Trigger warnings-abuse/ non graphic sexual abuse
Chapter 7 Maybe There's More to the Story
The minute Regina came back inside, Leopold was in her face berating her. He had seen her talking to his daughter the minute Henry rushed inside. He was in a bad mood all evening and Regina just let the hurtful words and comments wash over her. She was still in so much pain from her injuries this weekend. Her belly was bruised from his kicking, her injured back was still so tender, and her face was bruised from getting struck more than once. She was also sure he might have torn something when he had forcefully taken her over the edge of their bed, because it hurt to walk or sit. He had been more rough and violent than usual, and that only happened when he was using sex as a way to control her.
Henry had been looking at her with a pensive look in his eyes all evening. Usually, his eyes were full of defiance towards her, but he seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes continuously fixated on her cheek where a deep bruise was covered by make-up. She thought he might question her any second, but thankfully after dinner, he had gone up to his room for the night. She was so paranoid of him asking her questions, and was in so much pain, she simply wished him good night and didn't have the energy to tuck him in. Besides, she knew he wouldn't want her to anyway.
She got ready for bed while Leopold hogged the ensuite bathroom. She changed into a revealing nightgown. It was cold, but Leopold controlled even what she wore, and she was too exhausted to fight him into letting her wear warmer pajamas. Sometimes, she had to pick her battles.
She slid into bed and curled up under the covers, trembling and fearing that her husband might be in the mood for sex again. She was in too much pain for anything and all she wanted was to sleep and dream of a place that wasn't the nightmare her life had become. She closed her eyes, burying her face into the pillow when she heard the door open. Her heart started racing as she felt the bed dip and the sheets rustling as he joined her underneath.
She felt a heavy arm wrap around her waist and she gasped in fear when she was pulled back against his body. She could feel his hardness against her back side and she let out a fearful sob.
"Ssh, you don't want Henry to hear now, don't you?" he asked, holding her tightly against him and placing sloppy kisses onto her neck. It might have looked like a loving gesture, a normal couple cuddling after a long day, but Regina was rigid in his embrace. Her heart was racing out of fear. Sometimes he was brutal, and sometimes he made an effort to be gentle as long as she complied and Regina didn't know what was worst. Fighting him, or just lying there and taking it because she didn't have the strength for his brutality.
"I hope you're not too sore for any more activities," he chuckled, reaching down and cupping her sex. She hissed in pain, bucking away from his hand. He just squeezed her harder in response to her reaction, a silent warning for her to not fight him. So she lied there, trapped in his arms as he roughly stroked her between her thighs and continued to kiss her neck. She wanted to vomit out of revulsion at the feeling of him touching her.
He must have felt how rigid she was because he was suddenly pulling away from her and she fearfully turned in his arms to face his cold frustrated eyes.
"Relax, it's like kissing a stiff board. Do you want me to be rough with you?"
"No," she immediately replied, terrified that he'll just end up brutally taking what he wants like he did Friday night. "I'm just in pain from the last time." She hoped he'd leave her alone at that timid confession. She didn't want to be held. She didn't want to be kissed. She didn't want to have sex. He rolled his eyes as if her pain was an inconvenience.
"Don't try to make me feel bad," he said. "You deserved your punishment. Do you need a reminder of it?" Her eyes widened in fear because she knew he wouldn't hesitate. He would beat her right back into submission without an ounce of remorse. So in order to avoid another brutal rape or a beating, she lied on her back submissivley.
"Fine, get it over with," she relented, and for some reason that seemed to anger him. He sneered in disgust and stood. He came over to her side of the bed and grabbed her arm, forcing her up so she was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Cut the attitude!" he snapped, grabbing her face and forcing her to look at him. "You've been testing my patience all evening!"
He was yelling in her face, but she blocked out his words. Her eyes fixated on some point over his shoulder as she thought for the millionth time that her life was not supposed to be this way. She wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to get out of this town. She was supposed to go to vet school and work with horses. Not forced into politics by her mother and husband. She shouldn't be sitting here with bruises and her husband yelling in her face.
She was supposed to be with Daniel.
She was supposed to be happy.
"Regina!"
"What!" she yelled back, snapping out of it and facing him. She didn't register a word he had said.
"Don't talk to me in that tone!" he snapped, tightening his grip on her face. "You're such a disrespectful little bitch! I give you everything and you can't even pay attention when I speak to you!"
