Hello, everyone. Your girl's back to update another for you all. Thank you all for being patient with me for writing this chapter. If those who watch this part from Corpse Bride, can we all agree that I'm being so cruel to Imelda in this story? I really love her character, and I hate what I'm doing to her. I don't own the canon characters while I only own my ocs.
Imelda ran in the rain for what seemed like an hour before she finally reach the church. At least, she's finally here. Now she can truly help Héctor and save him that skeleton. The young woman is very cold and wet from the rain; even with the blanket she wrapped herself with. When Imelda stop in front doors, she knocked as loudly as she can since she knows that Padre Luis is likely asleep now since it's so late.
Inside of the church, Padre Luis had heard the knocking and got from bed to answer to who it is in this hour of time while he took a candle to help him see. In all honestly, the old man was quite annoyed to be disturb this late at night.
"Who can this be in hour?" Padre Luis asks himself as he reach to the doors.
Hearing the person knocking on his doors began to get louder, Padre Luis grew more irritating with each second of the knocking.
"Estoy aquí! Estoy aquí!" He said as he open to the doors to see the person he at least expected to be: Imelda Flores.
Imelda pull the blanket off her head to reveal herself to Padre Luis. He's now her only hope of saving Héctor since her parents don't believe, which Imelda herself didn't really blamed them since she knows she sounds crazy for telling something like that. But surely Padre Luis knows that something like this must have happened before once. He knows what can disturb the dead if they're ever disrespected by the living.
"Señorita Flores, what are you doing here? You should be at home praying for the return of your former husband-to-be," Padre Luis said confusedly.
"Padre Luis, please I need your help," Imelda said with fright.
"What is it, my child? Have you committed any sins yet?" He asks before Imelda burst inside the church.
"You're only the one who knows more about the afterlife than anyone else in Santa Cecilia," Imelda said, hoping that he'll answer her question.
"A dark topic to a former bride-to-be," Padre Luis said, wondering where was this coming from.
"It's a bride that I'm afraid of. Which why I need to know... Can the living marry the dead?" Imelda finally asks as thunder and lighting appear after she said that.
Padre Luis gasp when she asked that question. He would never thought that someone like Imelda Flores would ask as such a dark question.
"What on earth are you speaking about?" He asks seriously.
"Por favor, it's Héctor! He married to a skeleton! He has an actual skeleton for a bride! How do we undo this?!" Imelda asks.
Padre Luis look at her for a moment. He thought long and hard until he knew what to do.
"I believe there's a way I can help. Follow me," He said to her as he took out the fire on the candle.
Flores manor
Isabelle open to the door to whoever was knocking at this hour. But she wasn't expected to see Padre Luis with her daughter whose was being held by him and her hair was all a mess from the stress and rain she was going through.
"Imelda, what happened to you? What do look like a mess?" Isabelle asks her daughter.
"She's speaking tongue of unholy spirits! Her mind had come undone I fear!" Padre Luis said as he continued to hold onto Imelda to keep her "harming" others and herself.
"It's not true! Let me go! Let me go!" Imelda said as she try to get away from the priest.
Imelda have known better than to trust Padre Luis. He would no doubt believe that she went mad as well like her parents.
Padre Luis had granted Imelda's wish and let her go: only to for the young woman to be caught by her mother.
"Gracias, Padre Luis," Isabelle said as she gently close the door.
After closing the door, Imelda had manage to get away from her mother's tight grip. Isabelle is now beyond angry. How can her own daughter do such a thing? Doesn't Imelda care what would happen if word gets out that she sneak out of the house and into the rain late at night. Isabelle couldn't believe her daughter, Imelda would behave in such an ugly manner. This all of that Rivera boy's fault that her only daughter would act this way.
Óscar and Felipe had sneak out of their room again to hear that their beloved big sister had return home, but only to have found no one believed her story of Héctor being taken away by a skeleton. Not even Padre Luis would offered her his help. Martín knew this will bring a great deal of embarrassment on his family's name for man centuries to come.
"Take her to her room!" Isabelle order two butlers to take Imelda away.
"No! I'm telling the truth! Héctor needs my help! Lirio, you believe me, don't you?" Imelda asks her beloved childhood maid as she was being taken by the two butlers by her arms and being dragged away to her bedroom.
"Mamá, Papa, por favor," Imelda said as she being drag away from her parents who look away in shame of how she turned out.
"Make sure everything is locked and sealed. I don't want her to escape again," Martín ordered as well.
"He needs our help! Let me go! Let me go!" Imelda cried out as she began to try fight off the butlers off of her.
