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

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

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

it for a bit and then held

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

"Wear this.

our lucky

her

black stone that had half of its piece

"It's yours.

should keep it

hand then slammed the shining black rock

to me and

give it back to

battle when

and said,

you to go back

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

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

a silent demand as

swiped my

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

everyone who would just look

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

makes you

daughter announced as she

hug, just then I heard my phone pinging with an

focused on my daughter as I said with a

between her palms and brought my

fierce as she said, "You

be the

tears away and said, "So are

her nose and in return she

"I love you."

you

back and ruffled her

and I said, "Now,

and I tugged the

I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

made my way toward the bedroom door

"Yes, baby?"

be

heart suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in my throat as I said, "Go

be

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

asked me about her father, I had to ignore her questions or make up

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

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

never knew that

I was pregnant when he threatened

didn't know even now that he

happened if 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

what ifs 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 whenever his eyes landed on me they were resentful, cold and filled with promise of

my phone, I knew it

wasn't prepared for his

be there in the next ten

Don't wear any panties."

already made me feel half naked so

toward my mother's bedroom to check up on

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

I can help

was, would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother

the

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