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

you want him

my own, I nodded, "I would prefer

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

for a bit and then held out a thick black

I knew what was in her small fist

"Wear this.

our lucky

her

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

"It's yours.

keep it

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

to me and I'm loaning

back

battle

nodded and said,

I want you to go back to

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

Did I tell you my five years old daughter was a freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it on I'd have left it out in the apartment

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

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

my fingers between the thread and my neck before she accidentally choked me as the thread wasn't too long and the broken rock came to settle on the hollow

who would just look in my

upon a 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

makes you look

announced as she came

just then

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

palms and brought my face closer to

grey eyes fierce as she said, "You

be

blinked the tears away and said, "So are you, my

and in return she kissed the

"I love you."

you too,

back and

I said,

and I tugged

I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

"When will

"Soon."

"Good night,

picked my phone from the bedside 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

be back

eyes closed as she turned away and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the door, I

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

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

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

knew that he had impregnated

he threatened me and

now

truth and if I had gotten

he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever his eyes landed on me they were resentful, cold and filled with promise

and unlocked my phone, I knew it even before

I wasn't prepared for

in the next

Don't wear any panties."

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

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

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

I can help

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

there was no one out in the corridor but it wasn't the case as

inwardly as people started to take notice of me when I