Chapter 6: My Wife's Last Secret
I pulled a chair beside Camila's bed.
“What other evidence?””
She looked toward the door.
“Is Alejandro still here?””
“Yes.””
“Bring him in.””
“Camila, we need to talk privately.””
“No,” she said.
“We needed to talk privately five years ago, when I found out what you had done. You chose not to listen then. I'm not making that mistake again.””
Her voice was weak, but every word landed with precision.
I stood and opened the door.
Alejandro was waiting in the corridor.
“She's asking for you.””
He looked at me.
“Are you sure?””
I nodded.
He entered the room without acknowledging me, then stopped beside Camila's bed.
“I'm here.””
Camila's expression softened.
“Thank you for coming.””
“You don't need to thank me.””
“Yes, I do.””
She reached for his hand. He took it gently, careful of the IV line.
“I thought I was going to die,” she whispered.
Alejandro lowered his head.
“I know.””
“I kept calling Mateo because I thought if he heard my voice, he'd understand.””
Neither of us spoke.
She looked at me.
“I thought my husband would come.””
My chest tightened.
“Camila…”
She turned back to Alejandro.
“When I couldn't reach him, I called you. I was afraid you wouldn't answer after everything that happened.””
Alejandro squeezed her hand.
“I was never angry with you.””
“You had every reason to be angry with my family.””
“I was angry with Mateo. That was different.””
I looked away.
Camila drew a shallow breath.
“I need you both to understand something. I didn't keep the evidence because I wanted revenge. I kept it because I knew Mateo would never admit what he had done unless someone could prove it.””
I stepped closer.
“I admitted it to the detective.””
“Tonight,” she replied.
“After you learned I might die.””
I had no defense.
She continued.
“Five years ago, I found a bank statement in Mateo's office. It was inside a stack of papers he'd left on his desk. The account number was unfamiliar, and the transfer amount matched the missing money from Alejandro's company.””
Alejandro's face tightened.
“You never told me that.””
“I was afraid,” she said.
“Mateo told me the money was part of a confidential investment. When I asked about the transfer, he said I'd misunderstood what I was looking at.””
I remembered that conversation.
Camila had stood in my office holding the statement. She had asked whether I was in trouble.
I had taken the paper from her, torn it in half, and told her to stay out of my business.
Then I had kissed her forehead and promised everything was fine.
She had believed me.
Or perhaps she had wanted to.
“Why didn't you go to the police?”” Alejandro asked.
“Because Mateo was my husband. Because I believed he'd made a terrible mistake and would correct it. Because I thought exposing him would destroy the company and everyone who depended on it.””
She looked at me.
“And because I was still in love with him.””
The words hurt more than any accusation.
I sat down.
“Why did you wait until now?””
Camila looked at her stomach beneath the blanket, then toward the window.
“I didn't wait. I investigated quietly. I contacted the bank, retrieved archived correspondence, and found a former employee who remembered the transfer. I was trying to establish what happened before confronting Mateo.””
“Who was the employee?”” Alejandro asked.
“His name is Tomás Herrera. He worked in treasury before Ricardo took over.””
I recognized the name.
Tomás had resigned abruptly five years earlier. I had assumed he had found a better position.
Camila continued.
“He told me he had seen Ricardo enter Mateo's office after the transfer. He also said Ricardo asked him to modify the internal ledger so the money would appear to have been moved under Alejandro's credentials.””
Alejandro's jaw tightened.
“Can he testify?””
“He said he would, if he could be protected from retaliation.””
I leaned forward.
“You've been speaking to company employees behind my back?””
Camila looked at me with exhausted disbelief.
“You're worried about that?””
“I have a responsibility to the company.””
“You had a responsibility to your friend.””
She paused to catch her breath.
“You had a responsibility to me.””
I lowered my eyes.
She was right.
Every argument I had ever used to justify my actions now sounded pathetic.
Camila shifted against her pillow and winced.
Alejandro immediately called for the nurse.
“I need someone in here.””
A nurse entered and checked Camila's monitor. After adjusting her medication, she told us to keep her calm.
Camila waited until the nurse left.
“The folder contains copies of the bank statements, the original email chain, and a recording.””
“What recording?”” I asked.
She looked at Alejandro.
“Ricardo came to the house six months ago. He thought I was asleep in the study. He was talking to Mateo on the phone.””
I remembered that evening.
Ricardo had come over to discuss an issue with one of our dealerships. I had told Camila to go upstairs because we had confidential business to discuss.
She had said goodnight and left.
Or so I had believed.
“What did you hear?”” Alejandro asked.
Camila's voice trembled.
“Mateo told Ricardo that if Alejandro ever found the original transfer documents, they would both go to prison. Ricardo said he wanted nothing more to do with it. Mateo reminded him that he had signed the false statements, too.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
I remembered the conversation.
I remembered the whiskey in my hand, the frustration in Ricardo's voice, and the threat I had made.
You helped me do this. Don't pretend you're innocent.
