Chapter 5: The Video That Destroyed My Reputation
By nine o'clock that morning, the video had reached three people I trusted, two business partners I didn't, and one journalist who had been trying to expose my company for months.
By ten, my public relations director was calling me every thirty seconds.
By eleven, my face was on the screen of a local news channel.
The headline read:
*BUSINESS TYCOON IGNORES PREGNANT WIFE'S DESPERATE CALLS WHILE PARTYING WITH MISTRESS.*
I watched the report from a plastic chair outside the intensive care unit.
The footage was only forty-two seconds long.
It showed me sitting in the VIP room, Valeria on my lap, surrounded by liquor bottles and laughing friends.
Then my phone lit up.
The camera zoomed in far enough to capture Camila's name.
I rejected the call.
A few seconds later, the phone rang again.
I laughed.
Someone at the table asked whether I was going to answer.
My voice came through the speakers.
"She's just being dramatic.""
The clip ended with me switching on airplane mode and raising my glass.
The reporter's voice followed.
"According to hospital sources, Camila Villarreal suffered serious injuries in a fall at her home. Her premature newborn remains under specialist care.""
I turned off the television.
My hands were sweating.
A moment later, Ricardo called.
"Mateo, we have to issue a statement.""
"Then issue one.""
"What should it say?""
"That the footage is misleading.""
There was a long silence.
"Mateo, you can hear you rejecting the calls.""
"Then say I was unaware of the seriousness of the situation.""
"You were told she had fallen.""
I closed my eyes.
"Ricardo, do you want to keep your job?""
He exhaled.
"I want to keep the company alive.""
That silenced me.
He continued, "Our investors are asking questions. Two clients have requested meetings. The board wants to know whether the hospital incident will affect the company's reputation.""
"My wife's condition has nothing to do with the company.""
"It does when the company is built around your name.""
I ended the call.
Across the waiting area, a man in a gray suit was speaking with Alejandro.
I recognized him as one of the directors of Villarreal Holdings.
He glanced at me, whispered something, and walked away.
I stood immediately.
"What are you telling the board?""
Alejandro slipped his phone into his pocket.
"The truth.""
"Which truth?""
"That the ownership records need to be reviewed before the company takes on additional debt.""
"You know what this is really about.""
"Yes. It's about protecting the assets Camila legally owns.""
I stepped closer.
"You waited years for a chance to humiliate me.""
Alejandro looked at me for a long moment.
"Do you know what I did when I saw that video?""
I said nothing.
"I called the hospital to ask whether Camila needed anything. I called the neonatal unit to make sure your son had the specialists he needed. Then I called my lawyers because your wife had asked them to protect her interests.""
He moved closer.
"Not once did I think about your reputation.""
His voice lowered.
"You did that yourself.""
I wanted to hit him.
Instead, I turned away.
My phone buzzed again.
A message from my mother.
*Mateo, what have you done? Call me immediately.*
I ignored it.
Then another message arrived, this time from my older sister, Daniela.
*Camila saved our family when Dad's estate was being divided. If you've hurt her, I swear I will never forgive you.*
I stared at the words.
My father had died four years earlier, leaving behind a complicated estate and several unresolved debts. Camila had worked with the family attorney for months to settle the accounts without forcing my mother to sell her house.
She had never told anyone how much time she spent on it.
She didn't want gratitude.
She simply wanted my family to be safe.
And I had repaid her by making her feel like a burden.
A nurse emerged from the neonatal unit.
"Mr. Villarreal?""
I rushed toward her.
"How is my son?""
"He remains critical but stable. The next forty-eight hours are important.""
"Can I hold him?""
"Not yet. The doctors need to monitor his breathing and temperature. You may speak to the neonatologist in a few minutes.""
I nodded, unable to find words.
The nurse glanced at my phone, where the news report was still visible.
"Mr. Villarreal, I know this is difficult, but please keep the corridor quiet. Other families are waiting for news about their children.""
I lowered the phone.
"I'm sorry.""
She nodded and walked away.
I had apologized more times that morning than I had in the previous five years.
None of the apologies changed what had happened.
At noon, my public relations director arrived carrying a laptop.
His name was Esteban, and he looked as if he hadn't slept.
