After retreating from her family home, Regina got in her car and drove away to her peaceful spot near the docks. She always went there frequently as she took her time to think while in her marriage before the seventh years of wedding anniversary.
She finally got out of her car and looked around if she was not followed. The brunette woman was relieved that she went alone and found a bench that was facing the sea. The brown-haired woman sat down while doing mediating with her breaths.
In her thoughts, it went rapidly from her father's death to her almost failed marriage. She started to cry after receiving the news from her mother-in-law and mom. To herself, she didn't know what to do first.
Regina didn't realize that she was having a panic attack since her wedding day with Emma. It caused her to force herself to use the breathing exercises. Sometimes, she wished her wife could comfort her when she needed her at most.
The brunette mayor stared at the sea and finally calmed down for few minutes. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the sea. No people at the docks or the jogging people passing through on her peaceful spot. It was a breathtaking moment.
It took her to think deeply when it happened on that day while Emma ceased to attend at her office. She opened her eyes and tried to remembered the moment. It was taking her to the timeline and it was happening on before Christmas Eve.
Flashback –
Regina was on the call from the conference at Boston. She was busy at this time while her secretary, Joyce was hurrying on the paperwork. The brunette woman was conversing with the staff members on the financial budgets from Boston. They needed her help to mend everything out.
The brown-haired woman was willingly to help them out while she was in her focus on her town's budget. She explained everything deeply. But Regina didn't pay attention when Emma entered with the lunch bags. She was deeply focusing on her work and neglecting her wife's needs.
One hour later, Regina chuckled after conversing with Boston's government then hung up on them. She sighed and looked up at no one in her office. Then she looked down on her desk and found her lunch bag. Emma left than thirty minutes before she hung up on the phone.
She slapped her hand on the desk and forgot her lunch date with her wife. The brunette woman sighed and grabbed her cellphone but Joyce came in with the paperwork. The brunette woman looked up and found out that the town's budget went chaos.
It caused her to drop her cellphone and she started to focus on the weekly budgets with Joyce. After that budget problems, Regina stayed overnight to finish some paperwork. Joyce stayed behind because she had no family members at her place.
Regina started to chat with her for some stories being a mayor and a wife/mother to her family. Joyce smiled at her and started to work beside her on the mayoral business.
It began as Joyce realized that she really liked Regina. The weeks passed on, they got closer. The brunette mayor didn't realize that she was dragging toward her secretary's charms and didn't realize that she was not home frequently since she was in her office with Joyce all the times.
One day after few weeks, Emma came to see her wife at the office and planned to inform her that she wanted to resign as a sheriff. The blonde woman smiled at herself because she cooked the lunch meal for both of them and opened the door.
It happened when Joyce was leaning closer to Regina and planning to kiss her on the lips. The brunette woman was not paying attention when her wife came in the office. The secretary finally kissed her on the lips. Regina was out of the blue when she received it from her secretary.
Emma dropped the lunch bags on the floor and left immediately. Joyce leaned backward with a smile. At this time, Regina was very drunk because they drank the cider all night since they were working together on the mayoral business.
The brown-haired woman didn't remember that moment with Joyce then went to sleep on the couch. Joyce kissed her on the lips again and left her alone with the door close.
As the months passed, the secretary basically flirted with her boss. Regina thought it was nothing because their friendship grew up stronger. She laughed, talked and ate their meals together. It pressured her out when she stayed in the office with Joyce.
David came in her office and saw them laughing. He felt odd when it came to his daughter's wife but kept cool. The blonde man finally handed the paperwork of his daughter's resignation. He smiled at his daughter-in-law and glanced over at Joyce. Finally, he left with his perplexed face.
Regina kept working while laughing at Joyce's stories and finally found her time to keep busy with financial budgets from Boston and New York City. Joyce seduced her at this time while touching on the brunette mayor's arms and got closer to her neck while looking at the paperwork for errors.
The brown-haired woman chuckled at the paperwork while Joyce whispered inside her ear with her husky voice. It happened when Ruby, Belle and Kathryn came in her office to see them. Regina didn't see them. It caused the three ladies to be out of the blue when they saw Emma's own wife with her secretary, Joyce. They finally understood how Emma felt and decided to leave them alone.
Nearly a month before December, Joyce decided to stop her flirting on her boss because she tried to have an affair with her on Emma. It doesn't work at all. Regina was stubborn to resist her charms and deeply focused on her mayoral business as usual. The secretary finally quit after receiving Zelena's warning. Regina was depressed that their friendship got severed.
