Las Malas Noticias...

[Laeli Rose]

~Elaina~

Hearing the angry tone in his voice, Elaina knew it would be best to agree with him under the circumstances. She nodded without a word, her mind livening up enought to think, Dios, por favor, don't let him change his mind... She turned away reluctantly and went to find her parents. After knocking on their bedroom door once, she heard her father call out to be left alone.

"Please, Papa," she said, slowly opening the door and shutting it behind her, regardless of his request. "Let me explain."

Her mother whirled around from her seat on the bed where she had been crying into Diego's shoulder. "Explain what, Elaina? Why are you letting him do this?!"

Now tears began to form in her eyes and Elaina kneeled at her mother's side, taking her hand. "Mama, I had to beg him to let me go at all. He refused to separate us, he kept saying he couldn't ask that of me."

"But why are you leaving at all?" Her father's eyes weren't angry like her mother's, but she could see the sadness in them and it pained her.

"Senor Castillo's older brother passed away without having produced an heir to their father's estate. Arturo's father has asked him to come take care of things."

~Mateo~

Mateo grabbed his wife's hand, taking back the cup and saying, "Estela, stop." His voice was quiet and gentle, but also afraid. What had he done to her?! He pulled her down to sit on the bed next to him and kissed her hand. "Please, Estela. We need to talk about this." On top of his own worthlessness, Estela had mentioned her father. He couldn't believe he'd never wondered whether she missed him or not. Captain Perez was as worthless as Mateo felt, but he was still her padre. Why couldn't he think of something else to say?!

[Lisette]

-Estela-

"What is there to talk about, amor? " Estela looked at her husband, her eyes full of worry and concern. Why wouldn't he let her take care of him? She needed to take care of him! With her father gone and the governor and Elaina leaving, he was all she had left! She took the cup out of his hands and stood back up. "Please, Mateo, I'll be right back..."

[Laeli Rose]

~Mateo~

"Estela stop it!" Wanting to run himself through with another sword for speaking to her that way, he shook his head in apology. "Forgive me, but I'm not thirsty. Please, you can tell me what's wrong. After everything I've done to you..." Mateo pushed the covers away and stood, ignoring her protests and taking her in his arms. "I'm not as sick as I've let you believe. I deserve to be lame for the rest of my life for putting you through that..." As he finished, Mateo's voice grew bitter and he almost hoped she would rip off his bandages - do anything to make him feel like she'd balanced out the pain he'd caused her.

~Elaina~

Her mother's face widened in horror as she stood from the bed, towering over her daughter. "That isn't a 'trip'! That's a move, Elaina! You aren't ever coming back are you?!"

Feeling her mother's boiling rage transferring into her own stomach, Elaina rose from the ground and hissed, "Certainly not if you keep treating us like this!'

~Diego~

Dios mio... Diego rushed between his wife and child, almost afraid of what might become of him once he found himself in the middle of the two angry women. "Stop this right now and sit down. Both of you!" Once they complied, however reluctantly, Diego crossed his arms. "I feel like I have either two wives or two daughters. I can't make up my mind which it is," he grumbled.

"Diego, don't you have anything to say about your daughter moving to Spain?"

"Yes," he said, turning from Vanessa to Elaina. He smiled sadly, saying only, "Visit us?"

[Lisette]

-Estela-

Estela pushed away from her husband and stared at him with her mouth agape. She couldn't believe what he was saying and didn't want to. How could he use me like that?! her head screamed. The infamous Perez anger was boiling up inside her but no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't let it loose.

"Why Mateo?" she asked, her voice straining from the pressure that was building up inside of her. "Couldn't you see how worried I was about you?"

[Laeli Rose]

~Mateo~

This was the question Mateo had dreaded from the moment he walked into the room. He didn't have an answer. Apologizing meant absolutely nothing. It had started out as a joke to keep him preoccupied while he couldn't do a thing, and then it had just... spun out of his control. How could he tell her that?! Estela, mi amor, I thought it was funny?! Mateo ran his fingers through his hair and bowed his head in complete shame, wanting to rip every strand out one at a time. It wouldn't begin to match her pain.

~Vanessa~

With tears rolling out her eyes and down her face, Elaina nodded and jumped up to embrace Diego. "Of course, Papa." After a moment she turned back to Vanessa, saying, "No matter what I said, I could never stay away."

The look in Elaina's eyes reminded Vanessa of something she had not seen since Elaina had been a small child. It melted her anger and she rose to place her hands on either side of her daughter's face. "I'm not mad at you. I just can't take losing you."

"You aren't losing me, Mama. Arturo isn't trying to take me away... it's just something we have to do."

[Lisette]

-Estela-

"Answer me, Mateo!" Estela ordered, pulling his hands away from his hair. "If you don't, I will walk out of this room and not come back." She had used this as a hollow threat many times in the past when she wanted to make him feel badly about something but something about the tiredness in her voice made it clear that she was being serious this time. She had no idea where she'd go or what she'd do, but at that moment she really felt like she needed to get out of that horrible house.


