When Emma falls in love

Chapter 19

When Emma stepped into Gold's Shop, David was already meticulously searching for clues, while Regina, arms crossed, approached Emma as soon as she came through the door.

"Where have you been?" the brunette immediately inquired, a subtle hint of concern on her face.

"I was sleeping and didn't hear my phone when David called. What's happening here?" Emma asked.

"Well, my evil half and my crazy sister broke into the shop," Regina explained, a tone of annoyance evident in her voice.

Emma furrowed her brows, "How do we know it was them? And is something missing from here?"

"Not yet," David replied, "but who else would do that?"

"Really? A lot of people would," Emma remarked. "In fact, what if we have a new villain in town? Wouldn't be the first time."

"Right," Regina chimed in. "But right now, we're having two villains in town that we should be worried about. Despite your little...friendship." The last word slipped off her lips like it was the most disgusting thing in the world, and somehow that made Emma even more mad because Regina had no right to be jealous. Okay, maybe this was wishful thinking. Maybe the brunette wasn't exactly jealous, but whatever she was, it made Emma angry.

And speaking of angry, the blonde couldn't resist asking, "Where is your boyfriend?"

"My- What?"

"You heard me."

"Uhm," came from David before he awkwardly cleared his throat. "Can we maybe, if that's okay with you two, focus on why we're here?"

"Not yet," Emma sighed. "I- I need to say something. I know this probably isn't the right time since we're standing in the middle of a crime scene, but... Killian and I broke up."

Silence. Neither Regina nor David said a word; they just stared at the other woman with a mix of surprise and concern.

"Last night," she continued, feeling the need to elaborate. "I initiated it, but he agreed that- that it is probably the best thing to do — the right thing."

Regina's eyes softened, the shock in her expression giving way to a flicker of understanding. David, too, seemed to recognize the weight of his daughter's words, his features showing a mix of sympathy and concern.

"Emma, I didn't know," Regina said quietly, her tone devoid of the usual sarcasm. "I'm sorry to hear that."

The blonde couldn't help but notice the insincerity in Regina's apology, a subtle undertone of disbelief in her eyes. "Thanks," she replied, choosing not to dwell on it. She knew the brunette wasn't sorry, but now wasn't the time to confront her about it.

"Are you alright?" David added, his concern genuine.

Emma nodded, offering a small but appreciative smile. "I'll be fine. But we need to figure out what happened here. We can discuss everything else later."

Regina took a step closer, her usual walls momentarily lowered. It almost looked like she was about to hug Emma, but eventually didn't. "I agree," she simply said. "Let's focus on finding out why Zelena and my other half decided to pay a visit."

As they returned to the task at hand, sifting through the aftermath of the break-in, Emma couldn't shake the feeling of all of this being completely wrong. It wasn't Regina—well, the other Regina. The Evil Queen Regina. She was sure of that.

Regina and David were deep in conversation, discussing possible motives and connections to recent magical activities in town. Emma focused on examining the area, searching for any clues that might lead them to the culprits.