Darlene wrote this proof of the identity (x + y) 2 - (x - y) 2 = 4xy. Which of the following is a justification for Step 5 of her proof?

From the given steps:

Step 1: (x + y) 2 - (x - y) 2 = (x + y) (x + y) - (x - y) (x - y)

Step 2: (x + y) (x + y) - (x - y) (x - y) = (x2 + xy + xy + y2) - (x2 - xy - xy + y2)

Step 3: (x2 + xy + xy + y2) - (x2 - xy - xy + y2) = (x2 + 2xy + y2) - (x2 - 2xy + y2)

Step 4: (x2 + 2xy + y2) - (x2 - 2xy + y2) = x2 + 2xy + y2 - x2 + 2xy - y2

Step 5: x2 + 2xy + y2 - x2 + 2xy - y2 = 4xy

The justification for Step 3 of her proof is:

D. Distributive property