She couldn't help but scoff in disbelief.
"What have you given me?"
She saw it before it happened. She was expecting it, really. He hit her across the face so hard she could taste blood on her lip. She took it, not reacting to it. She needed to dissociate her mind, otherwise she'd be a trembling crying mess and she learned that kind of reaction would only make it worse. She held in her fear, her pain, her emotions just like she was taught to.
She barely even registered him, grabbing her by the arm and throwing her to her knees. She saw his pants falling to the ground. She felt his tight grip in her hair, forcing her forward. She shut down, forcing herself to swallow her fear.
She let him use her.
In the end he got what he wanted, and just like the obedient little wife he forced her to be, she didn't fight him. When it was over, and she was casted away in the cold while he hogged the blankets and slept soundly without an ounce of remorse of what he just forced his wife to do, she slipped out of bed and into the bathroom.
She quickly cleaned herself up, scrubbing so hard her skin turned pink under the hot water of the shower. She needed to get him off of her, his taste out of her mouth, and his grunting out of her ears. She hadn't even been aware that she was sobbing under the spray.
She changed into some warm pajamas, confident he wouldn't care anymore now that he was sated and asleep. The house was freezing, and she really didn't want to sleep downstairs in the cold study alone. The guestroom wasn't prepared, so she silently slipped into Henry's room, hoping he wouldn't turn her away. After what she had endured tonight, she just wanted some comfort, and Henry was all she had. Even if he was angry at her, she hoped that love he once held for her was still inside him somewhere.
She opened the door, and she could have sworn she saw him turn his flashlight off. Was he still awake? It was so late! He must have heard Leopold yelling at her and was unable to sleep. She tried her best to shield Henry from the abuse. He had no idea what went on between them, but sometimes it was nearly impossible to keep him from hearing their arguments, especially during the nights.
"Henry?"
He didn't answer. He was pretending to be asleep and instead of calling him out on it, she simply slid in under the covers. She curled up beside him, cuddling him against her chest like she used to when he was a small child afraid of nightmares. She was terrified of him waking up and casting her aside, of rejecting the comfort she desperately craved tonight. She prepared herself for the inevitable rejection.
It never came.
Instead, he turned in her embrace and wrapped his arms around her instead as if he could sense how much she needed this right now. She couldn't stop her tears at that point. The emotions she held in all night bursted out of her, and she silently cried in the dark room. She desperately tried to hide her tears from Henry. She didn't want to worry him.
She woke up the next morning to soft fingers brushing her cheek. She sleepily opened her eyes to Henry frowning in confusion as he traced the darkened bruise on her cheek.
"I heard him yelling at you last night," he whispered.
"Don't you worry about that," she said softly, taking his hand and kissing it. She slept better than she would have with Leopold. Warm and safe, cuddling with her son.
"Where did you get that bruise?" he asked as she sat up, brushing her hair from her face.
"I um… a branch hit me in the face when I was picking apples for my cider," she lied, her tone suddenly losing the warmth it held earlier at the expense of the lie that fell from her lips. Henry frowned in suspicion.
She stood, walking over to the closet and pulling out some clothes and placed them on the bed. She moved to kiss his cheek, but he dodged her. Her heart shattered, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. He gave her just a moment of affection, just to cruelly take it away again.
"Get ready for school."
Emma pulled up to the community college late that morning after her job interview at the sheriff's station. If she was going to stay here a while, she needed a job or she'd blow through her savings within a few months. She had been worried about Regina all weekend. She needed to see her and she hoped to catch her between classes. The thought of Leopold putting his hands on her made her sick to the stomach. The woman who gave her nothing but trouble since arriving in Storybrooke was being hurt by her husband. Now it all made sense. The red flags she had been seeing since day one screamed abuse. Now she needed to confront her. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to help her not just for Henry, but because she understood all to well the fear of living in terror day by day. She's had her share of abusive foster homes and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she turned a blind eye just because Regina gave her a hard time.
She parked her bug and headed to the political science and history building. She got there a little early, so she sat in the back of the class just like the last time she was here. Regina had the projector on and Emma was right away intrigued as she confidently led a class discussion based on the material on the screen. They made eye contact for just a moment before Regina smirked at her. Emma rolled her eyes as she once again focused on her students.
