Weeks later, no one in the village had seen hide nor hair of Dolores Madrigal, not that anyone besides Mariano looked after her. He had waited patiently, a nervous pit in his stomach, for the moment he would finally see his beloved Dolores once more. Her parents had snuck him a healing arepa from Julieta's emergency stash of pre-prepared meals and had sent him on his way before Abuela Madrigal could speak to him.

Not only had he not seen Dolores, but he had also not heard anything from the Madrigal matriarch either. Both of these things worried him deeply. He had hoped to speak with his love before doing anything she may consider rash or desperate. Her family did have an image to uphold after all.

Mariano sighed, running a hand along his face before tapping his pencil on the paper in front of him. His newest work was sure to please his love. It was one he had yet to read aloud. Most works he would simply narrate now as he knew she would be listening every night for him to, however once in a while he would save one work to surprise her with. It made it all the more special for her to hear it the first-time face to face. How he loved to see her blush when he would recite a particularly romantic line.

"Something on your mind dear?" his mother asked with a fond smile on her face.

He couldn't help the honest answer that passed through his lips, too tired to provide an excuse or cover story to hide behind. "I am worried, I have not seen mi Corazón since her little brother's candle ceremony." When he looked up and met her eyes, realizing what he had just told her he felt frozen as he washed the confusion melt into an expression of understanding.

"Oh?" she hummed, settling down into the chair next to him. "Little brother's candle ceremony you say?" Reaching out she took his large hands in her more petite ones, seeing how nervous her precious son was after admitting who had stolen his heart. "And here I had been under the impression you were holding a candle for a different Madrigal woman." Senora Guzman tilted her head as she observed Mariano. "Sounds like I was wrong."

"I-" he felt his cheeks heat up, much surer of his words when he explained his emotions to Dolores's parents.

"Speak when you're ready Mariano. And tell me all about Dolores." she instructed him kindly, and he felt the tension that was in his shoulders release as he relaxed. Why was he worried? His mother would always support him.

"Dolores." He sighed her name, "Mama, she has my heart. It has belonged to her for as long as I've known her." he finds himself admitting. "She is so full of light and love and compassion. She is musical, like the sweetest melody I've ever heard. She enjoys listening to my poetry and her presence is soothing."

"You are quite in love, my dear son, quite smitten." she squeezes his hands, after listening to him. "Did you see yourself marrying her?" she searched for his eyes and found them with ease as he met her gaze. His eyes all but showed his very soul. "Oh yes Mama." he smiles broadly at her, "Oh yes, I do. I would wish for nothing more."

One hand reaches up to cup his cheek. "I am sorry." she laments, and he sees the sadness in her expression he had not quite seen before. "I am sorry, my son. I have already made the arrangements." her shoulders dropped slightly, "The arrangements for you to wed Isabela. If only I'd known you harbored such feelings, such love, for Dolores I would have never worked with Alma to set up a match with Isabela. This match has been made for weeks. We had fully agreed upon it the night of Antonio's candle ceremony."

Mariano feels his heart shatter, hearing those words. The very same night Pepa and Felix told him to fight, he had already lost. It was a losing battle, clawing to find leverage in the decisions surrounding him, the decision that had been made for him.

"Mama." he whispers, and he can see how upset she is.

"I did not mean to take your love away from you." she laments, "I thought I was helping you secure a prosperous marriage with a lovely young woman. I didn't think that I could possibly be choosing the wrong one for you." His mother looks down and sighs, "Is it too late to back out of the agreement?" As he speaks he is no longer sure whose sorrow is more potent, his or hers. Although, perhaps it is Dolores's sorrow he now feels, he wonders if she has already heard the news or if this was the first she would hear it as well. Could one feel their lover's heartbreak from such a distance?

"I do not know." she replies, "I hope, for both of your sakes, that it is not too late to make a change in bride." fierce hope stabs in his belly when she says this, and he meets her gaze with wide eyes. "Mama?" He encourages her to continue. "We shall go to Alma Madrigal immediately in the morning. I only hope she has not yet informed anyone yet of the status of our agreement, for if she has, we will not be able to make any changes to it without insulting them and our own reputations coming into question. We will beg Alma to allow the change if we have to. We will do what we can to ensure you both have the chance to make your choice."

His heart hammers in his chest at the words and he wanted to whoop and holler and shout to the world that tomorrow he would approach to ask after Dolores and permission to ask for her hand. Belatedly he kissed his mothers' fingers, "Thank you Mama." he bowed his head to her. "Thank you."

"Mariano, you should never need to thank me for helping you follow where your heart's song leads you. I am sorry that tomorrow may not bring the joyful resolution to this as you desperately hope for." With one last squeeze, his mother stood to leave his room. "Oh," she paused by the door, looking at the papers on the table for a moment before selecting one. "Darling, you should read this one for her tonight." passing him the paper she offered him a motherly smile before leaving him to read the heartfelt poem aloud to his love.

As he recited the poem with as much reverence and adoration as he could, he hoped his heart, with her special ears, could hear him, after all, every word was for her. They would survive this, surely. Even Alma Madrigal wouldn't stand in the way of true love, would she?