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

of my own, I nodded,

scampered off my lap and then I watched as she leapt off the bed and pulled the basket from under the bed which

rummaged in it for a bit and then held out a thick black macrame

was in

"Wear this.

our lucky charm,

said, her grey

my head and closed her fingers back around the black

"It's yours.

keep

my hand then slammed the shining black rock in my

to me and I'm loaning it

give it back to me when you

battle when I

nodded and said,

to go

bed 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

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 crossed my genius

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

swiped my hair

put my fingers between the thread and my neck before she accidentally choked me as the thread wasn't too long and the broken rock came to

everyone who would

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 I had to run from one

"See, this makes you

daughter announced as

then I heard my phone pinging with an incoming

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

between her palms and brought my face

grey eyes fierce as she

will always be

tears away and said, "So are you,

return she kissed

"I love you."

love you

pulled back and

and I said,

and I tugged the blanket over

I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

"Good

picked my phone from the bedside drawer and made my way toward the

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be

swallowed the knot in my throat as I said, "Go to

be

and pulled the blanket up

had asked me about her father, I had to ignore her questions or make

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

my daughter thought that I was purposely keeping her away from

knew that he had

knew I was pregnant when he threatened me and told me

know even now

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

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

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

I wasn't prepared for his demanding

in the

Don't wear any panties."

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

mother's bedroom to check up on her before I turned toward the apartment

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

if I can

kind of man this Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from

the corridor but it wasn't the case as

people started to take notice of me when I came into the entrance hall near the