A/n: Songs are great inspirations and Regina/Killian are just beautiful muses. Enough said. Lol. This chapter is more of a prologue. A look into Regina's past that drew consequences and circumstances that left a scar on her heart. Hope you enjoy this and all reviews are much appreciated.

Her chandelier lights have been dimmed hours ago, its faint glow barely illuminating the dining room where she sat. A bouquet of flowers arranged elegantly in a crystal vase at the heart of the table, a ribbon wrapped around its neck and a card hanged loosely with the words "Just for you" in bright colours of red and pink. She hated pink. But she let it slide, forcing herself to see the big picture and that maybe it was all the choice he had. Their quaint little town wasn't exactly teeming with creative geniuses.

The place setting was made for two. She had taken out her finest china and her favourite crystal champagne flutes which made the setting all the more elegant, beautiful and special. Their food was meticulously prepared by her, a new recipe she wished to try to mark this occasion had gone cold and unappetizing, its warmth and hospitality disappeared as the clock ticked away. From seconds to minutes to hours.

But she sat there nonetheless, awaiting his arrival like any dutiful lover would. Her back rigid against the back of her chair, she stared at the wall in front of her as her fingers nimbly played with the edges of her napkin. She didn't know what time it was when she heard the turning of a key and a soft click of the door being shut. She didn't look to turn in the direction of the footsteps that neared her. All the anxiety she had earlier from the dilemma of wanting to see him and not wanting to see him was gone. She had paced back and forth trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach in anticipation for this special night. That too was gone and was replaced by something else; something that burnt the wings of those butterflies.

"You're late." If Hell were to freeze over it would be on this day, in this room by her voice alone.

A man who seemed so affluent in his demeanour was at a loss for words. He preferred to remain silent knowing full well of Regina's temperament and telling by the glassware that was still gleaming in the dim light he had missed a dinner, a celebration. Disregarding the brocade she put up he bent down at the waist and leaned in offering a gentle kiss to her cheek in hopes that it would make up for his tardiness. When his lips met the plum of her cheek, he could taste the salty remnants of tears shed. She can't possibly be this upset over a dinner? , he thought to himself.

Standing behind her chair, he thumbed at the edges of her shoulders with a hint of concern in his voice "Regina, is everything okay? I didn't think you had anything prepared. I honestly didn't know and I got caught up with things... You should've told me."

Looking past her shoulder and meeting eye to eye, she scoffed audibly at his words. "I should've told you? You have the audacity to come home with not a word of apology or an excuse for that matter…and I should have told you? That's rich David." Getting up, she pushed out the chair forcefully so much so that the head of the chair hit against David's torso which almost knocked the wind out of him. Her emotions were getting the best of her and it often played out in her actions. She had the lost the patience to care. Grabbing the plates of food, she headed towards the kitchen avoiding his stare and pained expression as he clutched his stomach.

"Now wait a minute! What was that for?" His steps were far and wide as he stepped in front of her, blocking the entrance. She tried moving around him. She went left, he went left. She went right, he went right. Her eyes did not once look at him averting her eyes every single time he dipped to meet her gaze. Her breaths were shaky and ragged that he could tell. She was upset but he hadn't a clue as to why. His small and obtuse mind couldn't see the seemingly best laid out plans she had for him—for them—that night. "It was just dinner, for God's sake!"

At that she finally looked at him and it spelled out apathy with a capital A. "No, it wasn't JUST dinner David!" the volume of her voice rising to meet his. "You're so thick, you know that? Now get out of my way!"

Outstretching his hands, one on each side of the doorframe and pushes his chest out, he retorts with an indignant "No."

Her claw-like grip began to tighten on the plates causing her hand to cramp a little but not enough to cause her pain. "What do you mean no? You didn't know about the dinner, so let's forget about it, shall we? Get out of my way!" She tried sidestepping him and moving around his steadfast stance in front of the door but her feet were moving too quickly and the tip of her shoes knocked against his boot causing her to lose her balance. The subsequent crashing of the plates against her hardwood floor made them both jump.

Shocked as she was, her eyes began to well up. He didn't deserve her tears though but unfortunately with the tightness in her throat and the tears that pooled in her eyes she knew it wouldn't be possible to keep them at bay. He didn't deserve to know how broken he has made her feel. He didn't deserve to know that it wasn't just a table of food and the glass that lied in pieces on the floor shattered along with her heart. Throughout their entire relationship she blamed herself for every setback, biting back her tongue when what she really wanted was to lash out at him and it was all because she thought she was the one that didn't try hard enough at keeping their marriage together.

