Now that the moment had come, all she could see was Charming on the floor, dying, and her stepdaughter's heart in her hands. All she could think was how, in that moment, she finally had it in her power to separate them for all eternity and she'd wanted nothing more than to give Snow back what she'd given up.

Gaze lowered, she caught her bottom lip in her teeth. She considered explaining both how literal and how metaphorical magic could be in her world, but it didn't matter. "In the end, it's very simple." Use my heart for both of us. "I can give you half of my heart. Literally. It holds enough passion for us both."