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

nodded, "I would

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

held out a thick black macrame

what was in her small fist even

"Wear this.

our lucky charm,

said, her grey eyes

black stone that had half of its piece back

"It's yours.

should keep it

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

me and I'm loaning it

give it back to

battle when I

and said,

to

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

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

held out her palm in a silent demand

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

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

everyone who would

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

makes

as she

then I heard my phone

focused on my daughter as I said with a pout,

clapped my cheeks between her palms and brought my face

fierce as she said, "You

will always be the best,

blinked the tears away and said, "So are

in return she kissed

"I love you."

you too,

back and ruffled her

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

down and I tugged the

down, I kissed

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

replied "Good

my way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my

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

be

and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the door,

her father, I had to ignore

time, my mother would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always painting her father in the light that

I think my daughter thought that I was purposely keeping her away from her

never knew that he had impregnated

pregnant when he threatened

know even now that he has

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

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 of

it even before I opened the message

prepared for his demanding

be there in the next ten

Don't wear any panties."

feel half naked so I wasn't going to obey his insane

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

he mentioned 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

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

there was no one out in the corridor but it wasn't the case as I stepped out of the elevator

started to take notice of me when I came into the