Page 71 of Grasp The Moment

“Daisy?”

27.Georgia

Apple.

Apple.

Apple.

Motherfucking Apple.

Derek’s eyes are stuck on her as she moves with the grace of a prima ballerina, landing in the seat between Delilah and Mrs. Perez. His hands that were once on me are clenched into fists as he watches Sienna’s dance partner cozy up next to his mom.

Personally, I have a bone to pick with this chick. She’s the reason one of my best friends ended up on her deathbed back in December. This girl gave Sienna a strawberry-infused electrolyte drink, her one and only allergy, and left her for dead in a dance studio. Now, she’s prancing her ass off in front of my husband like she owns the place and he’s… He’s stuck on her, like she ownshim.

I gulp, my eyes moving from the red-haired woman to Delilah before landing on Derek, and then it clicks.

“You’reher—Rosemary, right?”

The girl's smirk falls from her porcelain face, crackingthe beauty that was once there, revealing her true nature. She gives me a glare that could kill, but it's a good thing I’ve never been too afraid of dolls.

“It’sDaisy. Who are you?” She tuts, crossing her arms over her chest with a smirk as if the name held weight to me.

Newsflash, everyone, it doesn’t.

“I’m his wife.” I shrug, planting a smile equal to hers on my face as Derek finally snaps out of it.

“Why are you here, Rosemary? Haven’t you done enough? We’re good without you,” he says, taking his rightful seat next to me, grabbing hold of my hand under the table.

Rosemary is a pretty girl. She’s fair-skinned with auburn hair that has flecks of golden-blonde streaks in it. She’s tall and willowy like a fairy with large green eyes and freckles dusting across her nose and cheeks, just like Delilah.

But she also looks like one of the twins fromThe Shining,sooooooooooooo…

She’s pretty, but there’s something off in that head of hers, and that’s being proven when she speaks up again, her eyes trained on Derek.

“I’m here for you, silly… Forus. We can be a family?—”

Derek is not here for whatever games she’s playing because he turns to me. “Take Delilah and both of you get in the car.”

I tilt my head at him, my eyes trailing from him to his mother, before landing on the evil bitch intruding on our already uncomfortable dinner.

“She will do no such thing with my granddaughter. Delilah stays. Her mother?—”

“Isdead. Georgia, take Delilah now… I’ll be out in a second.”

Without hesitation, I get Delilah and take her to the car. She’s quiet the entire time I buckle her into her seat and onlyspeaks up when she knows that I’ve gotten myself settled into the car.

“Mamá, who was that?” Deli asks, and a piece of my heart breaks as I put on a smile as fragile as glass, twisting in my seat to face her.

“I have no idea, baby girl. Maybe your papá will explain who she is when we get home…” I say, patting her knee before twisting back in my seat as Derek climbs into the car.

He doesn’t say anything as he puts the car in drive. Instead, he turns the volume up on Delilah’s princess soundtrack and places a hand on my thigh.

The two of us ride in silence, the weight of what happened looming over our shoulders as he pulls up to an all too familiar building just fifteen minutes from our place—my old apartment.

He’s quiet as he gets Deli out of the car and holds the door open for the two of us. The air is thick around us in the elevator as we ride up to the floor where my old place is. I want to reach out, give him a lifeline, but I don’t know how.

What if my touch was the straw that breaks that camel's back?