The Divorce

Chapter 25

Present time..

Emma looked with wide eyes at Regina. She hadn't remembered that day too well, but now that Regina had told the story, the memories had become much more vivid.

"I.. I am so sorry I said that," Emma responded, half in shock of her own rudeness. She wondered what else she'd forgotten from all the nasty things she'd said to Regina. After all, they hadn't been too kind to one another.

Regina waved dismissively with her hand and shrugged. "We've both said things we regret. And it was true, what you said. You did eat alone a lot with the children. As did I, when you were working late."

Emma had sat down for the story and looked at Regina. As she heard Regina tell the story of just one of their fights, more memories of their discussions and fights returned and she started to feel like she'd just ignored all those memories recently. Like she'd tried to forget them and glorified the good ones, just so that she had a reason to get back with Regina.

But maybe they shouldn't start a relationship, or anything for that matter, again after all. Maybe it hadn't been just an impulse when she signed the divorce papers and proposed them to Regina. Maybe it had been more thought out than she remembered. Maybe it had been the right decision.

The same feeling she'd felt during their time that things weren't going well, had returned. Emma had forgotten how it felt like, but it was like someone was squeezing her chest and she felt herself become slightly nervous.

She didn't quite understand how simply listening to an old memory of the two of them could return that feeling, but maybe it had something to do with Regina as well, who looked a tad hopelessly at her.

However, now that she'd found out her mother had had some influence on Regina, she didn't blame her former wife for anything anymore. She knew she'd been unhappy during their marriage for a while and that wasn't her mother's fault, but she felt like Mary Margaret might have had something to do with the final push.

At least, it wouldn't surprise her.

"Things really were.. complicated between us. To put it lightly," Regina said and shifted in her seat, trying to find a more comfortable position, but still look regal as ever. "But Emma.. I don't think looking into past conversations is going to help us now. I know it's very easy to blame your mother for our divorce, but she barely did anything. She was the lead up to this conversation, but we'd had many discussions in general. And me cheating wasn't her fault, either. I mean.."

Regina stopped talking when she saw Emma's eyes widen. She cocked her head and looked confused at Emma, her eyes slightly squinted. "Something wrong?"

"I have to talk to Ruby," Emma said and immediately stood up. She walked to the door, but Regina had made her way over in the meantime and grabbed Emma's wrist.

"Emma, listen to me. Ruby has nothing to do with this. I made the mistake.."

"Regina, if my mother had been given even the slightest opportunity to ruin our marriage, she'd have taken it. My mother can make people do whatever the hell she wants them to do, so if she wanted Ruby to sleep with you, to jeopardize, no, destroy our marriage, our relationship, she'd do so."

Regina briefly closed her eyes, hoping that there was a way to help Emma past this meeting with her mother. The impact Mary Margaret had on Emma was much bigger than the blonde realized and she was jumping to conclusions without any evidence.

"No, don't do that."

"Do what?" Regina asked confused.

"Act like I'm being totally ridiculous. Perhaps you don't remember my mother so well, but she hated our relationship. She'd do anything to get her little, straight girl back. Have a "healthy" mother-daughter relationship, without the daughter having a mental illness. If she thought ruining our marriage was the way to "cure" me, she'd do it, like I said."