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

I nodded, "I would prefer

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

for a bit and then held out a thick

as I knew what was in her

"Wear this.

our lucky

said, her grey eyes

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

"It's yours.

should keep

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

it to me and I'm loaning it to

back to me when you

a losing battle when I

nodded and said,

to go back

on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me,

tell you 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

a silent demand as she moved on her knees so she

swiped my hair

my neck before she accidentally choked me as the thread wasn't too long and the broken rock

would just look

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

makes

announced as

engulfed her in a tight hug, just then I heard my phone pinging with an incoming

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

her palms and

eyes fierce as she said,

always be the

blinked the tears away and said, "So are

in return

"I love you."

you too,

and ruffled her

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

laid down and I

I

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

made my way toward the bedroom

"Yes, baby?"

be

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

will 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 closed my eyes

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

would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always

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

knew that

knew I was pregnant when he threatened me and told

now that he

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

what ifs 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 resentful, cold and filled

it even before I opened the message

prepared for

there in the next

Don't wear any panties."

dress already made me feel half naked so I wasn't going to obey his

way toward my mother's bedroom to check

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

I

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

the corridor but it wasn't the

take notice of me when I came into the