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.

angel, he

you want him to

of my own, I nodded,

bed and pulled the basket from under the bed which was filled with the few toys she had gathered

for a bit and then held out a thick black macrame cord in her

a painful pang as I knew what was in her small fist

"Wear this.

our lucky

her grey eyes

around the black stone that had half of its piece back somewhere

"It's yours.

should keep it

She pursed her lips and picked up my hand then slammed the shining black

it to me and

can give it back

losing battle when

and said,

to go back

and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me,

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

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

and she swiped my hair aside,

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

to everyone who would just look in

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

"See, this makes you look

daughter announced as she

hug, just then I heard

and focused on my daughter as I said

her palms and brought my face closer

eyes fierce as she said, "You

be the

blinked the tears away and said, "So

in return she kissed

"I love you."

love you

and ruffled her

face and I said, "Now, go back to

laid down and I

I kissed

"Good night, baby"

"When will you

"Soon."

"Good night,

way toward the bedroom door when

"Yes, baby?"

be

broken heart suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in my throat as I

be

and her 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

her father, I had to ignore her questions or make up

her vaguely but always painting

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

that he had impregnated

when he threatened me

know even now that he has a

the last time I had gone to meet him to tell him the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him the

know how he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so

knew it even before I opened the message icon that it

prepared

be there in

Don't wear any panties."

naked so I wasn't going to obey his insane

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

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

I can

understand what kind of man this Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name of his revenge?

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

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