Desire (2026) ending explained: What really happened to Matías?

Desire (Image via Youtube/@MVSRS)

Netflix's erotic thriller Desire builds its mystery around the sudden death of Matías, a young swimming coach whose affair with Lucero sets off a chain of betrayal, manipulation, and violence. There is evidence throughout the film suggesting that different people had motives to kill him; thus, the film's climax becomes a series of discoveries about what really happened the night he died.

The ending confirms that Matías was not murdered by a single person but several members of Lucero's family contributed to the events that led to Matías' death. In the end, it was Lucero who drowned him in the pool while her husband Fernando let him die. The official explanation for his death is that it was a case of a drug overdose, but in reality, his death was quite terrifying as Lucero and her family managed to hide their guilt from any legal prosecution.

Why does Lucero begin an affair with Matías?

Lucero seems to be living a dream life with her husband Fernando and their two children. But underneath it all, her marriage with Fernando has turned cold after spending twenty years of their lives together. Though both are highly accomplished individuals in their respective fields, neither is able to fulfill the other's emotional needs.

Everything changes when Lucero meets Matías, the swimming instructor who has come to train her daughter Viviana. There is an immediate spark between them, and Lucero embarks upon a love affair with him. Instead of trying to solve her marital problems, Lucero finds the thrill of the forbidden.

How does the affair destroy everyone involved?

Lucero's secret eventually comes back to haunt her when one of her clients discovers the affair and uses it as leverage during an important divorce case. Fearing the collapse of both her career and family, she decides to end the relationship.

However, Matías does not want to accept this and he retaliates by beginning a relationship with Viviana; namely, he begins dating Viviana, whom he coaches. Thus, Lucero faces a crisis situation within the family due to the betrayal on a personal level.

Moreover, at the same time, Lucero learns that her husband Fernando was paying money to Matías to film their intimate meetings. Betrayed by both men, she totally breaks up with Matías, but the conflict is irreversible by that moment.

What really happened to Matías?

The film's final revelation shows that Matías' death was the result of a series of actions involving nearly every member of Lucero's family. Earlier that night, Julian secretly drugs Matías, leaving him physically weakened. Viviana later attacks him after discovering that he had been involved with her mother, adding to the chaos.

Matías finds himself fighting for life when he is in trouble at the swimming pool of the family but Fernando chooses not to rescue him. Finally, Lucero commits the murder by drowning him in the water. The drugs found in the body of Matías help the authorities conclude that he died due to overdose and not homicide.

Therefore, it becomes clear that there are serious consequences of Lucero's affair. The initial intention of getting away from an unhappy marriage ends up destroying several lives including Matías'. It should be noted that after Lucero and Fernando share the burden of their secret, the story of Desire comes to an end with them reuniting in an unsettling way.