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

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

She scampered off my lap and then I watched as she leapt off the bed and pulled the basket from under the bed which was

bit and then held out a thick black macrame cord in

as I knew what was in

"Wear this.

our lucky charm,

said, her grey eyes

head and closed her fingers back around the black stone that had

"It's yours.

should keep

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

to me and

it back to me

losing battle when

nodded and said,

want you to go back to

lie down, instead she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me

was a freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd

palm in a silent demand as she moved on

I put the threaded rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside, then her small fingers got busy as she tied

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

would

shape that resembled a human heart, not the one that we drew as children but 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 the stalker that

"See, this makes

daughter announced as she

hug, just then I heard my phone

as I said

palms

fierce as she said, "You

always be the

blinked the tears away and said, "So are you,

return she kissed the corner

"I love you."

you too,

pulled back and

face and I said,

and I tugged the blanket over

I kissed

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

"Good night,

bedside drawer and made my way toward

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my new

another scratch and I swallowed the knot in my throat as I said, "Go to

be back

pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing

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

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

was purposely keeping her away from her father which was in

that he had impregnated

pregnant when he threatened me

didn't know even now that he has

tell him the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him the truth, if we

inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever his eyes landed on me they

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

I wasn't prepared for his demanding

be there in

Don't wear any panties."

made me feel half naked so I wasn't

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

he will be here soon so I decided to wait for him downstairs

I can help

was, would he intentionally force a daughter

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

of me when I came into the entrance