-Arturo-

Waiting in the kitchen by himself was killing the governor. He was kidding himself when he decided it would be a good opportunity to think about things and failed miserably every time he tried to sort things out in his head. Eventually, he gave up and threw his hands in the air, cursing at the heavens. He needed to know what was going on between his wife and her parents and slowly made his way down the hallway to their door.

"...it's just something we have to do..."

[Laeli Rose]

~Mateo~

Dios she's going to walk away again!! Mateo held his hands out in front of him, his mouth open as he waited for words to come - anything that might keep her here. "No. It sounds terrible but I just..." With disgust and even greater shame, Mateo realized he was crying. "I never meant for this to happen. Estela, I..." He shook his head again, knowing he could say nothing that would make this easy or disappear.

~Vanessa~

With a scoff, she pulled away from her daughter and sat back down on the bed, crossing her arms. "And what makes you think that, Elaina? I suppose it's easy for your father to dismiss this. You never did explain all the things the Governor did to you before he suddenly wanted to marry you." Vanessa laughed bitterly, pressing her palms against the mattress. "Should I tell him now?"

Elaina shook her head, that frightened look consuming her face once again. "Don't. Mama, that's in the past. Please, you'll only make things worse!"

"Yes, because your father would having something to say to that husband of yours, wouldn't he? And he might take it out on you for ever saying anything, right?!"

~Elaina~

Her fists clenched at her sides, anger and terror combining into one powerful mess that made Elaina sick to her stomach. "You don't understand anything!! He isn't like that anymore! That's exactly why I have to go. Please, can't we just... can't we just forget all that?!" If her mother said a word of the past to her father, he would feel terrible for his own part in it. He would never trust the Governor again - possibly not even himself. Elaina couldn't bear to see what her father would look like if he knew all of that. And Dios, he would bring it up! It would crush her husband as much as her father. This cannot happen!

~Diego~

Groaning, Diego sat in a chair and ignored the bickering women. They kept speaking nonsense he didn't understand or care to figure out. Will there ever be a moment's peace in this house?! He decided they would have to settle it on their own. For the time being, he would keep as far away from the argument as possible.

[Lisette]

-Arturo-

Dios! What is that crazy Englishwoman going to tell him?! Arturo swore, pressing his ear closer to the door. For a moment a horrible thought about what would happen if they caught him listening passed through his mind but it quickly left as he strained to hear the conversation. There were so many horrible things she could say, it all depended on what Elaina had told her mother during those times. All those times in his office, the thing with the letter and the cook, the gala, the night he fired her! Just leave them Elaina! Come home with me right now, we'll never have to deal with them again!

-Estela-

Walking over with clenched teeth to the small dresser in the corner, Estela began to pull out dresses and pile them on the bed. She had snapped, she herself knew it. Looking briefly at her husband, she noticed that he was crying. Part of her wanted to back away in disgust in seeing the man that was her strength acting so weak, but another part wanted to drop everything and comfort him. Neither side won out over the other and she just stood there staring at him. "This is your last chance to explain yourself Mateo...."

[Laeli Rose]

~Mateo~

The dresses his wife planned to pack for her life without him terrified Mateo. "Por favor, no, Estela!" A thought flickered through his head - She'd be better without you - and quickly disappeared. "I never meant to hurt you. I just, I didn't know what to do with myself. Going back to work scared me, I can't even explain why. I just thought... Dios, I don't know what I thought!" Those dresses were still lying on the bed, and he found he couldn't look away from them long enough to read Estela's expression. Mateo's hands trembled at his sides and he clenched them to hide it. "I just kept telling myself it was Senora Carlone. That woman was the one making you miserable. I'm a worthless idiot, and you deserve world's better, but please, Estela..." Don't leave me!

~Vanessa~

"You'll never forget it, and neither will I. But it doesn't matter either way so I won't drag your father into it. He doesn't need the extra worry." Not that the idiot worries about a single thing. Vanessa stood up again, pulling her daughter into an oddly gentle hug. "Just understand what you're getting into by leaving."

~Elaina~

Beginning to sob into her mother's shoulder, Elaina managed to say, "I'm more afraid of what would happen if I let him leave alone. I'll be fine, Mama. I know you don't think so, but he'll take care of me." Pulling away, Elaina looked her mother in the eye and said, "Can we be finished with this?"

Her mother nodded, saying nothing, most likely because any words would reflect a different answer.

[Lisette]

-Estela-

Estela sighed and looked at the dress in her arms. She could never really leave Mateo, he was the only person left in her life and she hated herself in that moment for even suggesting that she could live a life without him. It was worse than anything he did to her and a tear escaped from her eyes.

Forcing a smile, she sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around him. "I may deserve better but I don't want it. Please promise me you won't do anything like that again. I don't know if I could handle it" she whispered, hiding her face in his chest. "[I]I mean it Mateo, you may have survived your first encounter with an angry Perez but I don't think you will a second.[I]"

[Laeli Rose]

~Mateo~

Thanking Dios and the heavens for their mercy and generosity, Mateo cradled Estela in his arms and buried his face in her hair. They were undoubtedly meant to be together forever, considering how often they escaped complete separation. He was so tired, suddenly, and could only say one thing - though he repeated it several times. "I promise. With all my heart, Estela, I promise."