No she couldn't look at him and not let her tears fall; she couldn't do them both and not fall apart under his gaze so she bent her knees instead, reaching out to the nearest shard of china. These pieces were tangible; these pieces she could pick up even though they were beyond repair. However her movements were paused when David gripped her wrist and pulled her up to her feet. She resisted at first but he was bigger and stronger than she was.

His big hands that held hers once upon a time held so much promise, so much security, so much love. Smoothing down her hair, his fingers caressed her cheeks and cradled her face so gently that it became too much for her. She didn't want to be reminded of how gentle he was because in all truth, he wasn't gentle with her heart. Tears slipped down her face out of her own volition when she broke away from his touch.

Her lips trembled when she moved them to speak. Her voice was still raw, hoarse and thick with emotion but she fought through it, swallowing harder with every try. "It-it wasn't just the dinner, David. It truly wasn't."

The glass cracked beneath her heels as she stepped closer to the dining table and reached for the bouquet. "Your office sent this. Just minutes before dinner were ready," laughing wearily," you can imagine my surprise when it arrived at my doorstep. Take the card. Read it David. Out loud." Nudging the vase in his direction, he hesitantly took a step forward and tugged away the card. His eyes scanned the card and she could see the progression of his emotions from that of shock to embarrassment. Regaining her strength and anger from just watching him squirm, her voice became louder with each word. "OUT. LOUD. DAVID."

He had written on the card, he had asked for those flowers but he didn't decide on what flowers and blindly signed off the delivery form. He had a wife, the whole town knew and it would be perfect sense to send flowers to their house. Seeing no way out of this predicament he landed himself in, he read out the words that he penned himself earlier that morning.

"Dearest Mary Margaret,

Your skin as white as snow,

Your lips as red as blood

And your hair black as ebony.

Aren't you a fairytale beauty?

Love, your Prince Charming, David."

While he was reading, she had moved away from him and sat back down at the head of the table with the vase still in her grasp in front of her. She had read that card over and over again, burning it into her mind, mulling over every slant and every curve of those letters trying to find a fault in the penmanship. Forged maybe, a copycat maybe, she initially had thought. But there was no mistaking it was his. He was a fraud in every sense of the word.

Eyes transfixed on the bouquet, she rattled off the questions that she didn't want answers to but asked anyway. She'd rather know all rather than nothing at all.

"Did you sleep with her?"

One step forward. One crack of glass under his foot. "Regina—"

"You slept with her? Tell me, David… How was it? Was it fun?" The heat, the anger, the betrayal; it seeped into every word. The thought of him coming to their bed with skin reeking of another's scent and lips marked by another made her stomach churn with disgust. "How strange that you were supposed to be the 'good' one and yet today—today you brought nothing more than filth."

Another step forward and another crack. "Regina, don't say that—"

She stood up and looked directly at his blue eyes as though she could reduce him to a pile of ashes on the very ground he stood on. "Then what should I say?! Should I celebrate?!" gesturing to what was supposed to be a romantic dinner, "Should I celebrate that my husband is sleeping with another woman?!" her arms flailing at her sides.

Storming towards her, no longer caring for the expensive glassware that cracked beneath his feet, he stood toe to toe as he matched her temper with his. She was breathing hard as was he but neither relented; both too stubborn for their own good. "If my WIFE wasn't giving me the cold shoulder every night, I didn't need to." Raising his fingers in the air, he counted off her faults. "You have nothing to give… No love.. Not happiness.. Not affection.. You haven't been able to keep a child! No Regina, I didn't need to," he snarled. The words that escaped him weren't of his conscious mind and it wasn't something new to him either. It had festered within him over the years; growing darker with every refusal, hurting him deeper with every miscarriage. His patience grew thin and he sought comfort in the arms of another. That was the reasoning he told himself when he laid between the legs of his mistress.

Backing away from him, a hand unconsciously drifted towards her stomach as though those very words could physically harm her. Not only had he admitted to having an affair, he blamed her for it. Like everything else that went wrong in their relationship. She couldn't do this anymore. Turning on her heels she left the room. She had to get away from him. She couldn't trust herself around him. He had never made her feel inadequate about not being able to carry a child. Never. It had been difficult and after trying so many times she had inadvertently closed off from him. It was too painful to be constantly hoping.

She was about to ascend the stairs but through the sobs that wracked her body and tears that streamed down her cheeks she felt numb and her legs gave way. Sinking down to the floor she pulled up her knees to her chest, uncaring of the way her back grazed down the wall. Her sobs were intermittent, gasping for air when it became hard to breathe.

