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

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

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

and then held out a thick black macrame

I knew what was in her small fist even before

"Wear this.

our lucky charm,

said, her grey

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

"It's yours.

should keep it to

my hand then slammed the shining black rock

and I'm loaning

back to me when you

battle

and said,

want you to go

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

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

a silent demand as she moved on her

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

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

who would just look in

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 in the cottage on the Aaron estate when I accidentally dropped it

"See, this makes you look the

announced as she came

a tight hug, just then

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

cheeks between her palms and brought my

grey eyes fierce as

always be the

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

and in return she kissed

"I love you."

love you too,

pulled back and

face and I said, "Now, go back

laid down and I

I

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will you

"Soon."

"Good

way toward the

"Yes, baby?"

boy be

swallowed the knot

be

gave me a solemn nod and her grey eyes closed as she turned away and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the

to ignore her questions or

but always painting her father in the light that would leave room for

think my daughter thought that I was purposely keeping her away

never knew that he had impregnated

when he threatened me and told me to

didn't know even now that he

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

now what 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

straight and unlocked my phone, I knew it even before

I wasn't prepared for

be there in

Don't wear any panties."

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

made my way toward my mother's bedroom to check up on her before I turned

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

if I can help

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

wasn't the case as I stepped out of the

started to take notice of me when