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 to

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

off the bed and pulled the basket from under

and then held out a thick black macrame cord

what was in her small

"Wear this.

our lucky

said, her

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

"It's yours.

should keep it to

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

to me and I'm

can give it back to me

battle when

nodded and said,

want you to

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

my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have left it out in the apartment somewhere hidden but apparently the same thought crossed my

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

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 of my

who would just look

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

makes you

daughter announced as

just then I heard my phone

phone and focused on my daughter as I

palms and brought my face closer to

eyes fierce as

always be the best,

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

nose and in return she kissed the

"I love you."

love you too,

back and ruffled

face and I said, "Now, go back to

down and I tugged the blanket

down, I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When

"Soon."

"Good

way toward the bedroom door when

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my

the knot in my throat as I said,

be

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

time that my daughter had asked me about her father, I had to ignore her questions or make up

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

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

that he had

I was pregnant when he threatened me and told

even now that he has

to tell him the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him the truth, if we hadn't been interrupted and

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, cold and filled with

unlocked my phone, I knew it even before I opened the

prepared

there in the

Don't wear any panties."

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

text and made my way toward my mother's bedroom

he mentioned that he will be here soon so I decided to wait for him downstairs because I didn't want him

if I can help

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 slipped the key behind my phone in

no one out in the corridor but it wasn't the case as I stepped

of me when I came into the entrance hall near