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

you want him

thoughtful pause of my own, I nodded,

She scampered 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

in it for a bit and then held out

what was in her small fist even before

"Wear this.

lucky charm,

her grey eyes

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

"It's yours.

keep it to

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

gave it to me and I'm loaning it to

can give it back

battle when

and

you to go back to

bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me

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

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

threaded rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside, then her small fingers got

the thread and my neck before she accidentally choked me as the thread

to everyone who would just look

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

makes you look

as she

in a tight hug, just then I heard my phone pinging with

daughter as I said with a pout, "I thought I was

palms and brought my face closer

fierce as she said, "You

always be the

said, "So

return she kissed the

"I love you."

you too,

and ruffled her

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

I

down, I kissed

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will you

"Soon."

"Good

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

"Yes, baby?"

be my

the knot in my

be back

nod 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 to gather

to ignore her questions or make up a

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

keeping her away from her father which was in fact a truth is considered

never knew that he had

when he threatened

know even now

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

weren't going to help me, now I didn't even know how he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that

knew it even before I opened the message icon

I wasn't prepared for

in

Don't wear any panties."

so I wasn't going to

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

will be here soon so I decided to wait

I can help

this Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name of his

the corridor but it wasn't the case as

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