Chapter 401

• I'll always worry, Elise," Regina frowned, and Elise fell silent to the seriousness in her mother's eyes. "Leopold is your father, and I'm sorry, but he should have died that night. And I'll always worry. I'll always be looking over my shoulder, even if he is locked up." She pauses. "I've had recurring nightmares that won't allow me to sleep at night. I see Sophia dead in them, every single night." Tears rolled past her cheeks. "And I can't handle it." Her voice brakes. "That night, your father didn't just put Sophia in that coma, he placed me under as well. He numbed me all over again, from the inside that I can't feel most of anything. I- I jump at every little sound, I- I can't have a door facing me from behind, much less have it closed. And when I do dare to close it, I have to lock it from every angle. And even that's not enough sometimes. He broke me all over again. Only this time, I have the courage to finally do something about it." Another pause. "I need to do this for myself. For Sophia, so that when we see each other again, I will be an entirely different- better- person. Sophia will have enough to deal with when she wakes up, she doesn't need to deal with me all over again. Not like this."
• Elise's eyes pooled over until tears streamed down her cheeks, "Mom," she rushed over to hug her, surprising Regina a little but not enough to make herself nervous over it. She just embraced her daughter tighter into that hug, never wanting to let go.
• Daniel moved in, placing his hands delicately along Elise and Regina's shoulders, smiling at them until they parted.