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

you want him

nodded, "I

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

then held out a thick black macrame cord

what was in her

"Wear this.

lucky charm,

her grey

back around the black stone that had half

"It's yours.

keep

slammed the shining black rock in my palm and closed my fingers around

gave it to me and I'm loaning

give it back

a losing battle

and

you to

instead she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give

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

demand as she moved on

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

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

to everyone who would just look in my

in a 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

"See, this makes

announced as she came

a tight hug, just then I

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

her palms and brought my face closer

as she said,

always be the

tears away and said, "So are you, my

in return she kissed the

"I love you."

you

back and ruffled

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

laid down and I tugged the blanket

I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When

"Soon."

replied "Good

made my way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my new

and I swallowed the knot in my

will be

me a solemn nod and her grey eyes closed as she turned away and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the

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

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

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

that he had impregnated

never knew I was pregnant when he threatened me and told

even now that he has a

to tell him the truth and

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,

unlocked my phone, I knew it even before I

I wasn't prepared for his demanding

will be there in the

Don't wear any panties."

made me feel half naked so I wasn't going to

way toward my mother's bedroom to check up on her before

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

I can help

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

wasn't the case as I stepped out of the elevator on

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