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

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

a bit and then held out a

heart gave a painful pang as I knew what was in

"Wear this.

lucky

said, her grey eyes

fingers back around the black stone that had half

"It's yours.

keep

slammed the shining black rock in my palm and closed my fingers

me and I'm loaning it

can give it back to me

losing battle when I see

and

I want you to

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

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 somewhere hidden but apparently the same thought crossed my genius daughter's

palm in a silent demand as she moved on her

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

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

who would just

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

"See, this makes you look

daughter announced as

then I heard my phone

I said with a pout, "I thought

her palms and brought

as she said,

be

said,

nose and in return she kissed the corner of

"I love you."

love you

pulled back and ruffled

made a face and I said, "Now, go

I tugged the blanket

I kissed her

"Good night, baby"

asked, "When will

"Soon."

replied "Good night,

my way toward the bedroom door when her soft voice stopped me,

"Yes, baby?"

boy be my

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

will be back

the blanket up to her shoulders, Closing the door, I let out a rough exhale and

I had to ignore her questions or make up a lie

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

purposely keeping her away from her

that he

never knew I was pregnant when he threatened

know even now that he has a

would've 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 been interrupted and he

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 they were resentful, cold

pulled myself straight and unlocked my phone, I knew it even before I

I wasn't prepared

be there in

Don't wear any panties."

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

my way toward my mother's bedroom to check up

he mentioned that he will be here soon so I decided to wait for him downstairs because I didn't want him anywhere near

I can

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

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

cringed inwardly as people started to take notice of me when I came into the entrance hall near