Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Elize: Shadows of a Woman’ begins with a rom-com worthy romance between a high-end escort and the heir to Brazil’s leading food company. When Elize met Marcos Matsunaga, he was married and had a kid. But their paid trysts turned into an affair, which ended with Marcos getting a divorce so he could marry Elize. For her, this was to be the beginning of a happily ever after. But soon, she found herself exactly where Marcos’ first wife had been a few years earlier. This time, the protagonist of the romcom was a woman named Danielle. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Danielle is a Fictional Version of Marcos Matsunaga’s Real Mistress
In telling the story of Marcos Matsunaga’s murder, the Netflix film has changed the names of several characters, including that of Danielle. In real life, Marcos’ mistress was a woman named Nathália Vila Real Lima. Like many other women, including Elize, Nathalia moved to São Paulo in hopes of a better life. She left her home to earn more money, and websites like MClass gave her that opportunity. She took on the alias of Lara and eventually crossed paths with Marcos. Their affair was quick, just as it had been with Elize. Reportedly, Marcos paid her $ 4,000 and later offered her $27,000 in return for going exclusive with him, similar to what he had done with his now-wife.
Allegedly, he even gifted his new mistress the same car, a Mitsubishi Pajero TR-4 armored pickup truck. Nathalia revealed that Marcos had planned to leave his wife and move to Miami with her. He was simply waiting for his company’s negotiations to go through and the sale to happen. Reportedly, the couple was together the night before Marcos was murdered by his wife. After Elize was arrested and her trial began in 2016, Nathalia was called in as a witness. Reportedly, she asked that Elize not be present during her testimony, so the accused remained outside the courtroom for the required duration. When talking about Marcos, she called him a kind and caring person who had always been good to her.
Nathalia Has Slipped Into Anonymity Due to Safety Concerns
Reportedly, Nathalia initially admitted to the story about meeting Marcos as an escort and then progressing their relationship. But she later went back on some of the details. Her lawyer reportedly filed an addendum where she claimed that her relationship with Marcos had been stable for over a year before his death. She also claimed she didn’t meet him as an escort but as a model at a party, though she couldn’t specify the date or nature of the event. She claimed that although her pictures may still have been on the site, she was no longer working there. She also claimed that Marcos did not give her a car, but only gave her the money to have it armored.
This change in testimony led others to accuse her of doing it so she could stake some financial compensation based on the nature of her relationship with Marcos. Her lawyer clarified she hadn’t done it with that intention, but if a stable union between them could be proven, she might be eligible for some form of compensation. Later, in an interview with Fantástico, Nathalia alleged that Marcos had been afraid of his wife. “He said he was afraid she would do something to him. And that he would separate as soon as possible to avoid these constant fights they had. But he was afraid of the separation because he had a young daughter. I always encouraged him to be calmer, to see where he was going wrong,” she said.
She also added that she worried Elize might harbor some resentment towards her, which she might act on at some point in the future. Later, the lawyer echoed the concerns about her safety. He said that the case and the trial changed Nathalia’s life overnight. “She is very afraid. Of exposing herself, of people recognizing her on the street. Her life has come to a standstill,” he added. Reportedly, Nathalia later left São Paulo after the trial. She even dropped out of a technical course in fashion design, which she had been pursuing alongside her other vocation. “I live in fear, I hide, trying to forget, but it will be very difficult, very difficult indeed to forget all this,” she said. It seems she has since then managed to stay anonymous and live her life peacefully, without any public or media scrutiny of the case.
Read More: Where is Elize Matsunaga’s Daughter Helena Now? Did Elize and Her Daughter Reunite?
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