She observed her, noticing she was slow in her movements. She hoped to God that she had misread the signs, and she was wrong about the abuse. As she sat there and watched the strong fiery tempered brunette so confident in her element, it was hard to believe that she could be facing domestic violence at home. If her suspicions were true, Regina did a fantastic job in hiding it.
When class was finally dismissed, Emma was so lost in thoughts that she didn't even notice Regina approaching her until she was standing in front of her desk. Emma immediately noticed the bruise covered by makeup on her cheek. She frowned, anger for Leopold rushing through her so rapidly and hot like fire that she had to force herself to stay seated in that chair instead of going after the bastard herself.
"What are you doing here?" Regina asked, forcing Emma's gaze to snap back to her eyes instead of the darkened bruise. Her voice sounded way more tired than it should be.
"I think we need to talk."
"Are you leaving town?" she questioned hopefully, her eyes lighting up for just a moment.
"No."
The hope in her eyes died and Emma was faced with hostility once more.
"Then we have nothing to talk about," Regina said, turning her back and heading to her desk. Emma got up and followed her. She was clearing her desk, preparing for the next class..
"I know what he's doing to you and I can't just leave until I know you and Henry are safe."
The textbook that she had been shuffling through was suddenly being thrown to the side and landing hard on the wooden floor with a boom. Emma jumped and then froze as hot anger shined in those dark orbs, and for a terrifying moment, she could see the fear.
"You don't know anything," Regina said, seething and daring her to challenge her. Emma shook her head, pulling herself from her frozen shock and meeting the blazing rage that was Regina Mills.
"I think I can read between the lines, Regina. The moment I met Leopold, I sensed something was off. The night after the party only proved that. I spent my whole life in foster care. I know the signs when someone is being abused. I know the look of fear and I saw it in you right before Henry and I left."
Regina averted her eyes at the word abused. Like she couldn't admit to herself what was going on behind closed doors. Her hands started shaking and she busied them with picking up the textbook and shuffling papers on her desk. Emma watched her, worried that she might have pushed her too far.
"Regina…" she whispered.
"I don't need your help or your concern," she snarled, her defenses going up at full force. "Get out of my classroom!"
"If that asshole lays a hand on my son don't think for a second that I will allow him to stay in that house! I will have him back into my custody and away from both of you!"
Something inside seemed to break in the fiery brunette, because the hostility turned to acceptance. She shook her head in disbelief as she continued to sort her paperwork.
"I would never let him hurt Henry," she said so quietly, Emma was shocked at the change of tone. "And if he does I won't stop you from taking him." That confession startled Emma and she could see by the fearful brown eyes staring back at her, that Regina was terrified of her own admission as well. If it came down to it, Regina would relinquish custody over Henry if it meant keeping him safe. She suddenly regretted her words, because clearly Regina wasn't the parent he needed protecting from, it was just Leopold.
She sat on her chair, and Emma didn't miss the subtle wince of pain. If she could take a guess, she'd say her ribs were injured by the way she seemed to favor her right side.
"Look Regina, I didn't mean that," she said softly, the anger now gone and replaced with guilt for snapping. "Clearly you would never do anything to hurt Henry. I can see you're a good mother and all this craziness is just you being scared of losing him. I'm not here to take him from you. I just want both of you to be safe."
"Well then, I can assure you I have it under control," she informed her, her voice leveled and in control as if they were having some kind of business meeting. "Leopold gets a little rough when he's had too much to drink, but it's far in between and I do my best to keep him away from Henry. You have nothing to worry about, Miss Swan."
Emma scoffed in frustration. Clearly it was more than just a few drunken rages. Regina was terrified in his presence and she had seen him grab her too roughly more than once, but she knew Regina was too proud, too angry, and too closed off to ever admit the full extent of the abuse to anyone, especially to her.
So she'll let her have her way, for now.
Later that afternoon, Emma sat on a bench outside of Henry's school waiting for him to meet her. She was still reeling from the confrontation with Regina this morning. She suspected the abuse, but now that her suspicions were confirmed, she had trouble processing it. She also didn't understand how it could have gone unnoticed. Why hasn't anyone helped her? Then again, Regina hid it very well and pushed away anyone from getting too close. She uses her tough no nonsense exterior as a mask to hide behind, and now that Emma knew the truth, she could see her anger and cold demeanor was only a shield. She just hoped that if she got the deputy job, she could help keep mother and son safe. Maybe even push Sheriff Graham to make an arrest.
