really had no right to reappear in his life and she should’ve known better.
You’re blaming Emma coming into Henry’s life as if she sought him out. What is she supposed to do? This kid showed up on her doorstep. So she drives him home but every conversation they have, he’s begging her to stick around for a little while.
Emma staying in town isn’t about Regina. It isn’t about wanting Henry back. It is about this kid that she gave birth to whom sought her out is begging her to stick around. Second to last episode of the season Emma says,
let’s be honest – we both know the world where I’m not in his life no longer exists, and there’s no one who can do anything about that.
That’s true even in the very beginning of the series. He’s re-entered her life. He’s wanting to get to know her, spend time with her, etc.. what is she supposed to do? Just ignore him? Not care? Yes, she gave him up… but that’s still her son. She still carried him for 9ish months, gave birth to him. There is a connection there even if it’s been a long time.
I agree with you that in the real world if a person puts their child up for adoption (and putting a child up for adoption shouldn’t be synonymous with “dumping” their child), they shouldn’t have a right to re-enter the child’s life and try to take the kid away.
But, that’s not what happened in this story at all.
So, to re-iterate… Emma is minding her own business, Henry finds her, gets her to drive him back to his house, begs her to stay, seeks her out repeatedly, the boy’s mother literally threatens her twice in less than 24 hours. Something is fishy, she isn’t sure what. She sticks around. And we know the story.. as more time goes on and on, she falls in love with this kid.