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

want

a thoughtful pause of my own, I nodded,

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

held out a thick black macrame cord in

was in her small fist even before she

"Wear this.

lucky charm,

said, her grey

closed her fingers back around the black stone that had half

"It's yours.

keep it to

my hand then slammed the shining black rock in my

and I'm

back to me

losing battle

and said,

I want you to go back to

she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me, I'll help you

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

demand as she moved on her knees so she was behind

put the threaded rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside,

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

would just look in my

time it was in a shape 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 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 place to another because of the stalker that didn't let

this makes you

as she

then I heard my phone pinging with

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

between her palms and brought my face closer

as she said, "You

always be the

and said, "So are you, my

kissed her nose and in return

"I love you."

love you too,

back and ruffled

and I said,

and I tugged the

down, I kissed

"Good night, baby"

"When will you

"Soon."

"Good

my way toward the bedroom door when her

"Yes, baby?"

be my

and I swallowed the knot in my throat

will be

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

my daughter had asked me about her father, I had to ignore

mother would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always painting her father in the

away from her father which was in fact

knew that he

knew I was pregnant when he threatened me and told me

know even now

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

the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever

phone, I knew it even before I

prepared

be there in the next ten

Don't wear any panties."

dress already made me feel half naked so

my way toward my mother's bedroom to check up

decided to wait for him downstairs

if I can

would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name of his

the case

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