He feels awful and angry. He feels like throwing things or punching the wall. The thing is, he is not sure whom he's angry with.

Marian for ruining his happiness.

Regina for lying to him.

Or to himself for not handling it better.

He knows he reacted badly and he shouldn't have lashed out like that but the information just bombarded him and Regina just standing there did not help.

He could at least listen to her. He realized that as soon as he walked into his house. It's not his greatest moment but he knows that if he stayed longer, he would have said much more and he does not want to say anything else that he is sure to regret later on.

That's why he hates confrontation. His mouth sometimes gets the best of him, not to mention his temper. He hates lies. That's why he was drawn immediately to Regina when they first met because she was a breath of fresh air. She did not shy talking about her lifestyle or why their neighbors disliked her. He thought she was being honest about herself but the joke was on him.

Is he a magnet for such women?

He knows Regina is not Marian but he felt betrayed. He can handle it if she only told him the truth. Yes, he has his code but at this point, he knows he is willing to be with her no matter the cost but she kept it from him. That's what he cannot accept.

When he saw Emma's car pulled over in front of Regina's house, he could not help but look on why she's there. Sure, they're civil now but it's not like they're friends.

He saw Regina and Granny came out first followed by the blonde and the way Regina was wrapped with someone else's coat hit him hard.

Granny went to Emma as Regina struggled to get the door open. The two women talked for a bit with Emma looking so worried about Regina.

What happened when he left?

It's not like he should care because he was the one who got wronged, right? He should not care and yet, he does.

He kept on watching as Emma's car drove away and Granny took over in opening the door for Regina.

There's an unsettling feeling crawling into his guts, telling him to go there and ask for some explanation but he can still feel his temper boiling and he does not want to make it worse.

Instead of going to Regina, he downed a glass of liquor from the kitchen before forcing himself to sleep.

It was hopeless though because he was not able to do that as well. The look on Regina's face kept replaying in his head.

Not once he saw her cry but in that moment, he saw the tears forming in that brown orbs of hers and he knows he was the one who caused it.

Drowning in guilt, he forced himself to do something to erase that from his head. He worked out, cleaned the house though there's nothing much to clean. He even tried working but it's to no avail.

It was only when he saw the sunlight peeking through the window that he realized, he should stop procrastinating and just get it over with.

He took a shower first, put on something comfortable and walked to the door.

"Oh great, you're up. We need to talk", Emma said as soon as he opened the door.

The blonde did not wait for him to invite her and she just strutted inside like she owns the place.

"I have somewhere to be",

"This won't take long. Let me just start with you're an asshole",

He did a double take at that. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. How could just leave Regina like that last night? I mean, did you even know the entire truth or you just assume and believe every word that bitch Marian said to you?"

That is pretty much accurate but he does not like being cornered let alone by Emma.

"I don't think this is any of your business",

"Oh it is my business when you made it my business. Do you remember what you said to me at my house when you went to confront Killian about that stupid pool? You told me that I should not judge a book by its cover…that I should look for proof first before jumping into conclusion. Well, guess what? I did. Because of you, I started to like Regina and she may not share the same feeling but I consider her as my friend now…so yeah, this is my business",

The blonde angrily ran her fingers through her hair, composing her thoughts.

"Look, I don't know the whole story either but I've been a Sheriff for a long time and what I saw last night, that's not the look of a woman who got caught in her web of lies. She was terrified, Robin. She was scared as fuck and she almost had a panic attack in the middle of the town hall fearing that Graham, whoever the fuck he is, is going to find her. My alarm bells are going off since last night, I was not able to sleep. I am telling you…there is more to it than just her keeping that part of her life a secret, so if you're going out of here to talk to her, you better make sure you're ready to listen because if your plan is to pull of the same stunt you did last night…I will drive you out of this town myself",


He felt like drowning as he paced his living room after Emma left. The things she said…the things that had happened after he left. She said Regina was terrified when he left. She said she was scared that her husband is going to find her.

Why is she hiding from him in the first place?

His brain is trying to come up with answers and they're getting worse by the second. He needs to know because he could not function without knowing.

So, he crossed the street and rang the doorbell to her house. Yes, he is ready to listen and he will do his best to understand because he needs to understand what is happening.

"Robin",

The way she said his name almost broke his heart. It took him a moment to take a good look at her. Her hair disheveled, dark circles around her eyes, her skin as pale as a sheet. She looks as bad as he feels.

"Can we talk?"

She did not respond to that, only to open the door for him and he took that as a yes.

The house's atmosphere is so different from yesterday before they went to the festival. It feels so gloomy…like something just died.

"Do you want something to drink?"