Zelena came to see her sister that day when Joyce was there seducing Regina in her office. The redheaded woman was feeling awkward when it came to her beloved sister-in-law. She decided to stay behind and waited in the lobby.
When Joyce finally got out of Regina's office, she faced her boss' sister but didn't know that it was Regina's sister at this time. Zelena grimly smiled at her and angrily spoke to her. It was lucky for Regina that she was not listening to the noise out by her door.
The redheaded woman was dragging Joyce outside in the backyard and yelling at her because it was her sister and her sister-in-law's marriage. Joyce went ashamed because she was feeling guilty when she heard Emma's name in every mention.
Zelena harshly sent the secretary back and made her to clean up her desk then informed her sister that she quit at the period. Joyce nodded and ran back to her desk as she was told to.
The redheaded woman was relieved that she 'saved' Emma and Regina's marriage but she was not sure if Emma was pleased that she helped her out by making Joyce out in the town hall.
Regina was clueless that her sister did it for her wife. She kept going on her duty until she looked up at her redheaded sister with a smile. Zelena avoided her situation with Joyce and sent her a flash of a smile.
They talked through their business. Joyce walked back to them in the office and glanced at Zelena's glare. The secretary informed her boss that she decided to quit and never came back again. The redheaded woman hid her smile while Regina frowned.
It ended quickly as Joyce left the town hall. Zelena looked through the window in her sister's office. She turned around and informed her right away that she had a business to do. Regina waved her hand in dismissal and heard her voice.
Zelena was telling her that Regina needed to be home soon. The brunette woman nodded and waved her hand in a dismissal then continued to search for a secretary.
Regina got a lot of calls from other cities who needed her help. She delved into the business as usual. The brunette woman didn't realize that she was not home yet for few months. To be specific, she hasn't been home for a year.
The brown-haired mayor finished her paperwork when it came to December. She was exhausted with a lot of business going on in her office since Joyce helped her. It was very slow-processing day for her. She decided to end it quickly because Joyce quit and had no time to finish everything at once.
Finally, she got home at afternoon. It happened from that day to the end when she got there. It has been a year when Regina stayed in the office all the way and didn't get a chance to get out of her office. Because Joyce came to see her with meals when Emma ceased her attendance to take care of her wife. It escalated quickly when Joyce was there all the way from the beginning to the end when she quit being a secretary and left the town hall quickly.
-Flashback-
Regina finally realized that she was drugged by the alcohol and pills by Joyce, her secretary in the beginning. She felt raw because her secretary seduced her from that day. The brown-haired shuddered at a thought and slapped her forehead that she was not paying attention to her wife's needs one year ago. She was neglecting her family's needs.
The brunette mayor stared at the sea and exhaled deeply. She wondered why Joyce quit. She tried to remember the pieces of moment until she gasped. Regina realized that it was Zelena who did it to her secretary.
She slapped her hands on the bench beside her thighs. The wind blew lightly against her face. Regina didn't realize that she was staying outside too long. Because it was still snowing in December. She wondered if she wanted to ask Zelena to explain what happened to her that day and Emma's resignation.
Finally, Regina decided to go back to her car and heated her up with A/C. She steered around to get home. At this time, the brown-haired woman realized that Remma was picking up by her mother-in-law and stayed after school for her art class.
It gave her a plenty of time when she returned home and took a long soaking bath. Regina finally widened her eyes that she hasn't had a sex with her wife for a year. But firstly, she wanted to have her time with her daughter, Remma.
Because she had no chance to see her kids for a year and wanted to take a chance to rekindle with her kids after she returned for the first time. Regina closed her eyes and remembered when Emma and she went to have her in the hospital.
At this time, Regina was pregnant with Remma. She smiled when her beautiful daughter was coming out of the world for the first time. Emma was excited to have her in their family. It was a time when Emma proposed to her that day when Remma came in their life for the first time.
Henry was happy to see his family growing up and found out that his mothers getting married. After Remma's birth announcement, Regina showed her engagement ring to her mom and Emma's mom. The mothers finally cried with joy.
The noise alerted Regina to wake up from her memories. She turned around to find Remma and Mary Margaret there by the doorway. She was lucky that the bubbles covered her body.
Mary Margaret informed Regina that she was dropping her daughter at her home then kissed on her forehead and finally retreated out of the house. It left Regina and Remma to stare into their eyes.
