Chapter 4 - The Secret Mateo Tried To Bury
Mateo Alvarez woke up the next morning believing everything was still under control.
That was the first mistake.
He opened his eyes inside his luxury apartment, sunlight entering through the massive windows overlooking the city.
For a few seconds, everything felt normal.
The expensive furniture.
The quiet room.
The feeling that he owned everything around him.
Then he noticed his phone.
It was sitting on the table where he left it.
Still on airplane mode.
Mateo picked it up casually.
The screen immediately filled with notifications.
Missed calls.
Messages.
Alerts.
His expression changed slightly.
Not because he was worried.
Because he was annoyed.
There were seventeen missed calls from Camila.
Seventeen.
He stared at the number.
For the first time, something uncomfortable moved inside him.
Not guilt.
Not yet.
More like confusion.
Why would she call that many times?
Camila was emotional sometimes.
He knew that.
She worried too much.
But seventeen calls?
That was different.
He unlocked his phone.
The first message appeared.
Camila: Mateo, please answer.
The second:
Mateo, I need you.
The third:
Please. Something is wrong.
His fingers stopped moving.
For a moment, the apartment became silent.
The memory of her voice from the previous evening appeared in his mind.
The way she laughed when she told him about the baby kicking.
The way she always touched her stomach when she talked about their future.
The way she looked at him like he was still the man she married.
Mateo pushed the thoughts away.
“She’s fine,” he whispered.
He said it out loud because he needed to hear it.
“She’s fine.”
Then his phone rang.
A call from his assistant.
Mateo answered immediately.
“What?”
The voice on the other end sounded nervous.
“Mr. Alvarez…”
Mateo frowned.
“What happened?”
There was a pause.
Then:
“Your wife was taken to the hospital last night.”
Everything stopped.
The city outside continued moving.
Cars drove.
People walked.
The world continued.
But Mateo remained frozen.
“What?”
“She had an accident at the mansion.”
His grip tightened around the phone.
“What kind of accident?”
“A fall.”
The word hit harder than he expected.
“A fall?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And the baby?”
Another pause.
That pause was enough.
Mateo stood up.
“What happened to my baby?”
“They are still monitoring them.”
For the first time in years, Mateo felt something close to fear.
Real fear.
But even then, his mind did something strange.
Instead of thinking about Camila lying alone on the floor…
Instead of thinking about the seventeen calls…
He thought about what other people would say.
The headlines.
The reputation.
The image.
“What hospital?”
His assistant gave him the information.
Mateo grabbed his jacket.
Then stopped.
His eyes moved toward the mirror.
The man looking back at him was the same man from last night.
The same expensive suit.
The same confident expression.
But something was different.
For the first time, Mateo saw someone who had made a mistake he couldn't easily fix.
At the hospital, Camila slept.
Her body needed rest.
The doctors had stabilized her condition, but the danger had not passed.
Alejandro sat beside the window, watching her breathe.
He had not slept.
Not because he couldn't.
Because he refused to.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the security footage.
Camila falling.
Camila reaching for her phone.
Camila calling Mateo again and again.
And Mateo choosing not to answer.
A nurse entered quietly.
“Mr. Rivera?”
Alejandro turned.
“Yes?”
“The doctor would like to speak with you.”
He stood immediately.
Before leaving, he looked at Camila.
“I’ll be back.”
Even though she was asleep, he said it.
Because promises mattered.
Especially when someone had broken the one they made to her.
The doctor stood near the nurses’ station.
“Her condition is improving.”
Alejandro listened carefully.
“But?”
The doctor sighed.
“She experienced severe emotional stress before we treated her.”
Alejandro understood.
“The baby?”
“The baby is stable right now.”
A small breath escaped him.
“But we need to monitor closely.”
Alejandro nodded.
“Thank you.”
The doctor hesitated.
“There’s something else.”
Alejandro looked up.
“What?”
“The hospital received several calls asking about Mrs. Alvarez.”
“From who?”
The doctor checked his notes.
“Her husband.”
Silence.
Alejandro’s expression became unreadable.
Mateo had finally decided to appear.
Mateo arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later.
He walked through the entrance like a man who expected the world to move aside.
Because that was how his life worked.
People recognized him.
People respected him.
People feared disappointing him.
But today, nobody cared.
