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

own, I nodded, "I would prefer it if he

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

and then held

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

"Wear this.

lucky charm,

her grey

my head and closed her fingers back around the black stone that had half of its piece back somewhere

"It's yours.

keep it to

She pursed her lips and picked up my hand then slammed the shining black

to me and

can give it back to me when

battle when I

nodded and said,

you to

lip and regarded me with a

a freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have left it out in the apartment somewhere hidden but apparently the same thought crossed my genius

a silent demand as she moved on her knees so

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

me as the thread wasn't too

everyone who would just look

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

"See, this makes you

announced as she came

hug, just then I heard my phone pinging with an incoming

as I said with

clapped my cheeks between her palms and brought my face closer to

eyes fierce as

will always be

and said, "So are you,

and in return she kissed the corner of

"I love you."

love you

back and ruffled

and I said, "Now,

I

down, I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my new

suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in my throat as

will be

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 exhale and closed my eyes

I had to ignore

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

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

that he had

never knew I was pregnant when he threatened

now that he has a

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

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 long that whenever his eyes landed on me

I knew it even before I opened the message

prepared

be there in

Don't wear any panties."

dress already made me feel half naked so

ignored his text and made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check

he will be here soon so I decided to

if I can

was, would he intentionally force a daughter from her mother in the

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

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