As Galen spoke Regina was reminded of how she'd been manipulated when she was younger. Nothing could excuse the horrendous things that she did to the inhabitants of fairytale land or even what she'd done in Storybrooke. When he mentioned how his father was killed and then he'd been taken into training, she was instantly reminded so much more of Daniel. Before her mother had killed him she'd been so full of life. It had been so easy to place the blame on the young Snow who'd only thought she was helping. A part of Regina would always hate her stepdaughter for her role, however innocent, in the death of her true love.
Regina took the glass of wine in her hand and placed it on the ground again before placing her hand on his thigh. Trying to convey comfort to Galen through a simple touch. As a result of being fictional she knew what awaited her upon returning home. Being stripped of her role as Mayor, Henry refusing to speak with her, playing on her love and need to see him, that's what awaited her back home. Not that Lawrence had much to offer her either. Henry was still not hers and while she didn't push to see him, knowing that he was here and out of touch, well, that made things harder to cope.
There were few good things that Lawrence had to offer. A chance at redemption, a second chance to make things right with Snow most of all. And quite possibly a way to move on from the pain and void that losing Daniel had caused. There was that phrase again "denying yourself pleasure." It had been what she'd done for quite a long time. Choosing to hold on to her lost love instead of trying to find a way to fill the hole in her heart. She'd always been a firm believer in True Love when she was younger and that there was only one. And that was a belief that she still held deep down inside. But that didn't mean that she should ignore what was right in front of her. It wasn't a betrayal to Daniel and he would have wanted her to go on with her life and not taken the path that she had. His memory alone was enough to convince her to soldier on. The hand she'd placed on Galen's thigh began to lightly caress the area as she looked at him, "Life is too short." Regina said with a faint smile on her face.