Numb…that's the first thing she felt as soon as Robin found out her buried past. Her silence confirmed it for him and things started to go downhill because her stupid tongue won't move.

She knew this day would come and she had worked up herself finding ways to tell him about her past but each time she would try, she would see his smiling face and how happy he was that she could not bring herself to ruin it.

It was a mistake.

She should have come clean as early as possible because now, it's too late.

The second thing that registered in her brain. If Robin found out, it means someone told him. It could not be Granny. The woman is never going to be betray her. Then, Robin outed his source who turned out to be Marian.

Of course, it is going to be her. The woman wanted her out of Robin's life and what better way than to dig up her past and tell it to him. She wondered how she was able to find out about it because she made sure that no one is going to discover that part of her life.

It does not matter because as Robin spat his anger at her face, she started sinking deeper and deeper.

She screwed up the one good thing in her life. Because of her inability to be completely honest and open, she ruined what they have and now, Robin hates her.

Can she blame him? He was right. She lied to him. She made a fool out of him by believing the woman she presented to him. It's time he saw the truth, the real her. She never deserved her and she knew that from the start.

"Regina…are you alright? We saw Robin leaving without you",

She did not even see Mary Margaret and Emma came her way. Her vision is getting blurry and somehow, her dress felt a little bit tighter.

"Where is she?"

"What? Who?" Emma asked confusingly.

Her eyes searched for the woman who ruined it all for her and once she found her, her feet moved in an instant as Mary Margaret and Emma trailed behind her.

Marian even had the audacity to smile upon seeing her. She really thinks of this as a game, a little ploy to keep her away from Robin but it is more than just a game.

"Regina! Lovely to see you again. Love what you've done with the place—"

"What did you tell him?" She barked not caring of the people around them probably listening to what's happening.

She's through with keeping up with the rest of the society.

"…only the truth. Do you really think you can fool him that long? Robin will find out one way or another that you've been lying to him", Marian responded smugly.

"I am not talking about Robin. What did you tell to Graham? You've done your little research, probably asked around. What did you tell him? Did you tell him where I live?"

The panic in her voice is rising because if there's one thing she cannot afford is for Graham to discover where she's living.

"Don't get your panty into a twist. I did not speak with your husband but I am please to know you still remember his name. You see, no matter how hard you think you covered up your past. My husband is very talented with uncovering secrets and he found out yours…"

"Wait, husband?" She heard Mary Margaret but she didn't pay any attention to her.

She knows her husband Jefferson. That man is as vile as they come and if he is the one who discovered about Graham, it's only a matter of time before he finds out where she is.

"I have to get out of here", she muttered.

Marian laughed, or at least she thought she did because suddenly, the room started spinning around her. The noise becoming distant up until someone held her arm, steadying her. It was Granny.

"I can't stay here. He knows. I can't…he can't find me here…"

She knows she does not make sense to everyone but Granny understands. She knows what she is talking about.

"Let's talk about that in the morning but right now, I need to get you back at your house", the woman said.

The rest became a blur to her. It's like she's moving on autopilot. Her body is moving on its own accord. She did not even realize that she's already outside her house or the fact that it was Emma who drove her and Granny there.

Granny said a few more things to Emma before she helped her open the door. She's almost catatonic. Her brain is running a hundred miles per hour and she could not keep up.

The woman has taken her to her bedroom and made her sit on the bed as she busied her self doing god knows what.

Graham is someone she buried so deep at the back of her brain and just like that, he resurfaced overtaking her. She never even wanted to hear his name. She did so good in forgetting and making a new life for herself but that life is now officially over.

She did not just lose Robin. She also lost everything she worked so hard for.

"Drink this",

She saw a glass of water in front of her. Her first instinct is to refuse. She wants to get out of Storybrooke as soon as possible but she cannot move.

"Don't make me shove this down your throat, girl. Drink",

For some reason, her arm started working and she silently obeyed the woman. She did not drink much. Just enough to quench the thirst she did not know she has.

"I have to go",

"No, you don't. Regina, dear…you've done this long enough. You cannot keep running away. If you do, he just keeps on winning. You have a great life here—"

She scoffed bitterly at that because what life is that? Before Robin, she's living in an isolated world, jumping from one meaningless sex onto the next. Yes, she has her job and it's great. She has her friends and they make her feel cared for but everything seems worthwhile when Robin came into her life and now, he's gone.

