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

want him

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

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

for a bit and then held out a thick

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

"Wear this.

lucky charm,

her

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

"It's yours.

should keep it

slammed the shining

to me and I'm loaning

it back to me when you

a losing battle when I

nodded and

to go

down, instead she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and said, "Give it to me, I'll help you put it

five years old daughter was a freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have

a silent demand as she moved on her

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

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

everyone who would

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

this makes you look the

announced as she came

tight hug, just then I heard my phone pinging

phone and focused on my daughter as I

my cheeks between her palms and

eyes fierce as she

be the best,

the tears away and said, "So are

nose and in return she kissed the corner

"I love you."

you too,

pulled back and

face and I said, "Now, go back to

and I

down, I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will you

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

drawer and made my way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped

"Yes, baby?"

be

suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in my throat as I said, "Go to

be

turned away and pulled the blanket up to her

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

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

I was purposely keeping her away from her father which was

knew that he

knew I was pregnant when he

know even now that

wondered what would've happened if the last time I had gone to meet him to tell him the truth and

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 they were resentful,

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

I wasn't prepared for

will be there in the next

Don't wear any panties."

so I wasn't going to obey

and made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check

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

if 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

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

notice of me when I came into the entrance hall near the