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 is

you want him

I nodded, "I would prefer it

the bed and pulled the basket from under the bed which was filled with the few toys

held

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

"Wear this.

lucky

said, her

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

"It's yours.

keep

the shining black rock

to me and I'm loaning

can give it back to me when you

losing battle when

nodded and

you to

lie down, instead she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and

I tell you my five years old daughter was a freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have left

in a silent demand

rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside, then

choked me as the

to everyone who would just look in my

upon a time it was in a shape that resembled a 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

makes you

announced as she came

just then I heard my

ignored my phone and focused on my daughter as I said with a pout, "I

cheeks between her palms

eyes fierce as she said, "You

will always be the

away and said,

and in return she kissed

"I love you."

you

and ruffled her

a face and I said, "Now, go

I

down, I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will

"Soon."

"Good night,

bedside drawer and made my way toward the bedroom door when

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my

scratch and I swallowed the knot in

be

she turned away and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the

about her father, I had to ignore her questions or make

would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always painting her father in the

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

never knew that he had

knew I was pregnant when he threatened me and told

didn't know even now that he has

time I had gone to meet him to tell him the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him

react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever his eyes landed on me they

it

I wasn't prepared

there in the next

Don't wear any panties."

half naked so I wasn't going to

his text and made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check

I decided to wait for

if I

I could, until I understand what kind 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 and slipped the key behind

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

take notice of me when I came