The receptionist looked at him without admiration.
The nurses walked past him without attention.
For the first time, Mateo was not the most important person in the room.
He found the emergency department.
Then he saw Alejandro.
Standing outside Camila’s room.
The two men stared at each other.
Years of anger.
Years of competition.
Years of unfinished conversations.
All standing between them.
Mateo’s jaw tightened.
“You.”
Alejandro didn't move.
“Me.”
“What are you doing here?”
The question was almost unbelievable.
Alejandro looked at him.
“Saving the person you abandoned.”
Mateo’s face hardened.
“Watch your words.”
“No.”
Alejandro stepped closer.
“Not this time.”
The hallway became silent.
Mateo lowered his voice.
“You don’t know what happened.”
“I know enough.”
“You weren’t there.”
Alejandro’s eyes sharpened.
“Exactly.”
That one word hurt more than an accusation.
Because it was true.
Mateo was not there.
The person who should have been beside Camila was not there.
“You left her alone.”
Mateo looked away.
“She could have called someone else.”
Alejandro stared at him.
“She called you seventeen times.”
The color disappeared from Mateo’s face.
“You know that?”
“I watched the footage.”
Mateo froze.
“What footage?”
“The security cameras.”
Alejandro’s voice remained calm.
“The entire night.”
Mateo said nothing.
Alejandro continued.
“I saw her fall.”
A pause.
“I saw her try to reach her phone.”
Another pause.
“I saw her call you.”
Mateo swallowed.
“And I saw you reject every single call.”
The silence that followed was heavier than shouting.
Mateo wanted to argue.
He wanted to explain.
He wanted to say he didn't know.
But deep down, he knew that wasn't enough.
Because even if he didn't know the reason…
He still made the choice.
“I was at a business meeting.”
Alejandro looked at him.
“A business meeting?”
Mateo didn't answer.
Because both of them knew.
Alejandro knew.
The footage knew.
Soon, everyone would know.
Inside the hospital room, Camila slowly opened her eyes.
She heard voices outside.
One of them belonged to Mateo.
Her heart reacted before her mind did.
For months, she had waited for that voice.
The voice she loved.
The voice she wanted to hear every morning.
But now…
Something felt different.
She turned her head slightly.
Alejandro entered first.
When he saw she was awake, his expression softened.
“You’re awake.”
Camila looked at him.
“Is he here?”
Alejandro didn't lie.
“Yes.”
Her eyes lowered.
For a moment, she looked like the woman from yesterday.
The woman who still hoped.
Then she remembered the cold floor.
The unanswered calls.
The loneliness.
“Did he know?”
Alejandro understood the question.
“About the accident?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Alejandro stayed silent for a second.
Then:
“He knows now.”
Camila closed her eyes.
A tear escaped.
Not because she was surprised.
Because she was finally accepting something she had tried not to believe.
Mateo had not been unable to come.
He had chosen not to.
A few minutes later, Mateo entered the room.
For the first time in their marriage, he looked uncertain.
Not powerful.
Not confident.
Just a man standing in front of the consequences of his choices.
“Camila…”
She looked at him.
The silence between them was painful.
“I’m sorry.”
Those words came quickly.
Too quickly.
Like he wanted them to repair everything.
But some wounds were deeper than apologies.
Camila looked at him.
“Why didn’t you answer?”
Mateo opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because there was no answer that could make it better.
“I was…”
He stopped.
Because any excuse sounded horrible.
“I made a mistake.”
Camila looked away.
A mistake was forgetting an appointment.
A mistake was missing a message.
A mistake was buying the wrong gift.
Seventeen ignored calls from a pregnant wife fighting for her life was a choice.
And she knew it.
Mateo moved closer.
“Camila, please.”
She looked at him again.
Her eyes were full of pain.
But something else was there now.
Strength.
“You weren't there when I needed you most.”
Mateo stood frozen.
And for the first time, he realized something terrifying.
The woman he thought would always wait for him…
was beginning to let go.
Outside the room, Alejandro watched silently.
He did not feel victorious.
Because this was never about defeating Mateo.
It was about protecting Camila.
But as he looked at the broken man standing inside that room, Alejandro knew one thing.
Mateo Alvarez had spent years building an empire.
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Now he was about to discover how quickly everything could fall apart.
Especially when the truth was no longer buried.
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