The sound of the school bell rang, signaling dismissal. Emma searched through the crowds of kids, faculty and parents until she spotted Henry coming towards her. She needed to talk to him and she needed to make it quick before Regina found them together. She wasn't sure the brunette would be tolerant of dealing with her for a second time in one day. The young boy rushed over and sat beside her.
"You know my mom will be here any second?"
"I know, I just wanted to ask you something. If Regina is the Evil Queen, what fairytale character is your dad?" she asked, wanting to get an insight on how his adoptive father fit into his fairy tale theory.
"He's not my dad," Henry dismissed as he took out his drawings from his backpack. He still hasn't got his book back from his mom yet. "I think he's Snow White's dad, the King that Regina married. Although there's not much about him in the book, besides how she killed him. Then again if he was the King, then wouldn't he be dead here in this land too?"
Emma tried not to read too much into his fairytale theory. After all, it was all just a delusion in his head. A way to escape reality as Archie had put it. She thought back to all the different stories of Snow White she'd ever read. None of them had much information on the King. She wondered if the vague background Henry came up with for his father's fairytale character was a product of their non-existent relationship.
"Does it say why she killed him?" she asked, wondering how much Henry knew of the fear his mother lived with every single day.
"She wanted to get rid of him for power," he shrugged and Emma tried not to visibly deflate. If Regina really does protect him from seeing the abuse then chances are he has no idea what's going on, just like he didn't when she had questioned him the night of the dinner party.
"Can I ask you one more time," she asked, deciding to cut the fairytale bullshit. "Has your dad ever physically hurt you?"
"No," he said quietly, his eyes becoming solemn. "He yells at me though."
"And you're sure he doesn't hurt your mom?" Maybe if she questioned him again, it would trigger some kind of realization for him if he did see something and not think much of it then.
He grew quiet, his eyes glazed over as if he was just realizing something and Emma nearly cursed out loud. He saw something. Her heart broke when he finally looked up at her with teary eyes.
"I heard him yelling at her last night, and then she came into my room and slid under the covers with me. I pretended to be asleep but she was crying. I think she was hurt because I woke up and she had a bruise on her face. And she lied about it when I asked her how she got it."
"If you ever see him hurt her or if he ever hurts you, you need to tell me right away kid. Promise me."
"I promise," he whispered. "She's the Evil Queen, Emma. This doesn't make any sense."
"Even Evil Queens need to be rescued, kid," she said, trying not to cry at what he just shared about Regina. "And maybe there's more to her story than the book is even telling you."
Emma had left Henry with that thought. After she had said goodbye and headed back to her yellow bug, he pulled his sketchpad out from his backpack and looked down at his drawings. One in particular was the Evil Queen at the back of his sketchpad. There were a lot of loopholes in his fairytales theory, one of them being why the King had died but was still alive in a land without magic. He couldn't bring himself to bring up the faded memory of Leopold slapping his mother, because he wasn't sure if it was real or not. Although, he had a terrifying feeling it might be. He didn't know what to believe anymore. He shoved his papers back in his backpack just as Regina was walking up to him.
"Henry, how was school?" she asked.
"Fine," he grumbled, getting up from the bench and walking ahead of her. He was still upset with her, and lying to him this morning didn't help.
"Henry, we need to talk," she said, catching up and walking beside him. He stopped and looked at her as she knelt to his level. He frowned in confusion at the flash of pain in her eyes.
"I'm sorry about what you heard in my classroom with Miss Swan. I was trying to make you hate her, and I hurt you because of it. Our fighting should have never gone that far. I'm sorry," she whispered that last part, her eyes locked on him and full of guilt. His defiant gaze softened. A part of him wanted to hug her, and tell her he still loved her, but he couldn't overcome his anger about his adoption and his fairy tale theory.
"I know, you just needed to push us apart so that she can't break your curse."
"What?!" she stood, shocked at the words he spat at her.
"You won't get away with it," he insisted, fully immersed in his theory. She's the Evil Queen, incapable of love. So she had to be lying, right?
"Do you really believe I'm some Evil Queen?" she asked. "Who do you believe your father is? Some poor kind King that I married for riches? If that's the case, you better reexamine your theory, because we both know your father is anything but a poor kind man. And I'm sure if he hears anymore of this fairytale nonsense, he won't tolerate it. Do not talk about this stuff in front of him."
