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

you want

of my own, I nodded, "I would prefer it if he was

I watched as she leapt off the bed and pulled the basket from under the bed which was filled

then held out a thick black macrame

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

"Wear this.

our lucky charm,

her grey eyes

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

"It's yours.

keep it

slammed the shining

me and I'm loaning it to

back to me when

losing battle

and said,

you to go back

and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me,

too, instead of putting it on I'd have left it out in the apartment somewhere

out her palm in a silent demand as she moved on

my hair aside, then her small fingers

before she accidentally choked me as the thread wasn't

who would just

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

this makes you look

as

hug, just then I heard

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

clapped my cheeks between her palms and brought my face

grey eyes fierce as

always be the best,

said, "So are

her nose and in return she kissed the corner of

"I love you."

love you too,

pulled back and ruffled her

I said,

and I tugged the blanket

down, I

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will

"Soon."

"Good

picked my phone from the bedside drawer and made my way

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my new

and I swallowed the knot in my throat as I said,

will be back

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

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

and answer her vaguely but always painting her father in the light that would leave

purposely keeping her away from her father which was in fact a truth

that he

knew I was pregnant when he threatened

didn't know even now that he has a

the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him the truth,

help me, now I didn't even know how he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that

I knew it even before I opened the message icon that it

wasn't prepared for

will be there in the

Don't wear any panties."

half naked so I wasn't

mother's bedroom to check up on her before I turned toward the apartment

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

if I can help

I 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 the door behind me and slipped the key behind

out 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 when I