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 him to

of my own, I nodded, "I would prefer it if he was

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 over the

held out a

what was in her small fist even before she

"Wear this.

lucky charm,

her grey

shook my head and closed her fingers back around the black stone that had

"It's yours.

keep it

hand then slammed the shining black rock in

to me and I'm loaning it to

it back to

losing battle when I

and

I want you to go back to

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

freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting

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

palm and she swiped my hair aside, then her small fingers

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

who would just look in

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

this makes you look the

daughter announced as

tight hug, just then I heard my phone

I said with a pout, "I thought I

palms and brought my face

grey eyes fierce as she

will always be

said, "So are

kissed her nose and in return she kissed the

"I love you."

love you

pulled back and ruffled her

face and I said, "Now, go back to

I tugged the blanket over

I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

way toward

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my

broken heart suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in

will be

a solemn 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

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

my mother would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always

that I was purposely keeping her away from her father which

knew that he had

knew I was pregnant when he threatened

even now that he

the 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,

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

knew it even before I

wasn't prepared for his

be there in the

Don't wear any panties."

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

made my way toward my mother's bedroom

so I decided to wait for

I

of man this Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the name of his revenge? I locked the door behind me

it wasn't the case as I

people started to take notice of me when I came