I don’t think Rumpel had any companions before Belle which was why he wanted her in the first place because he was lonely. Belle pretty much called him out on it during the episode and Rumpel didn’t deny it.
Regina told him he should find a new girl because she knew how much Belle meant to him and she was just rubbing salt into his wound. The fact that Rumpel wasn’t interested in doing a deal told Regina that Rumpel was out of sorts and she just put two and two together.
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Keeper of Felix