‘Reckon we can have a bit of privacy?’ Ty’s fixated on Darcy, gesturing to the rest of the crew. He reminds her of a bull, rampant and aggravated in a room full of red flags. He can’t keep still, as though trying to decide which flag to charge at. ‘I don’t want to hear any bullshit about my contract and what you’d like to get footage of.’

Shame washes over Darcy as she wonders what he thinks of her. She’s always been eager to capture insecurities and ugliness throughout Ty’s quest for love. She knows Alice would want her to keep filming, because the drama isn’t over. The scene is currently in medias res—in the middle of things. Everyone will want to see what happens next, but Darcy feels she owes them the respect to do it alone.

The truth is she feels overwhelmingly sad. Penelope has cancer. Penelope is going to die. She doesn’t even know the woman, but that doesn’t take away from the sadness. It seems the only reason Penny broke up with Ty was to offer him a way out. She clearly still loves him. That’s a love story.

But she isn’t the producer of their love story. She has three girls still vying for Ty, still hoping they’re ‘the one’. There’s a crashing reality that none of them could be after this kind of footage. The repercussions start flowing through her mind. What will the audience want? They’ve spent the past two months getting to know Ty and the contestants on The One. Viewers will have picked their girl to win. But will this change everything? Will they want Ty and Penelope to end up together? There’s a bit of ‘Team Penny’ momentum but how will the franchise cope with that as a result?

‘All right guys, let’s clear out,’ she calls to the rest of the crew.

They all begin to shuffle out but Darcy pauses, feeling as though she should offer some support to Ty, or to Penelope, who is bent over herself, her hands wringing in her lap. Darcy studies her a moment longer and when Penelope looks up to meet her eye, it’s clear she hadn’t planned on telling Ty the truth. There’s a tight gauze of regret wrapped around her entire body.

‘If there’s anything you need,’ Darcy begins.

But Ty cuts over her quickly. ‘We need to be left alone.’ Tears are brimming in his eyes, his words caught in his throat. He looks like he’s just lost ten years of his life.

Darcy has to force herself to leave. She pulls the door to the hotel suite shut and stands in the hall.

Ben’s waited for her. ‘I think there’s a four-letter word you’re looking for about now.’

Darcy laughs awkwardly, not knowing how to handle this. ‘Love?’