The way she slurred those words let him know that she's already drunk and it's not even ten in the morning.

"No. I think you had enough",

She paused and frowned at him. "…not nearly enough",

He followed her to the living room where she sat on the sofa or more like just crashed. This is not the best condition to talk to her.

"I'm going to get you some water",

"Robin", he halted. "Sit down",

There is an authority to her voice that made him obey like a kid. She is serious now and if he cannot smell the scent of alcohol coming from her, he wouldn't have guessed that she's been drinking.

"Do you remember what I told to you about this painting?" He glanced up at the painting of the woman hanging from the wall. "I painted this before I got here to Storybrooke. Actually, I painted it right after I got the confirmation that my divorce was final",

She smiled briefly before her face turned sad.

"I was so relieved when I got it because finally, I am free. Yes, I was married before to Graham. I met him right after law school and I was young and naive. Having just left my mother's shadow, I instantly jumped at the chance of having someone who will love me and I thought it was him. It was great at first. He's almost perfect. It did not take long before we got married and I thought I was living a fairytale but that did not last",

"He started to get jealous over small things. I work in a male dominated world and it would piss him off whenever someone would look at me. He started choosing my clothes for me. I was not allowed to wear a skirt or a dress outside of the house, and I thought, well…he's just being protective but it was not that. It was possessiveness…"

She took a deep breath and kept her eyes on the painting.

"The fights got bigger and bigger because I didn't know how to back down. Why should I? I knew I did not do anything wrong but he did not like that, me talking back. The first strike, I was just too stunned to react. He apologized, said all the sweet things and like a fool, I believed him. Then, it kept on happening again and again and then, I lost myself",

He clenched his fist as she recounts her past because the idea of anyone hitting her is making his blood boil.

"Granny…she was my professor at law school. She noticed what was happening. In fact, she was the one who convinced me to do something, to stand up for myself. Mal introduced me to Gold and he helped me finding my way out of the hole I got myself into. At the time, I was worried about a lot of things. I was this new lawyer and if that gets out, it will forever be attached to my name. Lawyer who prosecutes violent criminals divorcing her violent husband",

Regina scoffed at the thought. "Gold worked his magic. He got a restraining order to keep Graham away. I did not know what kind of deal he made with him to make him sign the divorce papers but he did. There's no court proceedings. After a week, I learned that Graham was fired from his firm and I knew it was Gold's doing as a payback for what he did to me. He avoided jail time but he lost his career",

"When I learned that, I got so scared because I know him. He's not going to let it slide. He would blame me for ruining his career so I ran to Granny for help. She brought me here and I fell in love with the place. Gold took me under his wings, hired me in his firm, and the rest is history",

Not once did she look at him while she tells her story. He fought the urge to hug her because he can tell that she's not ready for it. He wanted to. He wants to grovel for forgiveness for not giving her a chance to explain everything last night.

Now that he knows the whole truth, he can see why it's hard for her to just tell that to anyone. There's so much at stake for her. Her life, her safety, her reputation, her sanity…everything.

Be patient…

That's what Granny said to him and he failed to do so just a few hours afterwards.

"I did not tell you because I did not know how. Believe me, I tried so many times but I could not get it out. I was afraid that you will me differently once you knew. You will look at me like some pathetic woman who let her ex-husband used her as a punching bag for years. I did not want to see that in your eyes because you're the one good thing in this wretched life of mine and I didn't want to ruin it. Guess, I failed even at that", she added.

That's it. He closed the distance between them and he pulled her into his arms.

"You did not ruin anything. It was me who did it. I was an asshole. I could have listened.I should have listened. I failed you when you needed me the most and I am so sorry, Regina. I screwed up so bad",

She pulled away from him and looked at him for the first time since they sat on that sofa.

"What are you talking about? I was the one who lied to you. I kept things from you",

"You were biding your time. You were working on it and I was not patient enough. What you went through…hell, it's not an easy thing to just share. I should have been more patient but I failed at doing that", he cupped her face and wiped the tears that has fallen down her cheeks. "Regina…even after knowing that, I never looked at you the way you just thought I would. All I see is a strong woman who survived a great ordeal and made something out of it. You're a survivor, a fighter. I am so sorry for all the things I said, the things I thought…there's no excuse. I messed up and I know that it will—"

She stopped him from finishing before she kissed his lips.

"We both screwed up. Such couple we make", they both laughed at that. "I love you, Robin",

Staring at her dumbfounded, he could not believe how she can still look at him like that after what he did last night. Now, she finally said it and it is such a wakeup call for him. He now learns his lesson. He will never take her again for granted.

"I love you too, Regina",