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

want him

pause of my own, I nodded, "I would prefer

I watched as she leapt off the bed and pulled the basket

a bit and then held

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

"Wear this.

our lucky

her

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

"It's yours.

should keep it to

the shining black rock in my palm and closed my fingers

it to me and I'm loaning

give it back

battle

and said,

you to

her bottom lip and regarded me with a

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

now she held out her palm in a silent demand

I put the threaded rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside, then her small fingers

neck before she accidentally choked me as the thread

everyone who would

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

"See, this makes you look

announced as she

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

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

my cheeks between her palms and brought

eyes fierce as she said,

will always be

tears away and said, "So

kissed her nose and in return she kissed the corner of my

"I love you."

you too,

pulled back and

face and I said, "Now, go back

I tugged the

down, I

"Good night, baby"

"When will you

"Soon."

replied "Good

bedside drawer and made my way toward the bedroom door when her soft

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be

suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in my

be

me 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 my eyes to

ignore her

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

that I was purposely keeping her away from her father which was in fact

knew that he

was pregnant when he threatened

even now that he

truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him the truth, if we hadn't been interrupted and he

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

myself straight and unlocked my phone, I knew it even before I opened the message icon that it would be

prepared for his demanding

there in the next

Don't wear any panties."

naked so I

mother's bedroom to check up on

to wait for him downstairs because I didn't want him anywhere near my

if I can

intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the

wasn't the case as I stepped out of the elevator on the ground

of me when I came into the