Chapter 4 - The Collapse of the House of Cards
By evening, the news had thoroughly dismantled the Salgado family fortress. Teresa burst into Marcus’s ICU room like a hurricane, slamming the door against the wall, her face flushed with absolute rage and disbelief.
"Marcus! Are you out of your mind?! Have you lost everything?!" Teresa shrieked, marching right up to his bed.
Marcus looked up at his mother, tears of humiliation spilling over his eyelids. He couldn't speak. He simply pointed a trembling finger toward the manila folder resting on the blanket.
Teresa snatched the folder up, her eyes scanning the legal documents. As she read through the asset forfeiture and the court-stamped divorce decree, her face cycled through every shade of red, white, and purple.
"That ungrateful, cold-hearted bitch!" Teresa screamed, slamming the folder down onto the bedside table. "She took everything?! Our house? Your company shares?! How is that even legal?!"
"She had a lawyer, Mom..." Marcus whispered, his voice cracking. "She had everything documented. Every receipt, every text message, every bank transfer. She knew before the crash even happened."
Before Teresa could launch into another tirade about suing Lucia, the door swung open again. This time, it wasn't a family member. It was two uniformed security guards accompanied by a hospital administrator and a process server.
"Mr. Marcus Salgado?" the process server asked politely, holding a thick envelope.
Marcus swallowed hard, unable to speak.
"You have been formally served with a restraining order prohibiting you from contacting Dr. Lucia Herrera or entering the Lincoln Park property effective immediately," the server stated, sliding the papers onto the tray table. Furthermore, the hospital administration has been notified that your discharge will be processed to an outpatient rehabilitation facility, as your residential lease under your personal name has already been terminated by the property management due to default of payment."
Teresa gasped, stepping in front of her son defensively. "You can't do this! Do you know who we are?! We are pillars of this community!"
"Ma'am, Mr. Salgado's credit cards have all been declined, and his corporate accounts have been frozen by court order," the administrator replied calmly. "Unless someone else is stepping up to pay his medical bills and post-discharge care, he will be transferred to county-funded rehabilitation by tomorrow morning."
Teresa spun around to face her son, her expression shifting from fury to absolute horror. She had spent her entire life basking in the status, wealth, and social prestige of the Salgado name. Now, sitting in a sterile hospital bed in a public gown, Marcus looked like a pauper begging on a street corner.
And Valeria? Down in room 312, Valeria had just been informed by hospital social workers that Marcus Salgado was currently facing severe financial ruin, had zero assets to his name, and was legally bound to a divorce settlement that left him with nothing. Within ten minutes of hearing the news, Valeria had burst into tears, packed her small overnight bag, and announced she wanted nothing more to do with him.
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Marcus stared at the ceiling as the reality of his choices settled in. He had traded a brilliant, loyal, fiercely intelligent wife and a stable family for a fleeting thrill—and in less than twenty-four hours, the universe had stripped him down to absolute zero.
He had wanted a secret life. Now, he had achieved it: nobody wanted him, nobody respected him, and he owned nothing.
