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

of my own, I nodded,

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

a bit and then held out a

I knew what was in her small fist even

"Wear this.

lucky

her grey eyes

closed her fingers back around the black stone that

"It's yours.

should keep

lips and picked up my hand then slammed the shining black rock in my palm and closed my

it to me and I'm loaning

it back

a losing battle when

and said,

to go back to

jumped on the bed but didn't lie down, instead she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me,

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

the threaded rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside, then her small fingers got busy as she tied the

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

who would

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

this makes you look the

as she came

just then I heard my

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

between her palms and brought my face

fierce as she said,

will always be the

said, "So are

in return

"I love you."

you too,

pulled back and ruffled her

a face and I said, "Now, go back

down and I tugged

down, I kissed

"Good night, baby"

"When

"Soon."

"Good night,

way toward the bedroom

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my new

swallowed the knot in my throat

will be back

solemn nod and her grey eyes closed as she turned away and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the

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

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

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

that he had impregnated

knew I was pregnant when he threatened me and

didn't know even now that he has

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

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

knew it even before

wasn't prepared for his demanding

will be there in the next ten

Don't wear any panties."

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

made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check up on her before I turned

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

I can

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 the door behind me

but it wasn't the case as I stepped out

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