Palms flat on the table, his previous words finally registered to him. He hadn't meant to say those things to her. He can't explain it but she made him be like this. Short tempered and careless with his words especially those directed at her. Tears sprung at his eyes when he realized that their relationship now was nothing like it used to be. Ignoring the tears that wetted his face, he went to where she sat and kneeled in front of her. "I'm sorry, Regina… I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to—"

Unexpectedly she cupped his face and brought their heads closer together till their foreheads touched. Her words were short. There was not much she could say with a tight throat that threatened to choke her. "Why did you do this to me, David? I loved you so much. More than my own self.. More than life.." Shutting her eyes closed she didn't see how David shook his head in denial. Her next words were nothing more than a whisper. "But I wasn't enough for you right?" choking back down a sob that told of how broken she felt. He broke her.

"It isn't like that, Regina. I don't know what came over me. She means nothing to me." He was pleading almost.

Tearily she scoffed at his weak response to assure her. "Anger speaks in truth. Not lies. How am I supposed to look at you and not see her face in your eyes?" Pushing him to stand upright and then following suit she visibly shrunk into herself when he offered to help. With arms crossed in front of her, she gave him her final word before walking back towards the dining room. "This relationship—this marriage is over."

Standing in the middle of the foyer, hands on both hips, "No, you don't get to do that." He wasn't about to let her throw him out into the street. He stood to lose more than just the title of her husband if this marriage ended.

Swiveling to face him, looking visibly upset and exhausted, she retorts, "Oh but I just did. Get out. I don't want to see your face again."

He didn't move. He was the husband. He was the one to call the shots, not her. "I'm not leaving. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's time for you to leave, David!" grabbing the vase that wasn't meant for her, that revealed all of his infidelities; she lifted it in the air and threw it at him. "Get out!"

Ducking just in time, his eyes were bloodshot at the feel of how close her aim was to where he could seriously get hurt. "What the hell, Regina? Yeah you're right. This is over. We are over. I'm leaving." His eyes challenged hers though before stepping out the door.

Lifting her chin by a fraction, she spoke with false bravery, "I won't stop you." With that, he slammed the door behind him and causing her to flinch at the sound.

At the top of the stairs, a small boy of 3 stood in his Spiderman pajamas holding a plush sword in one hand and the other rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes. He must have heard the commotion and had woken up. "Mommy? Are you ok? There was a lot of noise."

Meeting his eyes her heart clenched at the love she did have. The love she was sure of and that she could give without a single doubt. "Henry… Henry baby go back to bed. Mommy will be right up to tuck you in." As much as she loved her baby boy that they adopted as an infant, she could only manage a small smile and hoped that it was enough. Enough for them both.

"Okay Mommy." Swishing his sword the whole way, he waddled his diaper-padded bum back to his bedroom.

X

After cleaning up the mess and putting Henry to bed, she finally was alone. Alone in a bedroom that she shared just hours ago with the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Running a shaky hand through her hair, she stared back at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her carefully applied makeup resembled nothing of beauty and instead streaks of black and red coloured her face. Turning on the tap, her line of sight catches on the test stick she took this morning.

Two pink lines. Pregnant.

Angry tears welled up with a vengeance, blurring her eyesight. She was going to tell him tonight. Tonight was supposed to be special. Until the flowers arrived it had been going well. She had been happy. But now more than anything, she was angry at herself for not listening to her heart, for not seeing when he went truant, for ignoring his pleas for intimacy.

Picking up the stick, she grips it tightly in her hand to the point of nearly breaking it in half. If it weren't for Henry who was a room away from her, she would have screamed till no sound was left in her. The test stick eventually fell out of her grip, ricocheting on the tiled floor.

It wouldn't break. It couldn't be erased. It shouldn't be like this.

30 days. 30 days of bitter words, salty tears and sweet nothings. An unfortunate account of what transpired between man and wife. But she wasn't exaggerating nor was she pining over a marriage that no longer had a future even in its most amicable sense. She wasn't counting off the days in the calendar either for an important event for there was none. With all that was going on between her and David, Henry falling sick and mountains of work that piled on her desk every day, she didn't even have the time to clinically confirm the pregnancy. And now, there wasn't any need for one.

Because 30 days were the amount of days she was pregnant.

How do you begin to comprehend what has happened if only the night before you stood in front of the mirror, arms stretched high above your head, body facing sideways as you admired the tiniest bump that bloated your lower abdomen? How do you begin to process that the morning after would be spent in agonizing pain as hands twisted and clenched at the sheets of a cold bed? Sadly for Regina, this wasn't her first time and she knew what was happening. She knew her body too well to ignore the truth that would soon spell out in angry shades of red. 30 days it was, since pink lines told her what a doctor didn't have the chance to.

