The truth comes to light

**Mariana**

After we told Joshua about the story involving Murilo and Ethan, he seemed genuinely shocked. According to what he told us, he could never have imagined that his friend would find a scapegoat and pursue that person to the point of becoming someone unscrupulous and vengeful.

"We left the country after what happened to my sister," Joshua recounted. "My parents were always completely focused on work and felt guilty for not having enough time for their children, catering to all our desires. And as you can imagine, that's completely wrong."

"But you don't seem to have been affected by it much," Virgínia pointed out assertively.

I also agreed with my friend, as the more we talked to him, the more he showed himself to be someone with many qualities, and the biggest one seemed to be common sense.

"I always felt welcomed in Ethan's house. We're the same age, and his parents treated me like a son," he explained. "So I spent most of my time at my friend's house. As for Bia, she was younger than us and a girl, and she spent most of her time with the nannies, which made me feel extremely guilty, just like my parents did when we realized how much it affected my sister's personality."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, genuinely curious about this aspect of the narrative.

That information was truly important and could help us understand who Beatriz was.

"Beatriz became petty, shallow, and extremely selfish," Joshua said with a heavy heart and a deeply sad expression. "But Ethan never knew that side of my sister. She always showed herself as a different person when she was with her boyfriends."

"Hold on," Virgínia asked quickly, even before I could. "What do you mean, boyfriends? Wasn't she engaged to Ethan?"

"Beatriz had several boyfriends, and I mean many, many boyfriends," Joshua seemed a bit embarrassed now. "She was always fighting with Ethan over trivial things, and my friend had no idea. But every time that happened, my sister would quickly move on to someone else, even bringing them to our house, something I completely abhorred but she begged me not to tell him."

I didn't find it right at all for Joshua, as Ethan's best friend, to have always withheld something so important from him. It resulted in a completely distorted image that Ethan had of the girl he loved so much and was even affecting his life today.

I intended to express what I was thinking, but before I could voice it, Murilo said exactly what I wanted to say, and it was enough. Joshua didn't need moral lessons right now when there wasn't much to be done.

"I agree with you, Murilo," Joshua humbly admitted his mistake. "I should have done many things, and maybe my sister would still be with us today. But I didn't, and just like my parents, we feel guilty for the way things turned out and for the accident that took Beatriz's life. She never accepted defeat. She didn't know what a 'No' was. And when she received one from someone, she always tried to change it somehow, and I believe that's what disturbed her so much on the night everything happened."

"What do you mean by that?" Artemis asked, unable to understand.

"I mean that even Ethan unknowingly contributed, in a way, to making Beatriz the person she was," Joshua explained. "Because no matter what she did, Ethan always accepted her, and they were fine. But when Beatriz went to find him, and you didn't back down from your decision, she became completely unhinged."

"So, do you also think Murilo was to blame for the accident? I needed to clarify that point. Murilo doesn't deserve that guilt!"

"No, not at all," Joshua hurried to respond. "Murilo not doing what Beatriz wanted, not becoming someone who would cater to her every whim, doesn't make him guilty. But our family feels that way, and it was very difficult to return to our normal lives after what happened. To this day, they have no plans to return to São Paulo, such was the pain of loss and guilt they carry..."

The whole story was very sad, and Joshua's parents paid a high price for the way they raised their children, without love and affection, proving that merely providing material possessions does not make anyone happy and fulfilled.

We continued talking for a long time, disregarding our surroundings and all the people coming and going into the food court, just understanding each other and listening to the heartfelt confessions of a brother grieving the premature loss of someone so loved.

Artemis also told Murilo about her relationship with Joshua, and they seemed to get along very well after everything was clarified between them. Even an invitation for a family dinner at their grandmother's mansion was extended, eliciting some laughter.

The important thing was that Murilo now had the opportunity to better understand the whole story behind Beatriz's behavior. And even though Ethan continued to accuse him of being responsible for her death, Murilo had a clear conscience. As I had concluded from the beginning, what happened was a tragic accident.

I wished I could have told Joshua that as a friend, he could still redeem himself and tell Ethan about the real Beatriz. However, I didn't consider it an opportune moment for such a comment, as it was evident that he still suffered from her loss.

All that was left was to wait for a time when Ethan would be ready to hear the truth, accept and acknowledge his mistakes, and try to make amends for all the problems he had caused.

I knew that patience was key and that forcing the issue prematurely could only lead to further discord. But it was difficult to watch the turmoil unfold, knowing that the healing process could only truly begin once the truth came to light. And so, we waited, hoping for a moment of clarity, a glimmer of understanding that would pave the way for reconciliation and closure.