"We need to discuss the statement," he said.
"Fine. Sit.""
He opened the laptop.
"I've prepared three options.""
"Read the strongest one.""
Esteban cleared his throat.
"'Mateo Villarreal deeply regrets the distress caused by the circulation of a private video. He was unaware of the full severity of his wife's condition and is focused on supporting his family during this difficult time.''"
I nodded.
"Use that.""
Esteban hesitated.
"There's a problem.""
"What now?""
"The hospital has confirmed that Camila arrived with serious injuries. And the video clearly shows you being told that she'd fallen.""
I stared at him.
"So?""
"So we can't claim you were unaware that she was in danger.""
"Then change the wording.""
"To what?""
I leaned forward.
"Say that I made a terrible mistake.""
Esteban looked surprised.
I hated the expression.
"Don't look at me like that.""
"I'm not judging you, sir. I'm trying to make sure the statement doesn't make things worse.""
I rubbed my face.
"Fine. Write that I regret not responding to my wife's calls.""
He began typing.
Then I added, "And don't mention Valeria.""
Esteban stopped.
"People already know who she is.""
"Then deny the affair.""
He slowly closed the laptop.
"I can't recommend that.""
"You're paid to protect my reputation.""
"I'm paid to protect the company. If we issue a statement that can be disproved in minutes, we'll lose whatever credibility we have left.""
I stood.
"Get out.""
Esteban collected his things and left.
I stared through the glass at Camila's room.
She was awake again.
A nurse was helping her drink water through a straw.
She looked exhausted, but she was listening carefully to someone sitting beside her bed.
Isabel.
I approached the door.
Before I could enter, Isabel stepped into the corridor and closed it behind her.
"Mr. Villarreal, your wife needs rest.""
"I only want to apologize.""
"She knows you want to speak with her. She's declined for now.""
"I am her husband.""
"And she is recovering from surgery.""
I looked through the glass again.
"Tell her the video has gone public. Tell her people are talking about her.""
Isabel's eyes narrowed.
"Why would I burden her with your public relations problem?""
"Because she deserves to know what's happening.""
"She has already seen the video.""
My stomach tightened.
"What?""
"She saw it on a nurse's phone before we could stop it.""
I gripped the doorframe.
"How did she react?""
Isabel was silent for a moment.
"She cried.""
The words hollowed me out.
Then Isabel continued.
"Not because people were criticizing you. Because she heard you laugh.""
I lowered my head.
"Please. I need to explain.""
"Then prepare an explanation that isn't an excuse.""
She walked away.
I remained outside the room until the door opened again.
Camila was looking toward me.
"Mateo.""
I stepped inside.
"Yes, sweetheart?""
She looked at the empty chair beside her bed.
"Can you close the door?""
I did.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she asked, "Have you seen our son?""
"Only through the glass.""
"He's very small.""
My throat tightened.
"Yes.""
"Did the doctor tell you his lungs need time to develop?""
"Yes.""
She nodded slowly.
"I was supposed to be holding him by now.""
I moved toward the bed.
"We will. When you're both better, we'll—"
"Don't make promises.""
I stopped.
Camila looked at her hands.
"When I was lying on the stairs, I kept thinking about the things I hadn't finished. I hadn't washed the little clothes. I hadn't packed my hospital bag. I hadn't written the letter I wanted to give our son when he turned eighteen.""
She swallowed.
"I thought I had more time.""
I sat down.
"Camila, I'm sorry.""
"I know.""
"I should have come home.""
"Yes.""
"I should have answered.""
"Yes.""
Every agreement felt like another stone placed on my chest.
I reached for her hand.
She pulled it away.
"Do you know what hurt the most?"" she asked.
I shook my head.
"When I heard you laughing, I still thought you might come. I thought maybe you were drinking, maybe you hadn't understood, maybe you would hear the fear in my voice if I called again.""
Her eyes glistened.
"I kept finding reasons to believe you would choose us.""
I bowed my head.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness.""
"No," she whispered.
"You don't.""
The honesty of it left me speechless.
She looked toward the window.
"I used to think that if I loved you enough, you would eventually become the man I believed you were.""
I pressed my hands together.
"I can change.""
"Perhaps.""
