Blackmailed For Love

I sat down on the sofa and opened the first box of the two in the soft overhead light coming from above the tv console.

I peeled the soft tissue that glimmered in the dim light and looked at the dark purple silk nestled in there.

With hesitant fingers I picked up the silken fabric, it unfurled in my hands as I let it drop down in front of me.

It was a sleeveless and a backless dress with a slit up to just below the waistline.

I would be half naked in this dress but still the thought of wearing it lit up a spark of anticipation deep inside my lower belly.

The other box had the same colored heels with red bottoms.

It took me twenty minutes to get ready as I didn't do much except to put Band-Aids on my nipples as the dress won't allow me to wear a bra and my nîpples poked through the fabric as if begging for attention and applied a natural shade of pink lip gloss.

I looked like a virgin trying to be a seductress.

I shook my head at my own thoughts as I stepped out of the bathroom, 1 faltered when my eyes met dark greys.

My daughter was sitting up in the bed and she was looking at me with wide eyes and a curious tilt of her head.

"Anna…"

"Mama, you look beautiful."

My heart squeezed with love at her words.

I walked to her, concentrating on not falling face first because of the heels I was wearing, it was safe to say I wasn't used to such type of footwear.

"What are you doing waking up? I thought you were asleep."

I said as I sat down on the bed beside her.

"I was."

She said with a silent Duh at the end.

I bit down on my bottom lip as my lips twitched, but she slipped closer to me and said, "I had a bad dream."

I cupped her cheek and pulled her on my lap, uncaring of the expensive silk.

Cradling her against my chest, I smoothed her dark hair back and asked, "Talk to me.

What did you dream about?"

"Someone was taking me away from you."

She replied, her voice small and a slight shaking entered in her voice.

My arms tightened around her.

And I said, "No one is going to take me away from you."

2 "Promise?"

I pressed a kiss on her head.

"Promise, my little angel."

She looked up at me and asked, "Where are you going?"

I didn't know the answer to that myself, but I replied, "Dinner."

Her brows lowered and her grey eyes turned inquisitive.

"But we had pizza."

I tapped her nose.

"Yes.

But I am meeting someone."

"A boy or a girl?"

For some reason I didn't lie to my daughter.

"A boy."

She made a thoughtful face and asked, "Is he your boyfriend?"

I shook my head.

he is

want him to

own, I nodded, "I would prefer it if he was my

lap and then I watched as she leapt off the bed and pulled the basket from under the bed which was filled with the

held out

gave a painful pang as I knew what was in her small

"Wear this.

our lucky charm,

her

head and closed her fingers back around the black stone that had half of its piece back somewhere

"It's yours.

should keep it

picked up my hand then slammed the shining black

and

can give it back to

a losing battle when I

and said,

I want you to go back to

the bed but didn't lie down, instead she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said,

crossed my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have

silent demand as she moved on her knees so

her palm and she swiped my hair aside, then her small fingers got busy as she tied

before she accidentally choked me as the thread wasn't too long and the broken rock came to settle on the hollow

who would just look

broken part of it, the other half and the bigger part was left behind in the cottage on the Aaron estate when I accidentally dropped it while trying to pack all the things I could get my hands on which didn't matter later when I

this makes you

as she came

hug, just then I heard

I said with a pout, "I thought

her palms and brought my face closer to

as she said, "You

will always be the

the tears away and said, "So are

return she kissed

"I love you."

love you

and

made a face and I

I

I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

"When will you

"Soon."

"Good night,

phone from the bedside drawer and made my way

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my new

and I swallowed the knot in my throat as I

will be

turned away and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the

father, I had to ignore her questions or make up a lie that I didn't want to

always painting her father in the light that

my daughter thought that I was purposely keeping her away from her father

that

when he threatened

even now that he has a

gone to meet him to tell him the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him

what ifs weren't going to help me, now I didn't even know how he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever his eyes landed on me they were resentful, cold and filled

myself straight and unlocked my phone, I knew it even before I opened the message icon that it

I wasn't prepared for his

there in

Don't wear any panties."

half naked so I wasn't going to obey his

and made my way toward my mother's bedroom

here soon so I decided to wait

if I can

he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name of his revenge? I locked the door behind me and slipped

in the corridor but it wasn't the case as I stepped out of the elevator on

as people started to take notice of me when I came into the entrance hall