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

you want him to

a thoughtful pause of my own, I nodded,

pulled the basket from under

and then held out a

a painful pang as I knew what was in her small fist even before she

"Wear this.

lucky

her

the black stone

"It's yours.

keep it

lips and picked up my hand then slammed the shining black rock in my palm and closed my

gave it to me and I'm loaning it to

can give it back to me when

losing battle when I see

nodded and

want you to go back

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

you my five years old daughter was a freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have left it out in the apartment somewhere hidden but apparently the same thought crossed my genius daughter's

she held out her palm in a silent demand as she moved on

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

choked me as the thread wasn't too long and the broken rock came to

to everyone who would just look in

with jagged edges and veins running inside it, crystal clear and shining but now I only had smallest 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 had to run from one place to another because of

this makes you

daughter announced as she came

just then I heard my phone pinging with an incoming

ignored my phone and focused on my daughter as I said with a pout, "I thought I

cheeks between her palms

as she said, "You

will always be

and said, "So are

nose and in return

"I love you."

you too,

and ruffled

a face and I said, "Now, go back

I tugged the

I kissed

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

phone from the bedside drawer and made my way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped

"Yes, baby?"

be

and I swallowed the knot in my throat as I

will be

away and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the door, I

her father, I had to ignore her questions or make up a lie that I

of the time, my mother would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always painting her

think my daughter thought that I was purposely keeping her away

knew that he had

when he threatened me and told me

even now that he

the last time I had gone to meet him to tell him the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him the truth, if we hadn't been interrupted

when the wounds inflicted by me had

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

wasn't prepared for his

there in the next

Don't wear any panties."

made me feel half naked so I wasn't

mother's bedroom to check up on her before I turned toward the

here soon so I decided to wait for him downstairs because I didn't want him anywhere near my

if I can

kind of man this Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name of his revenge? I locked the door behind me and slipped

one out in the corridor but it wasn't the case as I stepped out

of me when I came into the entrance hall