Recuérdame

Emma (POV)

It had been a week since I saw Regina at Granny's on that karaoke night. The day I sang that stupid song where I confessed all my feelings. I knew she understood them, but she made her choice and went back to him. There was nothing more I could do; I had lost, and I accepted my defeat—the savior defeated. After all, I was destined to find everyone else's happy endings, not my own.

I wanted to leave the anguish behind, though I knew it would take time to heal. Every night, in my dreams, I relived the happy moments we shared secretly in her room, until everything fell apart, driving me crazy. It was time to take back my life and let go of the things that were eating me alive. If he made her happy, I wouldn’t stand in the way. And even though I had tried, I couldn’t hate her.

At that moment, the doorbell rang, and I went to answer it. It was Ruby and Snow.

“How are you, sweetie?” my mother asked, concerned. I didn’t know how to answer, so I retreated into my shell and replied while letting them in.

“I’m fine, Mom. Why are you asking?”

“Emma, don’t lie to us. We know you’re not okay. You’ve been upset for a month, but this week has been the worst. I know it’s hard, but you need to move on. We’re worried about you; Henry misses you a lot, and so do we,” my mother said, placing a hand on my cheek and looking into my eyes so I would understand they were there for me.

“She’s right, Emma. If Regina hasn’t realized how special and sexy you are, then she’s blind,” Ruby added. I was shocked at Ruby’s words and quickly glanced at my mother.

“Emma, don’t be surprised. Do you think I didn’t know? You’re a great sheriff, but sneaking into the house in the middle of the night, you’re worse than a thief trying to steal tambourines,” my mother said, making all three of us burst into laughter.

It was exactly what I needed: a chat with friends to take my mind off things.

We had a great time talking, and hours flew by. It had been so long since I had such an enjoyable moment, aside from the few times I spent with Henry. I felt bad about that too, but being with him made it impossible to forget Regina. Even though I was his biological mother, there were moments when they resembled each other so much that, if not for the scar to prove it, I would doubt he was my child. Henry wasn’t to blame for the fact that thinking about her tore me apart, or that my red jacket didn’t work on her. Besides, Henry was too smart; he’d eventually figure out why I was so sad.

“Emma, are you okay?” Ruby asked, noticing I had drifted into my thoughts.

“Yes, don’t worry, I was just thinking about Henry,” I replied.

“Emma, it’s been a week since you left your house. I know you recently moved and needed to get it ready, but we’re worried. If you want, you can come back home until you feel better. That way, you’ll be with us and your son. He’s really worried; he doesn’t understand why you haven’t had time for him this week or why you’ve been sad for a month,” my mother said seriously, her tone full of concern.

“That’s right, Emma. You need to start going out more. How about a girls' night at the Rabbit Hole this Saturday? Come on, Emma, it’ll be fun, and you can clear your mind,” Ruby added. Though I was still a bit upset with Ruby for the song, I knew she was my friend and only wanted me to move forward and leave behind the sadness I carried everywhere.

“You’re right, Ruby. It’ll do me good to have a drink and chat calmly,” I admitted. This week, I had drunk, but not calmly—just trying to forget, even if momentarily. When I said it, I saw Ruby and Snow’s smiles.

“Well, ladies, I had a great time with you. Thank you, but I’m going to find Henry and show him the house. I miss him. I’m going to move forward,” I said, more for myself than for them.

“And above all, Emma, remember Dua Lipa’s three rules,” Ruby added as she left through the door, smiling to encourage me. Seeing my astonished face, she proceeded to recite them.

“Yes, Emma, like in the song: One: Don’t pick up the phone, you know he’s only calling ‘cause he’s drunk and alone. Two: Don’t let him in, you’ll have to kick him out again...” When she saw me raise an eyebrow, not knowing what song she was talking about, she added, “You should listen to it; I think you’d like it. Though I don’t know how you don’t know it, I guess you prefer Pablo Alborán,” she teased, even sticking out her tongue to make me smile.

After Snow and Ruby left, I picked up my phone to call Henry and ask if he wanted to meet that afternoon. I went to my bedroom to get the phone. The house wasn’t very big but just right for me and Henry if he wanted to sleep over sometimes. It was completely remodeled to my taste; this week, I had focused on getting it ready, so I managed to forget about what happened at Granny’s for a while. I knew I had to call Regina to ask if it was okay for me to spend the afternoon with Henry, but I wasn’t ready to talk to her yet.

I dialed Henry’s number. It rang, but he didn’t pick up. I figured he was home and probably had his phone lying somewhere. I had one option left: call the mansion.

It was six, so Regina would still be at City Hall. Unless it was for the week off I had taken, I’d usually be at the sheriff's station. So I called, hoping Henry would answer.

One beep, two beeps...

“Good afternoon, who’s calling?” I froze. She shouldn’t have answered. I didn’t want to talk to her.

Remembering Ruby’s advice, I hung up.