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

want him to

nodded, "I

off my lap and then I watched as she leapt off the bed and pulled the basket from under the bed which was filled with the few toys she had gathered over the

a bit and then held out a thick black macrame cord

was in her small fist even

"Wear this.

our lucky charm,

said, her grey eyes

shook my head and closed her fingers back around the black stone that had half of its piece back somewhere in

"It's yours.

should keep

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

me and I'm loaning it

can give it back

battle when I see

nodded and

to go

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

of putting

silent demand as she moved on

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

the thread wasn't too long and the broken rock came to settle on

would just look in my

it, crystal clear and shining but now I only had smallest broken part of it, the other half and the bigger part was left

makes you look the

daughter announced as she came

engulfed her in a tight hug, just then I heard my phone

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

palms and brought my face

grey eyes fierce as she

will always be the

tears away and said, "So are you, my little

her nose and in return she kissed the

"I love you."

you

pulled back and ruffled her

face and I said, "Now, go back

down and I

I

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

"Good

bedside drawer and made my way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped me,

"Yes, baby?"

be my new

swallowed the knot in my throat

will be back

up to her shoulders, Closing the door, I let out a rough exhale and closed my eyes to gather

I had to ignore her questions or make up a lie that

time, my mother would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always

her away from her father which was in

knew that

pregnant when he threatened me

know even now

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

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 promise

pulled myself straight and unlocked my phone, I knew it even before I opened

I wasn't prepared for

in the

Don't wear any panties."

me feel half naked so I wasn't going to

text and made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check up on

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

I can

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

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

to take notice of me when I