CQ, Familia sweep Born & Bred Awards

The advent of this season every year makes me shudder as I am reminded annually of how the fear of loneliness grips us to the extent that we order the endless massacre of green life all in a show of that flippin' 4 letter word - Love.

He always warned me never to defy him. On days I thought I could take him on, I paid the price - the price for standing up for myself. He once locked me in our house for a whole month. I could go nowhere without him, see no one, let alone talk to them. It all started when he started to talk about having children. I said I did not want any and he insisted that we have one. He had made it clear that condoms were not part of our relationship. I trusted that he was not sleeping with other women. But I took the pill just to protect myself. Unfortunately, I fell pregnant. When I found out, I had a growing fear in me. The fear that the baby I was carrying would go through what I was going through. I did not want that for my child but I was happy for myself; deep down, something told me that he would change - for the sake of our child. This would make him so happy. Well he did say he always wanted a child. I let my Prince Charming know about the baby and thought he would be over the moon. Not to be. He first accused me of trying to trap him then said I was a slut, that it wasn't his baby. That night he practically threw me down the stairs. I broke my arm and left leg. But worst of all I lost the baby. When people asked me what had happened to me, I would tell them I tripped and fell down the stairs. I was too embarrassed to tell any one that he had hurt me. I protected him.