In a flurry of life's humor, Marlene struggled with more difficulties in another relationship and reminders of past ones until she all but gave up. Still, she had her friends, so she only guarded her heart. She'd single-handedly rescued her old friend, Frankie, and managed to - humerously enough - set her up with her then-boyfriend, Sylceran, as their own relationship was healthy, but imperfect.

During this time, Alcor and Luka's son had appointments with her brother to heal his muscular dystrophy, during which Mateo had brought his friend, Mitu. Very quickly, they hit it off, bringing Mitu to settle down a bit in the area and Marlene to let her heart heal.

After a few months, Marlene was hit with a mess of medical issues, which turned out to be a fortunate series of events that resulted in their first child, Amaila. Despite the concerns and stress of a relationship still in its early age, they agreed to keep her and work through any issues together. Their last name was chosen as a mix of their previous names, hers having been Trujillo and his Zarir.