"Why? Because I sound crazy!" he accused.
"Henry, I'm trying to protect you from him," Regina pleaded. "I don't want him getting frustrated with you. I don't want him to hu…" She stopped and Henry looked at her in confusion. "Let's go home," she said instead. "Let's not argue in the middle of the street."
He nodded and when she tried reaching for his hand, he tore away and walked ahead of her, completely missing the look of devastation on her face.
The moment they made it back to the mansion, Regina had Henry go start his homework in his room while she cooked dinner. Leopold wouldn't be in for an hour at least, and she needed time to process the hurtful words Henry had thrown at her. She felt like the worst mother. Maybe she deserved it after the stunt she pulled in her classroom, when Henry had walked in just as Emma was calling his delusions crazy. That hadn't been her best moment, and she's been beating herself up ever since.
She also couldn't get over the confrontation she had with Emma earlier. How did she find out about the abuse? She's been able to hide it for years, but then again Leopold had been getting sloppy lately in leaving marks in places people can see. He's also been grabbing her roughly in front of people, not caring who was watching anymore.
There was something about Miss Swan… something that intrigued her. The woman was intelligent and very observant. Maybe too observant, because she had guessed what Regina had hid so intricately for years. She couldn't get over the concerned green eyes. No one has ever looked at her like that. Like someone she was unwilling to give up on. Katherine wanted to help her, but was too scared to stand up against Leopold. Mary Margaret had simply given up. Emma was different. She can see the fire in her eyes, and maybe she might just be the one to help her, but she was too scared. So she pushed her away.
Once Regina had dinner going on the stove, she set up her work on the kitchen island. She had so many papers to grade and lesson plans to work on. She let herself become immersed with her work, trying not to think too much about Emma and those green eyes. She was so distracted she didn't even hear the door open until Leopold was coming into the kitchen.
She froze, hoping he would leave her alone. She kept her eyes fixated on her work.
"Oh good, you're here," he said, rudely dropping a stack of reports right in front of her and on top of the papers she was in the process of grading. "I need these done."
She looked up at him, glaring at his turned back as he fixed himself a drink. She didn't have time for his damn paperwork. When he finally faced her he chuckled at the glare she was throwing at him. He leaned back against the counter, drink in hand.
"What's with the look?" he asked, his tone daring her to speak up.
"I'm busy," she nearly growled, feeling her anger rising and blinding her to the consequences of talking back to him. "I have papers to grade and lesson plans to start! Why can't you do your own work!"
His gaze grew dangerously dark and Regina shrunk back in fear when she realized what she had said. He was on her so quickly, she gasped in fear when he violently grabbed her face and forced her to look at him.
"Get it done," he threatened, and grabbed her work and shoved it all to the side like it wasn't important. He tightened his grip and she struggled to pull away from him. "And control your temper." That was a warning. If she didn't comply, he would punish her severely.
"Ok," she whispered, and when he finally released her she immediately averted her eyes submissively to his reports and started working on them. She could feel him standing over her, watching in a sick kind of satisfaction.
She must have been an auto pilot, because she blocked out Leopold berating her for her attitude. She focused on the reports, desperately rushing through them, because she had so much of her own work she needed to get done tonight. Her hands shook from the stress and she wanted to shout at her husband to shut the hell up so she could concentrate.
Before she knew it, the oven timer went off and she blinked, tearing her gaze from her work for the first time in the past 30 minutes. Leopold was no longer in the kitchen. She hadn't realized he left. It was as if her mind blanked out and became fixated only on the reports.
She stood, pulled the lasagna from the oven. She decided to let it cool while she set the table and went to get Henry. She still had a few reports left, and she knew she would be forced to continue them after dinner. She felt stressed, suddenly anxious that Leopold might be upset that she still wasn't finished.
She timidly headed to the study with the reports that were finished and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Leopold's gruff voice sounded on the other side. She opened the door and stepped inside, unable to meet his gaze. "What do you want, Regina?"
"Dinner is ready… and I brought some of the reports."
"Some?"
She shrunk back, afraid he might scold her for not finishing them. Her breaths became shallow, her chest tightening out of fear. Her hands shook, and she stood frozen, waiting for him to yell at her. She still couldn't look at him.
"Bring them here," he ordered.
