In the scenario where Soledad called Marco a "cheater," what is the main reason defamation did not occur?

Defamation law generally requires that a statement be made to a third party for a claim to be valid. In this scenario, since Marco did not share Soledad's comment with anyone else, the statement could not have harmed his reputation because it was not disseminated beyond Soledad. For a defamation claim to hold, it must be proven that the statement was published to someone else who could damage the person's reputation. Hence, the absence of a third party in this situation is fundamental to why defamation did not occur.

While the other options might touch on aspects of the situation, they do not address the essential requirement of publication in defamation cases. The lack of evidence or the intent behind the statement does not negate the need for it to be shared with others for a defamation claim to be valid. Therefore, the primary reason defamation did not occur in this case is the fact that Marco did not communicate Soledad's remark to anyone else.