I had thought Camila was upstairs.
I had thought nobody else would ever hear those words.
“Where's the recording?”” Alejandro asked.
“In the folder.””
“Who else has heard it?””
“My attorney.””
I stared at her.
“You hired an attorney?””
“Yes.””
“Without telling me?””
She gave a tired, humorless smile.
“Would you have allowed me to?””
I couldn't answer.
The truth was that I might have. I might even have helped her, if I had believed she was investigating a business dispute rather than exposing me.
But she had needed to investigate me because I had made honesty impossible inside our marriage.
Alejandro straightened.
“Camila, if the recording is authentic, it could help establish what happened. But you need to think about your safety. If Mateo or Ricardo believes the evidence could expose them, they may try to interfere.””
I stood abruptly.
“Are you accusing me of threatening my wife?””
Alejandro turned toward me.
“I'm asking her to be careful.””
“I'm standing right here.””
“And for once, that isn't the point.””
Camila raised her hand.
“Stop.””
We both fell silent.
She looked at me.
“Mateo, I don't want to fight with you. I don't have the strength.””
I sat down again.
“Then tell me what you need.””
She studied my face.
“I need you to leave me alone until I'm ready to speak to you.””
The words struck with the force of a physical blow.
“Camila, I'm your husband.””
“And I was your wife when I called you seventeen times.””
I looked at her.
She continued, “I was your wife when I begged you to come home. I was your wife when I told you I was bleeding. I was your wife when I said I was afraid I might die.””
Her voice cracked.
“You knew I was hurt, Mateo. You knew our baby might be in danger. And you chose a nightclub.””
Tears filled my eyes.
“I know.””
“No. You know what happened. You don't know what it felt like.””
She turned toward the window.
“When I fell, I couldn't breathe properly. I couldn't get my legs beneath me. I tried to reach the security panel, but every time I moved, the pain became worse.””
She swallowed.
“I kept thinking that if I could reach the phone, you'd come.””
I covered my face with my hands.
“I am sorry.””
“I believe you regret it.””
I looked up.
She met my eyes.
“But regret isn't the same as change.””
For several seconds, the only sound in the room was the steady beeping of the monitor.
Then Camila said, “I want Isabella to handle the documents. I want Alejandro to have access to the evidence. And I want you to cooperate with the investigation.””
I nodded.
“I will.””
“No secret meetings with Ricardo. No calls to the board asking them to protect you. No attempt to recover the folder.””
“I promise.””
She looked at me with a weariness that frightened me more than anger.
“Don't promise me anything. Just do it.””
I stood.
Before I reached the door, Camila spoke again.
“Mateo?””
I turned immediately.
“Are you going to tell the truth about Alejandro?””
“Yes.””
“Even if it costs you the company?””
I hesitated for less than a second.
But she noticed.
Her eyes closed.
“That pause,” she whispered, “is why I stopped believing you.””
I left the room before she could see me break down.
In the corridor, Alejandro stood beside the window, looking toward the dark city.
I stopped next to him.
“I'm going to make a public statement.””
He didn't look at me.
“Good.””
“I'll clear your name.””
“You'll tell the truth. That's different.””
I nodded.
“What happens after that?””
“That's up to the people you hurt.””
He turned toward me.
“And don't mistake my willingness to help Camila for forgiveness. I haven't forgiven you, Mateo. I don't know if I ever will.””
“I understand.””
“No, you don't. But perhaps one day you will.””
His phone rang.
He answered, listened, and went completely still.
“What do you mean the house was searched?””
My stomach tightened.
He turned away from me.
“Who entered the property? Did you call the police?””
A pause.
Then his face hardened.
“Secure the footage. Don't touch anything else.””
He ended the call and looked at me.
“Someone entered your mansion while you were here.””
“Who?””
“A member of your staff found the study door open. The drawers had been emptied, and Camila's desk had been searched.””
My mouth went dry.
“The blue folder?””
Alejandro nodded.
“It's missing.””
I grabbed my phone and called Isabella.
She answered immediately.
“Mateo?””
“Where is Camila's folder?””
“Why?””
“Someone broke into the house. The folder is gone.””
Silence.
Then Isabella whispered, “That's impossible.””
“What do you mean?””
“I took the original folder out of the house yesterday. Camila told me to keep it somewhere safe.””
I stared at Alejandro.
“Then what did they steal?””
Isabella's breathing quickened.
“Mateo, listen to me. The folder they took wasn't the one I have.””
“What's the difference?””
She paused.
Then she said, “The one they stole contains the names of everyone who helped you frame Alejandro.””
My phone vibrated against my ear.
A message from an unknown number appeared on the screen.
Tell your wife to stop digging. Next time, we won't leave her alive.
I read it twice.
Then I looked through the glass at Camila, lying exhausted in her hospital bed.
For the first time that night, I understood that the secret I had buried five years ago was no longer just a threat to my fortune.
May you like
Someone was willing to kill to keep it buried.
And whoever had entered my mansion knew exactly where to look.
