A/N: I have a headcanon that Pepa confronted Bruno about the future he'd seen of Dolores and said a lot of things she didn't mean. You'll see that mentioned here. :)

Thank you for reading!

A week.

Bruno had been gone for a week. Was he happier without them? Without her, especially–? Pepa took a shaky breath, and a cloud appeared over her head. She needed to control herself, Mamá said the townspeople were already complaining about how much rain there had been–but why did she even care what they thought? They were probably celebrating his disappearance. She could imagine it, the way they must be whispering to each other, saying how it was about time…

Then she heard the question as she passed the kitchen.

"Mami, where's Tío Bruno?"

It was Mirabel. Of course.

Her cloud roared, and they jumped. Mirabel scurried behind Julieta.

Julieta's voice was weak. "Pepa?"

"Nothing, I'm fine!"

She stomped away, definitely not thinking about the face he'd made when she'd screamed at him after her wedding, or how she'd berated him after seeing Dolores' prophecy, or how she'd actually told him to stay away from them–

Ay, Dios mio, what had she been thinking? Why would she ever say that?

Rain dripped down her hair, and she sprinted up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door.

Every time she thought of Bruno, the memories multiplied. All the wrong words she'd said, all the misunderstandings, all the mistakes… Even the ones that had seemed trivial before.

Regret followed her as closely as her cloud. It stole her appetite, her sleep, and her smile. But at Félix's insistence, she joined the rest of the family at the table. The only sound was the screech of utensils against plates.

She slouched over hers, her head in her hands. She'd refused to look at Bruno's empty seat, but her cloud drizzled anyway.

Félix rubbed her back. "Pepi, you have to eat something."

She shook her head.

"Please, mi amor–"

"Pepa."

She stiffened at the flat, cold tone. Mamá.

Slowly, she raised her head, and her arms fell onto the table. "What?"

A slight twitch of the eyebrows was all Pepa's answer received. "Please calm down. You are raining on the food."

"Calm down?" Thunder rumbled. "How can I calm down? Bruno is gone and all you care about is the food?"

Mamá wrapped her shawl tighter around her. "That is enough, Pepa."

Dolores gazed at her plate, Camilo's eyes flitted between her and Mamá, Félix grabbed her hand and murmured something, and Julieta shook her head. All warnings she knew she should listen to, but she wasn't done.

"You wouldn't even let us look for him. You act like it doesn't even matter that he left, like he isn't family like he isn't your son. How could you–?"

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Mamá loomed over the table, her chest heaving. Pepa slammed her mouth shut, but lightning flashed above them.

"Bruno thought of no one but himself! I asked for his help, and instead of coming to me, he chose to abandon us. Because of him, the miracle could be–" She stopped and pressed her lips together. "If he had cared anything about this family, he would not have left. So I will not hear another word about whether I care, I will not hear another word about any of it!"

Silence.

Mamá stared at her, waiting for a contradiction. Waiting for a chance to shout even more.

She wouldn't get that chance.

Pepa jumped to her feet, knocking her chair back. She stormed out of the kitchen, and Félix chased after her, but she ignored his calls.

The most horrible part was that she'd heard herself in her mother's words.

She'd once wondered, if he cared anything about them, why he avoided them so much, why he'd ruined her wedding, why he'd condemned her daughter to a loveless life.

Bruno stopped being her brother, instead becoming some monster who wanted to harm them.

She'd been so blind.

Now it was too late to tell him how sorry she was.

Pepa sat in the chair nestled in the corner of her room, staring at the floor. Félix had left a few minutes ago to make her tea. She would try to drink it, for him.

A soft knock made her look up, and seconds later, Dolores crept in.

"Mami, can we talk?"

Pepa plastered on a smile. "Si, mija. Of course."

"I wanted to…" She took a breath. "AboutTío Bruno–"

Lightning flashed, and her cloud roared. Dolores flinched and covered her ears.

Pepa gripped the sides of her chair. "I can't… right now isn't…"

"But–"

"Dolores, please!"

Thunder crashed again. Dolores took a step back, her eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" She swallowed. "We'll talk later, okay, mi vida? Mami just needs a little time, that's all,"

"Okay," Dolores whispered.

She hurried out of the room, and Pepa fell back into the chair, screwing her eyes shut.

She never did go talk to Dolores, and Dolores never brought it up again.

She couldn't talk about him, not when the mention of his name made her cloud pour and flooded her brain with memories.

It was easier to stop bringing him up, to keep her thoughts occupied with anything else. So when Julieta tried to start a conversation, she refused. When Félix tried to ask about that dinner, she stormed. Soon the rest of the family learned not to mention him, or else risk a lightning strike.

As for Mamá, everyone had long ago realized an important truth. If you wanted to stay in her good graces, you did not talk about Bruno.