Around 6:30 pm., Carla returns home, her eyes red and puffy from holding back tears. The weight of her conversation with Marilena is unbearable, and as soon as she steps inside, she collapses into the comforting arms of her fiancé, Derek.
Derek, sensing her distress, pulls her closer. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asks softly, brushing her hair out of her face.
Carla's voice cracks as the tears finally spill over. "She hates me, Derek. Marilena hates me."
Derek leads her to the couch and sits her down, keeping his arm around her. "What happened?"
Through sobs, Carla explains everything—how Vanessa confessed the affair to her, how she made the decision to keep it from Marilena, and how it all came crashing down when Marilena found out. "I thought I was protecting her," Carla says, her voice trembling. "I didn't want to see her hurt again after everything with Rafael. But now… now I've lost her trust. I've lost my best friend."