She turned back toward me.
"But I can't spend another year waiting to find out.""
I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell her that a marriage could survive an affair, that people made terrible mistakes, that our son deserved a family with both parents under one roof.
But she was lying in a hospital bed because she had called me seventeen times while I chose another woman.
Every argument sounded obscene.
Camila closed her eyes.
"Please leave, Mateo.""
I stood slowly.
At the door, I turned back.
"May I see our son tomorrow?""
She opened her eyes.
"Ask the doctor.""
It wasn't forgiveness.
It wasn't even an invitation.
It was a boundary.
I walked out.
Alejandro was waiting at the far end of the corridor, speaking to a hospital administrator. When he saw me, he ended the conversation.
"How is she?"" he asked.
"She doesn't want to see me.""
He nodded.
"I'm sorry.""
I laughed bitterly.
"Why are you sorry? You're the hero here.""
Alejandro's expression changed.
"I didn't ask to be.""
"Everyone thinks you're better than me.""
"No, Mateo. I think you are capable of knowing the difference between right and wrong. That's what makes this so difficult to watch.""
He started to walk away.
I caught his arm.
"Why did she choose you?""
He looked down at my hand until I released it.
"Because when she called me, she needed someone she could trust.""
"And you think you can give her everything I can?""
"No.""
He paused.
"But I can give her something you refused to give her.""
"What?""
"The freedom to make her own decisions without fearing what you'll do if she disagrees.""
I stood motionless as he walked away.
Then my phone rang.
It was Ricardo again.
"Mateo, the board has scheduled an emergency meeting for tomorrow morning.""
"Cancel it.""
"We can't.""
"Why not?""
"Because Camila's shares carry more voting power than we realized, and the directors are concerned about the ownership dispute.""
I gripped the phone.
"How much voting power?""
Ricardo hesitated.
"Thirty-one percent.""
The corridor seemed to go silent.
I had believed Camila owned only a small minority of the company.
Thirty-one percent meant she could block major decisions and force a review of the board's leadership.
"That's impossible.""
"There's more," Ricardo said.
"The trust has the right to vote those shares if Camila is temporarily unable to participate.""
My stomach turned.
"Who controls the trust?""
I already knew the answer.
Ricardo spoke quietly.
"Alejandro Serrano.""
I ended the call.
Across the corridor, Alejandro was speaking with Isabel again.
They weren't smiling.
They weren't celebrating.
They were working.
And for the first time, I understood the true danger of what Camila had done.
She hadn't given Alejandro my company.
She had given him the power to stop me from treating it as if it belonged to me alone.
Then Ricardo sent another message.
*Mateo, the board has also discovered that Camila personally guaranteed the original development loan. If her guarantee is withdrawn, the bank may call the entire facility due.*
I read the message twice.
My company had been built on the security of my wife's assets.
And if she withdrew that security, everything I had built could collapse.
I looked through the window at Camila.
She was sleeping.
For the first time, I wondered whether I had ever truly understood the woman I married.
Then a new message arrived from Valeria.
*We need to talk before the police interview us. There's something about last night you don't know.*
I called her immediately.
She answered on the first ring.
"Mateo, listen carefully," she whispered.
"The club's manager has a second recording. It isn't the video everyone has seen.""
"What recording?""
"The one from the hallway.""
My pulse quickened.
"What does it show?""
Valeria began to cry.
"It shows me taking your phone after you rejected Camila's call.""
I went cold.
"Why would you do that?""
"Because it kept ringing.""
I gripped the phone so hard my fingers hurt.
"What did you do with it?""
She took a shaky breath.
"I heard the voicemail she left you, Mateo. And I heard what she said before the call disconnected.""
"What did she say?""
Valeria was silent for several seconds.
Then she whispered, "She said she could feel the baby coming, and she was afraid she wouldn't survive.""
My knees weakened.
"And you heard that?""
"Yes.""
"You heard her say that, and you didn't tell me?""
"I thought she was exaggerating!""
I stared at the floor.
Valeria sobbed.
"Mateo, I swear I didn't know it would become this bad.""
I closed my eyes.
Neither did I.
May you like
But I had been given seventeen chances to find out.
And I had rejected every one.
