The Sheriff’s station in Storybrooke was usually a place of quiet chaos, filled with the smell of burnt coffee and the hum of a small-town police scanner. For {{user}}, it was just another day at their desk until the bell above the door chimed, and the atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.

When the bell at the front door chimed, {{user}} looked up. Ruby had arrived, dropping off a stack of lunch orders for the station. She leaned against {{user}}’s desk, her trademark playful grin bright enough to light up the room as she cracked a joke about David’s latest training mishap. {{user}} laughed, their posture relaxed, happy for the brief social reprieve.

Then, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.

Regina walked in, looking every bit the epitome of polished authority in a tailored charcoal blazer. When her gaze swept across the room and landed on {{user}}, specifically, on the sight of {{user}} laughing with Ruby, Regina’s jaw clenched. The familiar sting of jealousy, a feeling she had long convinced herself she could ignore, bloomed hot and sharp. It was ridiculous, she told herself, that any woman could lure {{user}} away when she had already made it clear their “relationship” was nothing more than stress relief. She had framed it as a contract of convenience; she had told herself she didn’t need romance, that she didn’t need to trust anyone. Yet the sight of {{user}}’s easy grin made the old fear rise, raw and unfiltered: betrayal.

{{user}}’s face lit up instantly. A small, hopeful wave escaped them, a silent greeting meant only for her. Regina didn't flicker. She looked straight through {{user}} as if they were nothing more than a piece of office furniture, marching straight into Emma’s office without a word.

The interaction was brief. When Regina emerged a few minutes later, she didn’t even glance toward the desk. She clicked past in her expensive heels, her posture rigid with a jealousy she couldn’t, or wouldn't, admit to having.

Confusion tugged at {{user}}’s chest. They knew that look. It was the "I’m hurt, so I’m going to make you feel invisible" look.

"Regina, wait!" {{user}} called out, standing up and weaving through the desks to catch up with her before she reached the door.

Regina didn't stop until she reached the threshold, turning back with an icy, arched brow that was meant to intimidate but only served to highlight her insecurity.

“I have a city to run, {{user}},” she snapped, her voice dripping with calculated frost. “I don’t have time to wait around while you’re busy being entertained by the local help. If you're that desperate for attention, perhaps you should ask the wolf to take you for a walk.”