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My heart was heavy as I watched him with tears of my own in my eyes. If I could turn back the hands of time I would have kept my ass at home. I’d take boredom over a traumatizing experience anyday. I’d usually get a feeling whenever something bad was about to happen, but I was laughing on the phone with Armias on the phone and completely oblivious to the fact that three niggas in all balck and ski-masks were ransacking my house. Those bold niggas were robbing my place in broad daylight. With me not being home and none of the neighbors being outside, they probably thought they had a clear opening to do their thing. And they did until I showed and caught them leaving.

I was so thankful that they only had intentions to steal and not kill. I was literally about to leave when they opened the door, revealing themselves. They had bags full of shit and one of the guys was talking about looking harder for a stash that I didn’t have. When they discovered that I was right behind the door they were just as stunned as I was. At the speed of light they rushed past me and knocked me down in the process. I fell so hard on my back that I couldn’t breath for a few seconds. By the time I caught my breath, I heard tires skirting off. Those niggas had gotten the fuck on and I was relieved that I hadn’t been severely harmed. But my baby kicking followed by a pain in my lower back and abdomen sent me into panic mode. I tried to tell myself that Alouri was fine since I felt her kick. I managed to stand up after struggling. I wanted to walk to my car and drive myself to the hospital, but the aching in my back was only getting worse. I held onto the banister of the porch for support because I was bound to fall again from the severe pain I was in.

“Uhhhhh!” I screamed when I felt multiple sharp pains in my stomach. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse blood seeped through the crotch of my Juicy Couture track pants.

“Oh my God,” I teared up and I slowly sat down on the stairs. The thought of losing my baby caused me to disassociate. I didn’t see when Armias showed up and I couldn’t make out what he was saying as he ran to me. I just stared at him with tears in my eyes. He appeared to be scared and distraught, but he didn’t hesitate to act. He scooped me up, carried me to his truck, and rushed me to the hospital. My hospital was only about 12 minutes from my house Uptown, but I swear he got there in 6 minutes. Alouri didn’t kick during the whole ride over to the hospital, so I began to accept the heartbreaking reality of a very fucked up situation.

“It’s okay to cry, baby,” my mom rubbed Armias’ back with tears in her eyes. Upon arrival Armias brought me straight to the emergency room and I was admitted right away. My OB was already on the clock and she immediately came to evaluate me and my baby. After running a few tests and doing an ultrasound scan, it was established that I was experiencing placental abruption.

“I can’t believe this shit, man,” he vented. “She’s so perfect and we could’ve lost her.” He kissed Alouri’s head through her bow hospital hat. He was sitting in the chair right next to my hospital bed holding her.

“She was never going anywhere, baby. My grandbaby is here and she’s healthy.”

Alouri was near full term, so my doctor felt it was best to induce me and deliver her safely. At first I thought I’d have to have an emergency C-Section, but apparently the detachment was small and stable. The pain level I’d experienced made me think otherwise, but my doctor informed me that mild or severe placental abruption was capable of causing extreme pain. I also thought the bleeding would play a factor in how I was going to deliver my baby, but apparently I hadn’t bled as much as I thought. It would’ve been more dangerous if blood was trapped in my uterus. By the grace of God my blood clotting tests were normal and my blood pressure was stable, so I was able to get an epidural. The circumstances were unexpected and I was scared out of my mind, but we welcomed Alouri Rose Pierre into the world on January 4, 2025 at 12:12 am. Armias and my mom were right by my side for the entire evening and night. Three hours had passed since I’d given birth and neither of them showed signs of being tired. Armias cut the umbilical cord, he watched closely as she got cleaned up, and he followed the nurses around while they ran routine tests. I cried tears of joy when they told us that we had a healthy baby girl. After what I went through I couldn’t take that lightly or for granted.

