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

want him to

pause of my own, I nodded, "I would

off the bed and pulled the

held out a thick

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

"Wear this.

our lucky charm,

said, her

closed her fingers back around the black stone that had half of its piece back somewhere in Black

"It's yours.

should keep it to

then slammed the shining black rock

gave it to me and I'm loaning

give it back to me when

losing battle when I

and said,

I want you to go back to

lie down, instead she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me

my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have left it

a silent demand as she moved

put the threaded rock in her palm and she swiped my hair

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

to everyone who would just look in my

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

"See, this makes you look the

as

then I heard

my daughter as I said with a pout, "I thought I was already the

palms and brought my face

eyes fierce as she said, "You

always be the

said, "So are you, my little

kissed her nose and in return

"I love you."

you too,

and ruffled her

a face and I said, "Now, go

down and I

I kissed

"Good night, baby"

"When

"Soon."

"Good night,

from the bedside drawer and made my way toward the bedroom door

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my new

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

be back

nod and her grey eyes closed as she turned away and pulled the blanket up to her

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

vaguely but always painting her father in the light

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

never knew that he had

pregnant when he threatened me and

even now that he has a

meet him to tell him the truth and

react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long

and unlocked my phone, I knew it even before

prepared for his demanding

there in the next

Don't wear any panties."

feel half naked so I wasn't going

his text and made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check up on her before I turned toward the apartment

so I decided to wait for him downstairs because

if I can help

would try as much as 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

out in the corridor but it wasn't the case as I

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