The End of the Affair.

VOTERS WERE PUZZLED WHEN MARTA AND EDUARDO Suplicy, Sao Paulo mayor and state senator, respectively, called it quits. In a terse note in local newspapers, the high-profile political couple--the so-called Bill and Hillary Clinton of Brazil--ended a 40-year relationship earlier this year.

The split shows how even the best fairy tales have complicated endings. When Eduardo met Marta, he had just rescued a drowning swimmer at a beach resort. Four years later, they married. From then on, they were in the spotlight as left-wing activists. Blond, glamorous Marta became the country's most famous sex psychologist, hosting a TV talk show. The mother of three boys was also an outspoken defender of gay rights. Eduardo, meanwhile, camped overnight with landless peasants and became one of the leading figures of the Workers' Party.

But, recently, there were signs of trouble in paradise. Eduardo supported Marta's bid for the mayorship of Sao Paulo, which she won last October. But she failed to reciprocate when he declared his presidential ambitions--perhaps because she's rumored to have the same aspirations.

That aside, it apparently was something more commonplace that split the couple. Insiders say a jealous Eduardo suspected Marta's Franco-Argentine adviser was giving her more than political advice. By the time the adviser hot-footed it back to Paris, it was too late for reconciliation.