She had to force herself to breathe as she brought them over to where he was seated at his desk with his tumbler in hand. He set it on a coaster and took the papers from her.
"Come around, now."
She did as she was told, coming around the desk so she was standing in front of him. He stood, and hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. His other hand tightly gripped her still healing wrist.
"Have the rest of those reports finished by tonight," he warned. "I don't care if you have to stay up all night. Get it done."
"Yes," she whispered.
"Now go get the boy. I'll meet you both at the table."
He let her go and she rushed out of the study, desperately trying to regulate her breathing. She had been so scared and was lucky he hadn't punished her. She had a long night ahead of her. She didn't mind, because that meant he would leave her alone and probably wouldn't care if she spent the night in his study. Maybe doing his work wasn't so bad after all.
She went up to Henry's room and knocked. When there was no answer, she opened the door to see him lying on his bed and drawing in his sketch pad. His completed homework was stacked on his desk.
"Henry, it's time for dinner. Go wash your hands and meet us at the table," she said, hoping he wasn't still upset after their little argument. He looked up at her defiantly.
"I'm not hungry," he stubbornly claimed and went back to his drawings. Regina frowned, her temper flaring quickly.
"Do as I say," she scolded in a no-nonsense tone. Henry looked up at her with the kind of look in his eyes he always gets when he knows he's pushing her buttons.
"Fine," he sighed, getting up and pushing past her. She shook her head in disbelief at his rudeness. He's never acted out like this before, at least not before he had found the adoption papers. She missed the boy who was always by her side, and looked at her as if she was his whole world. The little boy that loved her unconditionally. Now he looked at her with defiance, and fought her on everything. She was tired of scolding him. She felt like such a horrible mother these days, and to make it worse Miss Swan won his affection so easily after she was the one to abandon him.
She was seething, her fear from earlier quickly turning to rage for the other woman. And then that was when she noticed the drawings. She angrily stalked up to the bed and grabbed the pad, nearly crumpling it in her fist.
Angry devastated tears welled up in her eyes. She flipped through the pages, seeing images of The Enchanted Forest from the storybook. Henry had drawn himself as a knight, riding horses, slaying dragons with Mary Margaret's boyfriend David as Prince Charming, Mary Margaret as Snow White, and the Savior. The White Knight… Emma Swan. He believed these people were his real family based on a delusion in his head. It took all her strength not to tear the drawing pad into shreds. She didn't need another reason for him to hate her.
She flipped to the last page to see the Evil Queen, she dropped the pad in shock, her hands flying to her mouth as she let out a sob. Did he really believe she was this evil?
In his head she was a villain. And there was no coming back from that.
"Regina!" Leopold's voice was suddenly yelling for her to join them.
She took a breath, stopped her tears, and put on an emotionless mask. She went downstairs and joined her son and husband at the dinner table.
Dinner was quiet except for Leopold talking about work. Just because he was the mayor, he expected everyone to be interested in politics. Poor Henry had been reading political science textbooks since he was old enough to read. It bored both of them to death, so they sat there in silence as he went on and on. Regina only replied with short answers when she was expected to. She could barely eat after what she had just seen in Henry's room. The drawing of the Evil Queen looking back at her, with dark cold eyes. She kept her eyes downcasted and pushed her food around with her fork.
Henry did the same.
Leopold seemed to be the only one enjoying himself.
"This is so bland," Leopold suddenly grumbled in between his one sided conversation of the happenings at the office. He reached over for the pepper and Regina immediately flinched back from his hand on instinct, his ring catching the light and sparkling as if it was some kind of silent threat. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment and she had to remind herself that he was only reaching for the pepper. He wasn't going to hit her. She looked up to see Henry frowning at her in confusion. He saw her fearful reaction and she froze.
"Henry," she warned. "Eat your food, please."
"Is it so much to ask for a decent meal around here," Leopold suddenly reprimanded her. "Even the boy won't touch it." As if to prove him wrong, Henry started taking quicker bites.
"I'm sorry. It'll be better next time," she said flatly, knowing he was just trying to bully her. The food tasted fine.
It was at that moment there was a loud boom and the earth shook. They held onto the table, Regina getting up and stumbling over to Henry.
"What was that!" she exclaimed, her grip tight on his shoulder.
The sound of the phone ringing resonated through the house.
Leopold got up, dinner forgotten as he went into the study for his phone. He came back moments later.
"The mines are collapsing."