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

my own, I nodded, "I would prefer

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 toys she had gathered

and then held out a thick black macrame cord in

pang as I knew what was in her small fist even before she

"Wear this.

lucky

her grey eyes

closed her fingers back around the black stone

"It's yours.

should keep it

the

to me and

back to me when you

a losing battle when I

and

to go

jumped on the 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 put it

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

a silent demand as

she swiped my

and my neck before she accidentally choked me as the thread wasn't too long and the broken rock came to settle on the hollow of

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

"See, this makes you look the

as she came

hug, just then I heard my phone pinging with an incoming

ignored my phone and focused on my daughter as I

my cheeks between her palms and

fierce as she said, "You

always be the best,

blinked the tears away and said,

and in return she kissed the

"I love you."

love you too,

pulled back and

made a face and I said, "Now, go

I tugged the

I

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will

"Soon."

replied "Good

phone from the bedside drawer and made my way toward the

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my new

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

be back

pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the door, I let out a

I had to ignore her questions or make up a lie that I didn't

vaguely but always painting her father in the light that would leave room

thought that I was purposely keeping her away from her father which was in fact a truth is considered

never knew that he had impregnated

never knew I was pregnant when he threatened me and

now that he has

last time I had gone 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

didn't even know how he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for

I knew it even before I opened the message icon that it

wasn't prepared for his demanding

in the next

Don't wear any panties."

dress already made me feel half naked so

made my way toward my 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 can help

intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name

no one out in the corridor but it wasn't the case

people started to take notice of me when I came