful. They had decided to wait, to keep the surprise until the baby was born, imagining the joy of that future moment.

But now...this wasn't the picture they'd painted.

Aaliyah's face crumpled, her lips trembling as she tried to stammer out words, but the shock had taken her voice. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, and her body seemed to shrink in on itself. She looked down at the blood, then back up at Ken, her expression a desperate plea for reassurance, for comfort he wasn't sure he could provide. He stepped forward, his hands shaking as he reached for her, his fingers brushing her shoulder.

"Hey...hey, it's okay," he whispered, even though he didn't believe his own words. He knew that nothing about this was okay. Panic gnawed at him, twisting his stomach, and he forced himself to push through it, to stay focused on her, on the person who needed him. "We need to get you to the hospital, okay?"

But Aaliyah didn't move, her eyes locked on his, as if searching for an answer that would make it all better. She was just as frozen as he was, both of them caught in the fragile, painful limbo between hope and despair.

"Ken, I—I can't..." she managed, her voice choked with sobs. She didn't need to finish the sentence for him to understand. This was her worst fear, something that had lingered in the back of her mind since the moment she saw that positive test. She had barely told her family, barely let herself believe this was real, that she could be a mother. Now, that fragile hope seemed to be slipping through her fingers.

Ken took a deep breath, forcing himself to steady, to be the strength she needed right now. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she broke down, her sobs muffled against his chest. He didn't have the answers, didn't know what this meant for them, for the future they had just begun to imagine. But in that moment, he knew he had to be there, to hold her through the pain, to be the anchor in the storm.

As they stood there, locked in an embrace that held all their fear, heartbreak, and love, the reality began to set in.