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.

angel, he

want

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

leapt off the bed and pulled the basket from under

rummaged in it for a bit and then held out a thick black macrame cord in

a painful pang as I knew what was

"Wear this.

lucky charm,

said, her grey eyes

black stone that had half of its piece back somewhere in

"It's yours.

should keep

lips and picked up my hand then slammed the shining

gave it to me and

can give it back to me when

a losing battle when I see

and said,

you to go back

lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me, I'll help

smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it

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

rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside,

choked me as the

would just look in my

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

makes you look the

as

engulfed her in a tight hug, just then I

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

my cheeks between her palms and

fierce as she

be the best,

tears away and said, "So are you,

her nose and in return she kissed the corner of my

"I love you."

you

back and ruffled her

I

I tugged the blanket over

down, I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

the bedside drawer and made my way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped me,

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my new

suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in

be back

she turned away and pulled the blanket up to

time that my daughter had asked me about her father, I had to ignore

but always painting her father

daughter thought that I was purposely keeping her away from her father which was in fact a

knew that he had impregnated

he threatened me and told me

even now

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 and

the wounds inflicted by me

my phone, I knew it even before I opened the message icon that

prepared

in the

Don't wear any panties."

feel half naked so I wasn't going

his text and made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check up

to wait for him

I

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

it wasn't the case as I stepped out of

of me when I came into the entrance hall near the