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

you want him to

pause of my own, I nodded,

and pulled the basket from under the bed which was filled with the

bit and then held out a

painful pang as I knew what was in her small fist

"Wear this.

lucky charm,

her grey eyes

black stone that

"It's yours.

should keep

hand then slammed the shining black rock in

gave it to me and

give it back

battle

nodded and

to

she bit down on her bottom lip and regarded me with a suspicious look and

Did I tell you my five years old daughter was a freaking smartarse? The thought had crossed my mind too, instead of putting it

demand as she

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

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

everyone who would just look

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

makes

daughter announced as she

a tight hug, just then I heard my phone pinging with

and focused on my daughter as I said

cheeks between her palms and brought my face closer to

eyes fierce as

will always be the best,

said, "So are you, my little

and in return she kissed the corner

"I love you."

love you

back and ruffled her

a face and I said,

down and I tugged the blanket

down, I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

"When will you

"Soon."

"Good night,

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

"Yes, baby?"

this boy be my new

My broken heart suffered another scratch and I swallowed the knot in my

will be

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 to

daughter had asked me about her father, I had to ignore

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

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

that he

when he

didn't know even now that he has a

happened if the last time I had gone to meet him to tell him the truth and if I had gotten the chance to tell him the truth, if we hadn't

I didn't even know how he would react when the wounds inflicted by me had festered for so long that whenever his eyes

phone, I knew it even

I wasn't prepared for his

there in the

Don't wear any panties."

naked so I wasn't going

his text and made my way toward my mother's bedroom

so I decided to wait for him downstairs because I didn't want him anywhere near

I can

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

the case as I stepped out of the elevator

inwardly as people started to take notice of me when