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

my own, I nodded, "I would

as she leapt off the bed and pulled the basket from under the bed which was

for a bit and then held out a thick black macrame cord

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

"Wear this.

our lucky

said, her

shook my head and closed her fingers back around the black

"It's yours.

should keep it to

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

and I'm loaning

back to

a losing battle

nodded and said,

to go back to

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

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

silent demand as she

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

she accidentally choked me as the thread wasn't

would just look in my

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

"See, this makes you

daughter announced as

a tight hug, just then I heard my phone pinging with an

as I said with a pout, "I

between her palms and

eyes fierce as she said, "You

always be the

and said, "So are you, my little

nose and in return

"I love you."

you

back and

made a face and I said, "Now, go back

laid down and I tugged the blanket

down, I

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

"Good

and made my way toward the bedroom

"Yes, baby?"

be my new

scratch and I swallowed the knot

be back

grey eyes closed as she turned away and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the door, I let out a rough exhale and

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

her vaguely but always painting her father in the light that would leave room for more

I was purposely keeping her away from her father which was in fact

knew that he had impregnated

when he threatened me and told me

know even now that he

happened if 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 and he hadn't

when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that

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

prepared for his

will be there in

Don't wear any panties."

naked so I wasn't going to

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

to wait for him downstairs because I didn't

I

I would try as much as I could, until I understand what 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

it wasn't the case

as people started to take notice of me when