As they walked down the steps to the courtyard, Claudia began to get nervous. She hated having the Rojas here. It was her safe place, and it felt like they were invading and making it scarier. She didn't want them here. She didn't like them here. It made her stomach tense up and made her foot begin to tap. As she began to freak out, Bruno squeezed her hand and she gave him a small smile. At least they couldn't make him scarier. They couldn't ruin him at all. After what had just happened, she knew she could trust him with anything. It made her feel better that he was on her side. 

The two elder Rojas were standing looking at them. It seemed they left Sofia at a neighbor's again. They had grins plastered on their faces, but Bruno knew better. He knew what they had done, and he despised them for hurting his little mouse. It took all his willpower not to glare at them. After what he had learned he wanted to confront them so badly. He wanted to ask them how they could do this to such a wonderful girl. He had to stay pleasant for her though. He could do anything for her. So he put a smile on his face.

"Ah the Rojas! It's wonderful to have you over." Alma greeted the couple in the courtyard, "it's so nice to have family visit. And here comes your daughter."

The Rojas looked over at Claudia. Bruno couldn't believe how he had never noticed the disdain in their eyes as they looked at her, or how she shrunk back a bit. His grip on her hand tightened. They would do nothing to her tonight. It would be a struggle to get her past the abuse they had already dished out on her. He wouldn't let them add more to that.

"It's so nice to see you," Claudia felt the opposite, but she knew how to hide those feelings by now. After all, she had years of practice, years of being alone. She wasn't alone anymore though, and the fact made her even more determined to keep face tonight and then cut ties tomorrow.

Valentina and Andres smiled. 

"There you are. We were so worried about you. So glad to see you're doing better dear." Valentina was up to her meirda again.

Alma smiled, of course she believed the lies. Claudia just hoped she would listen to what they had to say tomorrow. 

"How wonderful, now I'm sure Julieta is almost done cooking so let's move this conversation to the table." Alma said and they followed her to the table. Claudia made sure to sit on the opposite side of the Rojas. She didn't want to be any closer to them than necessary.

"When do you think you'll be able to return home Claudia? Sofia misses her big sister so much. She asks about you every day " Valentina smiled.

That was a lie. Claudia had spent little time with the girl, but enough to know that the Rojas treated her like a china doll instead of a child. The poor little girl would grow up a puppet rather than a person. They wouldn't dare let their perfect daughter near Claudia. Before she could answer the question, Alma spoke up.

"Oh she should be well enough by tomorrow. Have I ever mentioned how glad I am to see you treat her as your own daughter? I know some people don't treat their adopted kids well, but you treat her wonderfully. You've raised such a sweet girl," the Rojas smiled over Alma's praise.

"Well of course, we have to take good care of our precious daughter." Andres smiled as he talked. Claudia thought he looked like a shark. She felt like he could bite her head clean off and it made her gulp. She could tell they were preening over the praise and it sickened her. They didn't deserve it. She was starting to think they had never deserved her either.

Then she noticed the cloud over Pepa. It was dark and growing bigger every second. After Andres spoke there was a boom.  Pepa had heard enough from the Rojas. She would not let them be praised like this. She would not let them lie about how they treated her sister in law. All through the conversation she had felt her anger growing. Now it was time to explode.

"Oh yes, taken care of. Is that how she got bandages covering her back after coming home from your house? By being taken care of?"

The room froze before Andres awkwardly chuckled.

"Oh you misunderstand. She simply got hurt while helping. Claudia has always been so clumsy. Haven't you perrita?"

Claudia's head snapped up to look at Andres and she furiously nodded. Bruno could feel himself getting angry over the use of the name, and by the look of Pepa's cloud, she was too. 

"Ah yes, because clumsiness causes vivid nightmares, which she has constantly." The other two siblings were shocked to see Julieta speak up. She was usually so soft spoken.

Claudia was beginning to shake. She didn't like where this was going. Her sister in laws were glaring at the Rojas and Valentina was looking at her with an accusing look in her eye. She had never expected this to be brought up. She had hoped and prayed that this would never be brought up. After the reveal earlier she had thought it had all been sorted. It wasn't supposed to go like this! 

Meanwhile the sisters were a united front. They had talked before dinner and decided they were done tolerating the Rojas' behavior. Claudia had clearly been through hell and it was the Rojas' fault. They had planned to talk to their mama, but Pepa had just gotten so upset. She couldn't stand hearing her mother singing the Rojas' praises. They didn't deserve any praise. They deserved to be struck with lightning. A bolt hit the table causing everyone to jump. Alma stood up angrily.

"Girls! This is ridiculous. You have no evidence that the Rojas caused any of this! Now you need to apologize. None of this is their fault!"

"But it is," the table turned to look at Bruno and Claudia's stomach dropped. "I'm sorry but I can't...I can't let you go back there. I can't let them do this to you."

"Please don't," Claudia pleaded. He had promised her. He couldn't do this to her. She had trusted him.

Bruno took a deep breath. He hated that it had come to this. He knew Claudia would probably never trust him again, but he had to get this through his mother's head, for her. He was so scared, but he had to do this. He looked up and stared straight at Alma.

"They beat her mama. She has scars all down her back. Good people wouldn't do that to their daughter. They use her nickname as a threat," his voice grew louder and louder, "They don't care for her at all. They don't deserve to be here. They don't deserve her! I won't allow-"

He cut off as his eyes began to glow green against his will as a vision came on. There was a pause and then the entire table went crazy. Andres Rojas dodged a lightning strike as Pepa's cloud began pouring and grew to fill the entire room. 

"You monster!" Pepa yelled,"That's what was under the bandages. How could you do that to your own daughter!?"

Julieta's eyes were teary, and Alma just looked on in shock.

"I did what I had to. She needed to be kept under control!" There was another boom as Andres yelled back. "She's nothing but a freak. I was protecting the village!"

"You were protecting no one!" Pepa shouted. "You're the monster here!" A bolt of lightning hit Valentina causing her to scream. 

"Perra!"

"You're the perra," Pepa yelled back as the wind began to push things off the table.

The yelling grew louder and louder and Claudia just wanted to curl into a ball. It was all too much. She just wanted everything to stop. Andres looked straight at her as he dodged another strike.

"Stop it now!"

"Don't you yell at her!" A bolt of lightning hit Andres making him even angrier.

"PERRITA STOP IT NOW!" He roared at her.

Claudia looked around the table. It was complete chaos. There was a burn mark on the tablecloth and everything was soaked. Julieta looked like she was about to cry, but she would occasionally butt in and add things to her sister's statements. Meanwhile Pepa looked ready to kill someone. Her storm was constantly growing and bolts of lightning went everywhere. Caista had even joined in with banging windows. Then she turned to look at Alma. The older woman looked so disturbed and unsure of what to do.

As they locked eyes, Claudia realized she had ruined things again. This chaos was all her fault. She could hear the slightly muffled yelling in the background, but all she could focus on was the look on Alma's face, the look she had put on that face. It made her feel so guilty that she decided she had to fix things. So she did what Andres Rojas had demanded and held out her hands and yelled.

"Stop!"

Immediately the cloud vanished as if it had never been there in the first place. Bruno's eyes went back to normal when his vision just straight up stopped. Casitas windows stopped moving, and high above the courtyard a miracle became simply a candle. Everything had just stopped, and everyone turned to look at the person who had ordered it to.