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

thoughtful pause of my own, I nodded, "I

the basket from under the bed which was filled with

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

as I knew what was in

"Wear this.

lucky

said, her grey eyes

her fingers back around the black stone that had half of its

"It's yours.

should keep it

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

it to me and I'm

it back

losing battle

nodded and

to go back to

but didn't lie down, instead she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me, I'll help you put it

crossed my mind too, instead of

a silent demand as she moved on her knees so she was behind

threaded rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside,

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

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

makes you look

as

tight hug, just then I

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

my cheeks between her palms and brought

as she said,

be the best,

away and said, "So are you, my little

her nose and in return

"I love you."

you too,

pulled back and ruffled

a face and I said,

I tugged

down, I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

way toward

"Yes, baby?"

be

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

will be

blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the door, I let out a

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

of the time, my mother would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always painting her father in the light that would leave room for

her away from

that he had

when he threatened me and

didn't know even now that he has

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

weren't going to help me, now I didn't 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

unlocked my phone, I knew it even before I opened

prepared

in the next ten

Don't wear any panties."

naked so I

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

soon so I decided to wait for him downstairs because I didn't want

I can

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

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

of me