“The devil did not win,” my mom’s voice cracked while looking down at Alouri’s angelic face. Me or her father couldn’t stop crying either. We had made the prettiest little girl in the world and I wasn’t just saying that because she was mine. All the nurses who were in the room when she came out went on and on about how gorgeous she was. She had those slanted eyes and thick eyebrows like her daddy and her two older Aunties. Long, fluffy lashes surrounded those pretty eyes and I instantly knew she was going to give us a run for our money without having to do much but look at us. Her nose was shaped just like Armias’; round nostrils with a pointy bridge. She had a head full of thick, shiny hair that laid in a natural wrap. Her lips were even shaped just like Armias’, but they were really big like mine. The only other thing she had in common with me was brown skin. With that being our only similarity I was going to cling to it and teach her to love it the same way my mom had taught me.

“Look at those deep dimples,” Armias cooed as she moved her mouth in a way that showed them off. “You get those from Uncle Phoenix and Uncle Zee, baby girl.” She really inherited them from his mom, but he hadn’t said her name since Christmas. His cameras had playback so I showed him the argument Rahesha had with Aspen and Aneesah. He didn’t get upset or do the most. He just said that he was washing his hands with her. Only time would tell if he truly meant that. I didn’t show him that so he could permanently cut her off because it wasn’t my decision to make. I just knew that I wasn’t fooling with her anymore. I refused to even be cordial after how I heard her talk about me and my mother.

“Let me hold her, Armias,” I yawned.

“Go ahead and get some rest, doll baby. I got her,” he kissed her forehead again.

“Yea, Lo-Lo. Gon’ and get you some sleep while she’s sleeping. I’m gonna go home and sleep for a few hours. I’ll be back around 8 or 9 in the morning. Would y’all like me to bring y’all anything?”

“Yea, go to my house and get our hospital bags. They’re right by the door in our room. It’s a good thing we packed them two days ago, huh?” He shot me a weak grin. He was just as tired as I was, but he’d never say so. Today's events had him on edge, but our baby had come along and mellowed him out. He’d been smiling and crying since she made her debut.

“I guess God knew something we didn’t know because I was going back and forth on whether it was too early to get my labor and delivery hairstyle. I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t wait.”

“Ion think God had anything to do with grown men knocking you over,” he uttered angrily. “He protected you and Alouri through everything after that, but nah, them niggas ran up in your house because they saw an easy lick. Whoever that was better hope I never find out who they are.”

“Alright,” my mama rubbed his shoulder. “Let’s not lose sight of what matters now. It’s all about Alouri and giving her the world. Those men just wanted things out of Lo’s house. They ended up hurting her in the process because they were rushing to get away. They didn’t deliberately stomp on or kick her belly, and Alouri is alive, well, and beautiful.”

“What’s your point Ms. Lucia?” He asked impatiently.

“There’s no reason for you to risk or throw your life away. I could see if something happened to Lourdes or Alouri, but they’re okay.”

“Them niggas reckless actions forced Lo into having our baby early and I gotta get over it?”

“No, because this was a scary experience. I’m just starting to breathe easier, but everything ended up working out. Focus on your family and don’t do anything that’ll take you away from them. Let the police handle it.”

Armias had called the police on his way over to my house, but those sorry mutherfuckers didn’t get there until after we were long gone. They checked my house out and determined that a break in had definitely happened because the place was ransacked. They couldn’t file an official report because no one was there to report what was stolen or damaged. I knew all this because they contacted Armias while I was getting tests run on me. Only I could effectively say what was missing from my house and I was in no position to do so at that moment. I wouldn’t be for at least the next few days, so letting the police handle it was at a standstill.

“Yea, alright. I’ll let them handle it.” He didn’t even try to sound convincing. I think the only reason he called the police was because he thought I was at risk of losing my life. Had he known that I was alive and going to give birth that night I don’t think he would’ve dialed 911.

“I need you more than ever, Armias.”

He was looking down at Alouri, but when those words came out of my mouth his eyes jumped up to me. That dry, agitated energy he had to my mom’s positive preaching was long gone.

“I ain’t going no where, Lo. I promise. You and Louri come before anything, even my own feelings. So I’ll try my best to drop this and focus on what matters. Just know it's a wrap for you keeping that house until the lease is up.”

That was something I couldn’t argue with anymore.

“Will you still handle it for me?” I asked through a deep yawn.

“I’ll take care of everything, doll baby. Go to sleep.”

“Okay, I love you,” I whispered as my eyelids got heavier,