Her eyes.
[7x07] : Drabble. "She did the right thing. She did it so the curse wouldn't be broken. But all the thing that Regina can think about, it's Jacinda' eyes when she told her it would be better for her if she didn't get into a relationship with Henry." Regina's thoughts after her speech to Jacinda.
When Ivy told her that she had to do something against Henry' and Jacinda' growing relationship, Regina felt a terrible anger and hatred invading her.
Against this terrible woman who didn't care about destroying other' happiness, or against herself, well, she didn't know.
As she saw Jacinda' brilliant smile, and how much her eyes were shining, she knew.
She had to do something, right now.
Before it was too late.
So, she talked to Jacinda, and she hated this.
And the worst of it (well, one of the worst things of it), is this.
She is right.
She is completely and entirely right about this, and it makes it even more terrible and hurtful to say.
Because, even if her point of view is twisted with only the bad aspects, she is right.
Because this is a normal world, there is no magic and no fairy tales.
There won't be any happy endings for these two people who are beginning to fall in love with each other.
Her world doesn't work that way.
Because Victoria Belfrey will do everything she can to separate her step-daughter from the man this one loves, and Regina is aware of this.
(Belfrey may not be the great villain there, but she is a monster.)
And it breaks her to do it, because she is wrong and right as the same time.
She did the right thing.
did it so the curse wouldn't be broken.
But all the thing that Regina can think about, it's Jacinda' eyes when she told her it would be better for her if she didn't get into a relationship with Henry.
Jacinda isn't in love with Henry.
She is cursed, and remembers just meeting him not a long time ago, and she doesn't know him well.
But it's the beginning of a love story, and Regina knows it.
So, that's why she has to stop it, to do everything to separate them, as she did with Snow and Charming.
She is used to it.
It doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt.
It doesn't mean that she doesn't hate herself, again.
It doesn't mean that she can handle it, that she can look at Jacinda in the eyes.
It doesn't mean that she will forget Jacinda' eyes, or the sadness in them, the despair, and maybe also something worse.
Acceptation.
Resignation.
Because Jacinda is rational, and can understand her arguments, Regina is sure of that.
And moreover, she loves her daughter, more than she loves Henry himself, of course, because he is just a stranger for her.
But there is still sadness in her eyes.
Maybe that's the reason why Regina turned back.
She couldn't see her friend, her daughter-in-law suffer from the pain she inflicted her.
It hurt too much.
But at least, she did things right, no ?