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 is

you want

nodded, "I would prefer it if he

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

then held out a

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

"Wear this.

lucky

her grey eyes

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

"It's yours.

should keep it

slammed the

me and I'm loaning

give it back to me

a losing battle when

and said,

you to

down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look

years old daughter was a freaking smartarse? The thought 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

in a silent demand

my hair aside, then her small fingers got busy as she

before she accidentally choked me as the thread wasn't too long and

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 trying to pack all the things I could get my hands on which didn't matter later when I had to run from one place to another because of the stalker that didn't let me

"See, this makes you look the

as she

then I heard my phone pinging with

I said with a pout, "I thought I was already

my cheeks between her palms and brought my face closer

fierce as

will always be

blinked the tears away and said, "So are

nose and in return she kissed

"I love you."

you too,

pulled back and ruffled her

face and I

and I tugged the blanket

down, I kissed

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will

"Soon."

"Good night,

picked my phone from the bedside drawer and made my way toward

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my new

My broken heart suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in my throat as I said,

be back

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 exhale and closed

about her father, I had to ignore her questions or make up a lie

my mother would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always painting her father in the light that would leave room for more

purposely keeping her away

that he had impregnated

he threatened me and told

even now that he has

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

now 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

straight and unlocked my phone, I knew it even

I wasn't prepared for his

there in the next ten

Don't wear any panties."

made me feel half naked so I wasn't going to

way toward my mother's bedroom

here soon so I decided to wait for him downstairs because I

I can

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

in the corridor but it wasn't the case as I stepped out of the elevator on the

inwardly as people started to take notice of me