The brunette mayor exhaled and gestured her daughter to sit down on the toilet seat. Remma was like her. She had a brown curly hair with emerald eyes. But her facial features were strongly like her. For her curly hair and height, it was strongly Emma's.
"Hello Remma, how was your day?"
"It was fine." The brunette teenager spoke lightly while looking around in the master suite. Regina exhaled deeply and continued.
"Your grandmother told me that you had something to tell me. Any thing you want to add?"
"What's else do I have to say?"
"She said something that you have a girlfriend. So tell me about her." The brown-haired woman explained. Remma shrugged and looked away at the mirror then retorted.
"I have nothing to say. Can I go back to my room?"
"Come on, I am your mother and I want to know but I won't push you." Regina said.
"Well, you want to know about me. Yes, I have a girlfriend. Her name is Lalaine Ripley. She is like my age."
"What's else?"
"I've been out to Mama, Gramma, Grandpa last year before I asked Lalaine out for a first date. So, can I go back to my room?"
"Yes, Remma. You can go but –" the brunette woman chuckled with a reply until Remma left before she finished her sentence. She was talking about the dinner that she was planning to make for them. Henry was away with Grandpa since she got a text from Mary Margaret when she was there with her mother and Zelena.
Regina finished her soaking bath after getting out of the bathtub. She grabbed her pajamas from her closet and looked over at her wife's closet. It was half missing. She recalled that Emma was living in Portland after resigning as a sheriff. The brown-haired woman walked toward the closet and touched on the flannel shirts on the hangers.
In her thoughts, she recalled about the legal dissolution of their marriage and it caused her to fall down on the ground then sobbed while holding her wife's flannel shirts.
She went panicked after finding out that her life falling apart. In her heart's desire, she wanted to stay with her family and live a life she wanted for her happy ending. Regina kept crying and felt her daughter's hands embracing her.
She heard her voice and it soothed her calm. Remma swayed their bodies and soothed the words inside her mother's ear. Regina was still sobbing loudly while clenching her wife's shirts. It didn't stop her crying to finish her tears.
The brunette teenager decided to lift her mother up and guided her to the master bedroom. Regina felt out of blue when she finally sat down on her bed. Remma turned around and went to get their dinner from the kitchen.
The brown-haired woman wiped her tears and sniffled. She looked up when the door opened. Remma carried a tray for their dinner and spoke lightly.
"I cooked dinner for both of us. Mama taught me how to cook. I'm not sure if you like a vegan meal. We changed our diet plan since you aren't home. So, it is a squash spaghetti with pesto sauce."
"Thank you." Regina said with a small smile. Other nodded and brought a tray on the nightstand then picked a dish and handed it to her mother. The brunette woman was pleased with the food and placed it on her lap.
Remma sighed and grabbed her dish then sat down beside her against the headboard. She looked back at her mother and asked.
"Do you like it?"
"It is tasty. So, I apologized for my breakdown."
"That's ok. I know it was a hard time for you to see it. It was for us too when we had to go on without you. Did Mama tell you that?"
"Yes, some of it. I'm sorry that I was not there to help you, Henry and Emma. I know it is my fault. I don't know how to earn your trust and forgiveness at this time."
"Oh well, you have to work harder to get us back on this track. It's been a year. I don't know how to forgive you like this."
"Let me talk to your Mama for some reasons that I didn't earn yours and others. So, to put them aside, how did you and Henry suffer when I was not there?"
"To be honest with you, mom. We suffered for few months after receiving the news from Mama. We had been begging her to stay on the marriage. For me, I didn't want her to be alone after the divorce. I just hoped that you and Mama stay together. No one took that as granted." Remma put her dish away on the tray as she was speaking to her Mother. Regina was listening to her daughter.
The brunette girl smiled at her and gathered the dish from her mother's hands then brought it away. She turned around and continued.
"I hope you and Mama get everything back in the track and I will be happy if she forgives you or you earn our trust with forgiveness. So, good night Mom."
"Good night, Remma." Regina smiled at her and watched her daughter's retreating body. It caused her to think what to do is earn her wife's trust before her kids. Secondly, she wanted to talk with her wife about the legal dissolution and her work as a CEO. Lastly, to Henry, she wanted to catch up with both of her kids.
The brown-haired woman finally closed her eyes while she was tucking herself in the bed. She was clueless that Remma was conversing with Emma on the phone and she was being watched by her daughter.
A/N: Ohhh.. Regina deserves the big time to work harder.