While this was all happening, Ernesto de la Cruz watch with delight as he watch Imelda's parents began talking.
"This will surely cause us be to the laughingstock if anyone finds out about this," Isabelle said as she walk towards her husband.
"What shall we do, Martín?" She asks him.
"I don't know, Isabelle. But we must find a way to get Imelda before our name fall into disgrace," He said.
Ernesto knew it was finally time to act out on his plans. They can't refuse his offer since he's willingly to do it. He's already what they always dream in a son-in-law anyway.
"For that foolish boy to place Imelda aside is quite a crime. If I have a beautiful girl like your daughter by my side: I cherish her with riches to fit a queen like herself," Ernesto said as he came out of the shadows and walk towards the Floreses.
"Thank you for saying that, Señor de la Cruz. But I'm sure your own wife is already a lucky woman to have you as her husband," Isabelle said.
Ernesto smile since they thought that he must already have a wife of his own since someone like him would be already marry of a perfect bride for him. Too bad that he did had one years ago, and he "lost" her that night.
"I'm afraid I'm not spoken for, mi amigos. I was getting married to this wonderful girl a few years ago... But tragic took her away me before we even wed. I was hoping to find a perfect bride to fill in the hole my first true love left behind," Ernesto said to them.
Hearing Ernesto's backstory, both Martín and Isabella look at each other and know that their prays had answered already: even before they arranged Imelda's engagement to Héctor Rivera. They smile as they both know now what this means.
Imelda's room
Imelda groan as she push her spade from her fireplace into her door. She managed to hide her spade from the butlers after they locked everything in her room and used it as a weapon.
Imelda refuse to simply give up now. She needed another way to save Héctor. She doesn't care if her parents now considered her to be a lost case now, Héctor is the first boy that has ever treated her like an actual person.
However, she kept trying to break her door, it suddenly open to reveal her parents had open it themselves. Imelda wonder what do they want now.
"We have wonderful news, Imelda. There will be a wedding after all," Martín said as he walk pass his daughter.
Imelda couldn't believe her ears. This means Héctor had already been saved.
"You found him?" Imelda asks with hope in her heart.
"You have to get some rest, mija. We have to look so beautiful for Señor de la Crus," Isabelle said happily to her daughter.
Hearing that it was Ernesto de la Cruz that they were talking about, caused Imelda to drop her spade as she stood there in shock. Her? Marrying Ernesto de la Cruz instead of Héctor Rivera? This can't be happing.
"Ernesto de la Cruz?" Imelda said, like her world began to crumble around her.
"He'll make a wonderful husband for you," Isabelle said.
"A far better match this time," Martín added.
Imelda could feel her heart was starting to arch. She didn't want this marriage to happen. She didn't want to marry a man she only just meet today.
"But I don't love him. You can't make me do this," Imelda said, trying to hold her ground against her parents.
But neither of her parents didn't care if she love Ernesto or not. This is the way people of wealth marry. There's no such thing as love in their world. They marry for money and status.
"We must," Martín said.
Imelda refuse to what they told her to do. They can't force her to marry this man against her will.
"I refuse this man! I don't want him! I would rather live on the streets then be his wife!" Imelda said.
"And what about your brothers? Do you also want them to live on the streets as well?" Isabella asks her daughter.
Imelda look at her parents and saw they were being very serious on how this marriage will protect her little brothers from the streets.
"Do you think your little brothers would survived a single say on the streets? Begging for money? All because their big sister didn't marry Ernesto de la Cruz: the man who could given them a better life with his wealth," Martín said to his daughter.
Imelda didn't want to think about it, but her parents are right. If she doesn't marry someone soon, her younger brothers would be living off the cold and unforgiving streets of the town.
"But... Héctor..." Imelda stated but was stop by her mother.
"Héctor Rivera is gone now, mija," Isabella said as she and her husband walk pass their heartbroken daughter.
"You will marry Ernesto de la Cruz tomorrow," Martín said as he close and locked the door behind him.
However, unknown to either of them, Ernesto had listening. He was happy to know that Imelda's parents are now marrying their daughter off to him instead. He's certainly lucky to have Imelda as his new bride.
Ernesto soon walk down the hallway and stoop when he saw picture of Imelda Flores. He caress her face while he look at her.
"Don't be so sad, me dear. You only have to suffer this marriage until death do us part... And that will come sooner than you believe," Ernesto said as he walk away from the picture of his new bride.
"Now... there's still some things that need to be lose ends to this family," He said as he walk into the shadows.
Please, forgive me for making Imelda suffering in this story. But don't worry, it will get better for her at the end. She and Héctor will see each other again like in the movie.