"Unless you did not notice, that life is over. Graham will find me here and I cannot let that happen. I cannot go through that again. I won't",

Her breathing became labored as memories came rushing back into her. She can still feel the sting on her cheek, the pain on her abdomen, or that feeling of gasping for air as cruel hands wrapped around her throat.

No, she's not going to subject herself to that again.

"You're not the same girl anymore. I've seen you grow, Regina. You may not see it but you're stronger now. You live in this town for years with people hating your guts and not once, you backed down and packed up and run",

"We can both agree that a few disgruntled neighbors is nothing compared to Graham",

Granny forced her to look at her and she saw the fire in the woman's eyes. It is something she wished she shares but she does not.

"Fight him, Regina. Stop running. I know you want this life. I know you do. Don't let him take this from you too. Use that brilliant head of yours and fight that monster. You did it before. You can do it again",

"Do you really think a restraining order is going to keep him away for long?" She asked because she knows Graham and she knows when he sets his mind onto something, he will do everything in his power to get there.

She ruined him before. After years of abuse under his roof, she managed to gather her courage and set herself free from his hold. She went against him and if there's one thing Graham could not accept, that is defeat. She knows his rage and his thirst for revenge. He will come after her.

That's the whole reason why she knocked on Granny's door that night. She sobbed and sobbed until there's no more tears to give. She was desperate to get away and the woman offered her the sanctuary Storybrooke offers and she took it without looking back.

Gold worked his craft in making sure Graham will never go anywhere near her. He kept her close, taught her everything she knows on how to maneuver the legality of things. She was able to free herself from Graham and she was quick to drop his name.

There is no way that Graham will let that slide.

"You're not alone this time, Regina. I know you don't believe that but you did not see it earlier. Everyone was worried about you. They may not know the whole story but they saw it the moment you started panicking. You did the impossible by shifting their views of you from a villain to a hero…and I am not just talking about the festival. This time, it's going to be different. You won't face him alone",

"Robin is not going to be one of those, Granny. He knows now…and there's no way he will forgive me for lying to him. I know I should have told him the truth but I could not. I was so scared of ruining what we have that I ended up doing exactly that",

Granny pursed her lips before shaking her head.

"Robin is a smart man. Yes, he reacted badly but he will come around once his head clears up. You'll see. Now, I got you a change of clothing. Go change and rest. I will just be here", she said.


That night, the nightmare came back in full force.

It's been a while since she dreamt of Graham. It's not really a dream but more like a memory.

She was back at their house and it's one of those nights where he would come late and drunk.

He started accusing her of cheating behind his back and she did her best to convince him otherwise. Things played out the way it used to and a fist landed on her face. She landed on the floor and the impact took the oxygen out of her lungs.

He started yelling at her but she couldn't make out his words because all she could feel is pain. She felt every beating before she was yanked out of it and she found herself hyperventilating in her room.

She is covered in sweat and her mind is somewhere stuck between the past and the present. She did not dare go back to sleep after that.

Granny stayed true to her words and remained in her house. After a long conversation that she is not going to run away, she managed to finally send her back to her house.

She has done so much for her and she cannot allow her to pause her life for her. She has her own family to take care of, her business to run. She can handle her own misery by herself

The next thing she did is to call Gold. He needs to know what happened because it will surely affect her work.

He reassured her that the restraining order is still in place and if Graham even tried anything, he will find himself in jail.

He also has given her some time off from work. She told him she does not need it but he insisted which she cannot refuse. She's not going to much in the office anyway, not at her state.

So, she stayed at home and settle for the company of her whisky.

The thought of leaving is still in her mind and she wants nothing more than to just pack up and run but Granny was right. She cannot just throw away everything again for the same man.

She drinks and drinks until the feeling in her chest lessened. It has always been her coping mechanism, a self-destructive habit she developed over the years. She has let go of it for some time and now, she's back to picking it up where she left it.

When her doorbell rang, she groaned internally because really, all she wants is to be left alone. It's probably Granny, back to mother her again but when she opened the door, it's Robin she found.

"Robin…"

She has to say his name just to be sure she's not imagining him. She is sure that she is not going to see him again after last night but there he is, standing by her front door.

"Can we talk?"

There is nothing much more to say so, she just opened the door for him and he walked inside her house.