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 him to

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

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

for a bit and then held out a

what was in her small fist even before she opened her

"Wear this.

lucky

her grey eyes

closed her fingers back around the black stone that

"It's yours.

keep it

up my hand then slammed the shining black rock in

it to me and I'm loaning

it back to

a losing battle when I see

nodded and said,

want you to go back

lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me, I'll help you put it

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

now she held out her palm in a silent demand

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

the thread wasn't too long and the broken rock came to settle on the

everyone who would just look in

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

"See, this makes you

as she came

tight hug, just then I heard my phone pinging with

as I said

my cheeks between her palms and brought

eyes fierce as

will always be the best,

tears away and said, "So are you, my

nose and in return she kissed

"I love you."

love you

back and ruffled her

a face and I said, "Now, go back

and I tugged the blanket

down, I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

and made my way toward the bedroom door when

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my

scratch and I swallowed the

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

about her father, I had to ignore her questions or make up a lie that I didn't want to tell

time, my mother would interrupt and answer her vaguely but always

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

that he

he threatened me and told me to

didn't know even now

the last time I had gone to meet him to tell him the truth and

inflicted by me had

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

prepared for

be there in the next

Don't wear any panties."

feel half naked so I

mother's bedroom to check up on her before I

here soon so I decided to wait for him downstairs because I didn't want him anywhere

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

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

as people started to take notice of me when I came