I frown. Why does no one believe me?
Then Beth turns to Anat and asks, "What's new with you?"
With an exasperated sigh, Anat says, "I'm experiencing relationship scope creep. I'm polysaturated."
That's why she looks exhausted.
"Polyfidelity. Close out your poly network," Beth advises.
"But if she overcommits, she might have to disappoint someone," Valentina notes.
"True. As a solo poly, remember your relationship with yourself is your primary relationship, so do what works best for you first." Beth's wisdom shines through.
I watch them, a quiet warmth settling in my chest. This is why I love them. No judgment. No fear. Just truth.
I haven't gone through what Anat is experiencing – a situation where one has too many romantic partners and struggles to maintain loving relationships, potentially requiring polyfidelity. Polyfidelity entails closing off the polyamorous relationship network, preventing anyone within the network from dating or introducing new individuals. To keep her network manageable, Anat might have to end a relationship or two.
Karla heads back to the stage. The music starts again, softer this time.
I glance at the time.
"I have to go," I say, slipping out of the booth.
----------------------
I rush home and finish my final case report. The screen blurs for a moment. I blink. Refocus.
Polyamory Day 2.243K (53 days later)
Mr. Wong wired eight thousand dollars to my account yesterday—award, plus Clara's rent, which I never asked for. A one-hundred-percent tip. That makes this the fourth-highest-earning case I've taken… we won't talk about the ones that cost me money.
Clara Smith began seeing John Boggle Jr. outside the club sometime last August, according to Jimmy. What started as a relationship escalated quickly—obsession, then violence. John wanted her to quit. Clara was already looking for a way out.
She clung to Jason after he pulled her away from Nathan's dragging her into John's room—Nathan acting under John's orders.
The night she disappeared, John beat her until she passed out in his room. When she came to, she overheard his plan: he intended to take her out of the club and keep her in his penthouse.She stayed still. Pretended to be unconscious. When the chance came, she ran. Straight into Mr. Silence's room.
Jason hid her in the secret space Mr. Silence had him convince Jimmy to build. After closing, Jimmy smuggled her out in a trash bin. Mr. Silence picked her up at 9:14 a.m.
As with the other cases involving JR, I still have no answers:
1. Why does JR mark Akira Lounge?
2. How is John Boggle Jr. connected to JR?
Final Note: I think this is my last case, at least for a while. The spark is no longer there. Mr. Silence might have been part of the distraction that explains why I missed some obvious clues. But my mind's not really in it anymore. It's starting to feel like a mundane routine. Time for a new adventure. Time to change course... again.
I've learned that I'm not afraid to love again. And more importantly, I feel a little like my old self again... that girl who loves freely because she's not afraid of loss. That little girl who knows that there's always another way, another day, and another lifetime.
Ace out.
Finishing my diary entry, I put on the gold, tight halter club dress with rouching down the middle, creating folds that hug my hourglass shape and stop at mid-thigh. The green prism earrings match my clutch. Just a few more nights, and I'll say goodbye to Akira Lounge for good.
Jimmy says Mr. Silence will be here tonight.
###
D inhales the cigarette deeply. Smoke burns his lungs, steady, grounding. Upstairs, the Chinese restaurant is loud, packed, alive. Down here, nothing changes.
Same basement. Same chair. He waits.
His gut twists. He's not going to like the answer.
That damned girl. Always trouble.
For six years, it never stops. Hit orders. Hired muscle trailing her. He shuts them all down. Every time.
And now this.
After her visit, he scours the city—tears through his network, pulls every thread he has. To send a message. Not because she wants the answer. Because he needs it. To protect her.
The boy's face still lingers in his mind. Clear. Unfading. His words carved deep, impossible to ignore.
"I'll get you out. This life—I'll do it. But promise me you'll protect her while I'm gone. No matter what it takes."
The weight of it. The violence in that promise.
It still vibrates through him.
D knows. That burnt corpse—it isn't him. It can't be. Not Roberto. Same signature. Clean. Deliberate. Someone covering their tracks. He recognizes it. Because he taught him.
D glances at his gold watch.
Fuck fuck fuck! Forty-two minutes.
If the message doesn't get through—
If he's wrong—
She's in danger. His mark means death. Akira Lounge is marked. That man doesn't miss. JR is hunting—someone, something. It doesn't matter. She's in danger.