‘You’re not wrong.’ Darcy can’t help herself. Phone conversations with Alice were never nice, but the one she’d had this afternoon was the worst of all. Alice had belittled her and made it abundantly clear that she was to blame for Ty’s love confession being filmed. Darcy knows that she should have called cut way before Ty declared his feelings, but she can’t help but feel furious with him. Her career could take a serious beating from this so she’s trying to stop herself from screaming at him for being such an idiot.

Ty looks a little horrified by her brutal honesty.

‘Sorry, Ty, but this is bad. The whole premise of the show relies on the suitor wanting to fall in love with one of the contestants. We filmed you starry-eyed and talking about your ex.’

‘I thought she’d take me back when I told her I was coming on here.’

Penny, the love of his life, the woman he wanted to spend forever with. The same woman who dumped him.

Ty’s mouth twists, the pain of rejection quickly flashing onto his face. ‘But it was like she didn’t even give a shit.’ He’s loose-lipped after the couple of beers she gave him to try to ease his anxiety. ‘I was so pissed off that I thought I’d show her. I thought I could fall in love with someone else, that I could forget about her …’

But he can’t.

Darcy knows she should be sympathetic, but she can’t muster it. She clicks open her phone at hearing a message arrive. It’s from Drew saying he’ll call after footy training. Her heart sinks a little at seeing there’s still no message from Ed.

‘Get Ben in here with one of the cameras and I’ll confess everything. I’ll take total blame and say I can’t go on with the show anymore because I’m still in love with Penny.’

‘The last thing the network wants is for you to walk,’ Darcy says, slumping into a chair.

‘But you agreed I shouldn’t have come on the show.’

‘Yeah, I agreed that you shouldn’t have come on here, but you’re well and truly on here now. The season is nearly finished. We just have to figure out how to minimise Bonnie’s exit and coast to the finale.’

‘So they want me to stay and just pick one of the other girls?’

Darcy nods. ‘Yes, that’s exactly what they want.’

Ty takes a swig of his beer then rests his head back against the wall. ‘But I’m not in love with any of them.’