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

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

She scampered off my lap and then I watched as she leapt off the bed and pulled the basket from under the

and then held

heart gave a painful pang as I knew what was in her small fist even before

"Wear this.

lucky

her

fingers back around the black stone that had

"It's yours.

should keep it to

then slammed the

and I'm loaning

can give it back to me

losing battle when

nodded and said,

want you to go

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

her palm in a silent demand as she moved on her knees so she was

rock in her palm and she swiped my hair aside, then her small

my neck before she accidentally choked me as the thread

who would just

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

"See, this makes you

announced as she

in a tight hug, just then I

my daughter as I said with a pout, "I

between her palms and brought my face closer

as

will always be the

away and said, "So

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

"I love you."

love you too,

and ruffled her

I said, "Now, go back to

down and I tugged the

I kissed

"Good night, baby"

"When

"Soon."

"Good night,

and made my way

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my new

broken heart suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in

will be

pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the door, I let out

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

interrupt and answer her vaguely but always painting her

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

never knew that he had

was pregnant when he threatened me and told me to

know even now that

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

the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever his eyes landed on me they

my phone, I knew it even before I opened the message icon that it would be

prepared for his demanding

in the

Don't wear any panties."

dress already made me feel half naked so

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

that he will be here soon so I decided to wait for

if I can

until I understand what kind of man this Kristian was, would he intentionally force a daughter from

wasn't the case

inwardly as people started to take notice of me when I came into the entrance