She didn't call David. He had left her and she was done with him. Their calls always ended up with one of them in tears and she wasn't about to call him already in tears. Kathryn, an old flame of David's but now a good friend of hers was instead the person she called. Kathryn could be trusted with Henry and loyal enough of a friend to not betray her wishes which was to not tell David. Kathryn had kept her word but the hospital however was out of her control.

Later that same day, the phone rings and rings. The echoing sound reverberates throughout the house, knocking on the walls trying to wake its inhabitants; or rather an inhabitant. Alone and empty sat a tired woman in an isolated corner of her room, knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. Counts of her breathing and the clock ticking were all she could hear and all she wanted to listen to. That was the last thing she heard when the doctor told her to lie back and sleep. "It'll all be over before you know it," was what the doctor said. She nearly laughed before the gas took her to a place of empty dreams. Her marriage, her baby, her happiness; over before she knew it.

X

He had demanded where she was, what she had be doing here, why was she not here anymore. All answers came in stutters and it only frustrated him further. Just as he was about to wring the neck of one of the hospital staff, a doctor ushered him into a room. The walls were stark white that to the naked eye it was painful if you stared at it too long. Posters with positive anecdotes decorated its four walls. Instead of a feeling of relief, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him as he unceremoniously sat on the plastic chair.

Five minutes later and a seemingly empathetic pat on his shoulder, David Nolan - emergency contact and next of kin of Regina Mills left that sordid room that was nothing more than false hope. His lungs were too full of something heavy and his breath squeezed into his throat. Shock and numbness left his mind bereft of any thoughts and his eyes clear of any tears. He was too miserable to cry. Too guilty to be hurting and mourning for a grief that wasn't his. The realisation of what he had done, the appalling knowledge floods his brain; Regina had been pregnant. She had lost the baby. A baby he knew nothing about.

Red and blue lights flashed and sirens wailed as he sped through town. It was a route he memorized for he had taken it day in and day out. Out of automation, he arrived at his home and parked the car behind hers. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest as he walked up the pathway. The stark contrast of a single light amidst the darkness of the house gave it an ambience that brought chills to his spine. With a soft click of the front door behind him, he padded through a house he once called his and went to a bedroom he had long since left.

X

Standing in the doorway of the bedroom, she could barely make out his silhouette but she knew it to be him. She had expected him to come sometime but just not today when everything still was a blur to her. It was a small town and as Mayor it was a given that others would soon come to know about their problems. And in more often times than not they would inform the sheriff, her husband. Eyes closed she wished him away as she slowly unfolded her arms and brought her feet to the ground. Having not spoken since she came home, her throat was dry and lips were parched so when she finally did speak her voice was more broken than she cared to admit.

"Who told you?"

He was already quite close to where she sat and his breath hitched at the sight. "The hospital," he answers.

"I specifically told them not to. So much for doctor-patient confidentiality." Standing a bit too fast after being in the same position for hours, her feet are unsteady and in reflex she grabbed his outstretched hand. As much as it was a reflex for her to reach for him, it was as much to him as well.

Hands in hers but eyes averted, "Why didn't you tell me Regina?"

Pulling back her hand, she doesn't say anything. Unwanted tears had gathered in her eyes. She was still raw. She just got home. That phantom emptiness is still there. She didn't feel like rehashing the events of that day which now stood as an impenetrable barrier between them. So she ignored him.

"Why Regina? I deserved to know." Patience was never one of his virtues and it overtook the anguish in his heart. Seeing her back turned and walking away from him, it certainly did more to him than he thought it would. "Would you talk to me dammit?!"

Turning to face him, her face was hard with animosity. "And why should I? You don't listen. You lie. You cheat."

"That—that doesn't have anything to do with this!"

"It does! It has everything to do with that!" She couldn't hold it in any longer; her tears fell unabashed as she tells him what she had planned to that night. "The night—the dinner, I was going to tell you then, David! I was going to tell you... I was pregnant," breathing shakily she takes a step towards him," And then the flowers came, the things you said…" If he hadn't said she had no love, no affection and to not give him a child, she could have forgiven him. All the love she ever felt for him was still in her, rippling under the surface, subtly influencing the texture of her thoughts, like bumpy old wallpaper under new paint.

But there would be no going back nor would there be going any forward. He had lost the right to being a father to any child of hers the day he walked out of their house. His loss, his mistake.

Thank you for reading! I'll be posting the next chapter soon!