March 19th, 1990 (29)
Gender / pronouns: Female / She & Her
Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Occupation: SVU detective
Face-claim: Adria Arjona
tw: pregnancy, domestic violence, menstrual cycle mention
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1991, Aiyanna âAiyaâ Rose Villanueva is the second child and only daughter of Lorenzo and Calliope Villanueva. Â Aiya was born and raised on a ranch where her father trained horses all of her life and her mother was an RN, so while they werenât exactly rich, they did live a perfectly normal life. Aiya was an above average student, loving to read and write more than anything, and when she wasnât reading or hanging out with friends, she was playing softball. Softball became a big part of her life, and she was hoping it would be her ticket out of San Juan and to some place brand new, maybe Los Angeles, or New York, anything other than where she was right now. She loved her home, of course, but it felt like she was stuck there, destined to get married and have children and follow her mothers path. Â She loved her mother, too, but she didnât want to be her.
She came close, too close, when she was 18 years old. She was in her senior year of high school when she met a boy who just graduated from the University at a party. It was one night that threw her life into a whirlwind.  Two months after a drunken hook up, three months away from graduation, there was a missed period a pregnancy test, a crying mother and an angry father.  The decision had been made, she would marry Rafael in two weeks time, so she wouldnât be showing in her wedding dress. Rafael, a construction worker who very much wanted a wife and a family, was on board immediately, acting the doting father to be and doting fiancĂ©.  She cried for days and threatened to run away, but, two weeks later she was in a courthouse marrying a boy she didnât love so he could help her raise a baby she wasnât sure she wanted.
Two months without any sign of a menstrual cycle, Aiya was home alone, studying for her finals when she finally got it. At first, she thought it was a miscarriage, and after calling her mother and getting to a womens clinic, she found out that she had never been pregnant, that her period had been missed due to extreme stress, something called secondary amenorrhea. Â Aiya had no idea how to feel, this whole time she had thought she was pregnant, had married someone, moved out of her family home into a tiny apartment with a man she didnât love so they could raise a baby that had never existed. She didnât know what she was supposed to do. Â But she also felt like she had no choice, divorce in her culture and religion was frowned upon, and Rafael did seem nice enough, had taken care of her and given her a home. Â Maybe after graduating she could go to the university here and find a job she loved.
Except it didnât turn out like that. When Rafael learned she wasnât pregnant he was angry, but relieved. He had been putting off taking a job in New Mexico because he wanted the baby close to their families, but now that there was no baby, he had no problem uprooting their lives. Four months after graduation, Aiya was packing her things and moving, again. Â She attended a community college while Rafael built houses.
It wasnât long into their time in New Mexico that Rafael started drinking, and the drinking led to cheating, and that, of course, led to fighting. Â The first time he hit her, he apologized quickly, and she forgave him. What else could she do? She had no money to go back home and even if she did, would her mother believe her? She wasnât sure. So she stuck around, and it continued. For two years he would cheat on her and she would call him out and they would fight, and he would get physical. Cops had been called, reports had been filed, but nothing truly came from it and she was too afraid to leave. He knew her, he knew everything about her and with nothing to her name, no college degree, she couldnât go anywhere. Â Just when she thought she would be stuck like this forever, she got a phone call. Her older half brother, her fathers son, was living in Seattle. She hadnât seen him in years, not since he left for college when she was young. He was a doctor, and he wanted to get back in contact. He offered to pay for her to come visit for a few days, a weekend, so they could catch up. She told him she would let him know, to check with her school schedule and with Rafael.
Three nights later, Rafael hit her again, and this time, she called the cops and had him arrested, pressed charges, and with years of evidence against him. Â When he finally saw a judge 24 hours later, he was remanded to custody with no option of bond and Aiya, for the first time in almost her whole life, didnât feel stuck. Â After his court date was set, Aiya agreed to testify and she went to visit her brother. Â She explained everything to him, and he offered her a place to stay after the trial, and Aiya, who barely had a job, agreed.
She had to go back home for the trial, and it took months for the actual court date, but, he was charged, forced to sign their divorce papers and sentenced to five years. Aiya moved to Seattle two weeks later.
Aiya joined the police force just weeks after moving to Seattle. After everything she had gone through, she wanted to be more involved, and thought this was the best way. Her brother supported her through everything she decided to do, and let him live with her until she found her own place almost a year and a half after being on the force. After seven years as a police officer on the Seattle PD, she took her detective test. Aiya has been an SVU detective for two years, Â and lives in a small apartment in Central Seattle.
+Â fearless, dedicated, selfless
â obstinate, detached, reckless
