Jimmy cheerfully hopped into a cab after leaving the back alley of the Gallagher house, heading straight for one of his usual spots for boosting cars.
When it came to stealing cars, Jimmy was a pro.
He arrived at the spot, and it didn't take long to pick a target. His movements were swift and practiced: unlock, hotwire, and he was off. He floored it, driving the stolen vehicle to the chop shop he used to process his ill-gotten gains.
Since he had just swiped this one, it would take some time to process. So, Jimmy dumped it at the shop and swapped it for a Porsche he had stolen yesterday, which was already cleaned up and ready to go. Without wasting a second, he sped towards the club.
On the way.
Jimmy checked his phone again. Honestly, he was confused.
He thought that after sending that video, Fiona would call him back within minutes.
But it had been a while now, and still nothing. No call, no text.
That didn't fit Fiona's style.
Had she not seen it yet?
It was possible, but unlikely.
So...
Jimmy lit a cigarette and mulled it over as he drove.
After thinking about it for a while, Jimmy concluded that the most likely scenario was that Fiona had contacted Lip, something happened, and now she was stuck in a state of conflict again...
Jimmy smiled.
A conflicted Fiona was a vulnerable Fiona.
And Jimmy believed that was good for him.
Assuming, of course, that Fiona hadn't taken the night off to rush back to the Gallagher house.
Thinking of this, Jimmy didn't dare dawdle. He slammed the gas pedal to the floor, speeding toward the club.
---
Inside the Club.
Fiona was still working, carrying a tray and serving drinks to rich idiots, even forcing a smile on her face.
Of course, the smile was fake.
The truth was, after being yelled at by Lip and hanging up the phone earlier, Fiona's immediate instinct was to find her manager and ask to leave so she could go home and confront Lip face-to-face.
The manager said no.
Now.
If this were the old days—family crisis, leave denied—Fiona wouldn't have hesitated to quit on the spot and rush home, consequences be damned.
But this time, Fiona hesitated.
In her hesitation, the image of that strange, lunatic version of Lip from the video surfaced in her mind unbidden.
Subconsciously, Fiona asked herself: What is the point of going back? Am I really going to throw away this hard-won job for a Lip like that?
Then.
It was as if she crossed an invisible line. All of Lip's behavior over the past six months, everyone's warnings, the sacrifices she made for him, the trouble he caused her...
Countless images flooded her brain.
Finally, Fiona realized she was tired. She didn't want to go back and face that version of Lip. At least, not tonight.
So, Fiona kept working, forcing a smile, trying hard to make money.
---
Time flew.
Jimmy rushed into the club, scanning the crowd frantically for Fiona.
Bing-pot.
Found her!
Fiona was still here. She hadn't gone back!
Instantly, for reasons he couldn't fully articulate, Jimmy felt like this was monumental news. He strode decisively toward her.
Standing in front of Fiona, Jimmy smiled slightly but didn't speak right away, waiting to see her reaction.
Seeing Jimmy again, seeing the smile on his face, Fiona zoned out for a moment, her emotions incredibly complex.
After a brief silence.
Fiona took a quiet, deep breath and spoke. "Did you get into a fight with Lip?"
She was willing to talk, and she wasn't screaming her head off!
Hehe, this was definitely a good sign.
Jimmy was delighted. He shook his head immediately and proactively explained what happened. "No. I was in a taxi heading back. Before I even got out, I saw him smashing my car..."
He explained the whole situation.
Then Jimmy asked with concern, "Did you talk to him on the phone?"
Fiona nodded. "Yeah."
"Are you okay?" Jimmy was smart; he had already noticed the sadness in her expression and voice.
Fiona looked at Jimmy with wide eyes. She stared for a few seconds, then shook her head. "I don't know what to do anymore."
At times like this, a man should offer a hug without hesitation.
And Jimmy did exactly that. No wasted words, he just reached out and pulled Fiona into his arms.
Fiona struggled slightly, then gave up, letting Jimmy hold her.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. If I hadn't done that to Lip, he wouldn't have snapped like that," Jimmy said.
This statement was half-true, half-false.
His heartache for Fiona was real.
His regret over treating Lip that way was fake.
In fact, after what just happened, Jimmy genuinely regretted not messing Lip up even worse before.
Fiona didn't detect the lie. Her eyes turned red, and she sniffled.
A few minutes later.
In one of the women's bathroom stalls at the club.
Fiona and Jimmy were going at it.
For Fiona, sex was a release.
In the heat of the moment, she could briefly feel relief and pleasure, temporarily forgetting the endless sht-storm of her life.
Of course, she also just really liked sex.
Time flew.
The battle ended.
They walked out of the stall.
It's worth noting that in several adjacent stalls, battles were still clearly raging.
In a club like this, scenes like that were normal.
Fiona glanced around and couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm going back to work."
"Okay. I'll wait for you," Jimmy smiled back.
---
This night seemed so long.
In a room at a hotel-style apartment.
Ian, having just finished his own "battle," stood in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window holding a drink, gazing out at the night view. He liked this feeling.
"Looking at Chicago from up here... it's actually kind of beautiful," Ian said quietly after watching for a while, feeling a bit sentimental.
Ned smiled. "Because of the height. The higher you stand, the wider your view. The ugly details get automatically ignored. That's why rich people like staying in high places."
Ian's intelligence was relatively limited. He understood the literal meaning, and that was about it. He nodded, then smiled. "Are you rich?"
Ned thought for a moment and shook his head. "Not really. Just someone with a slightly better standard of living."
"What do you do?" Ian suddenly got interested and asked.
America really is an interesting country.
You can fck someone without knowing a single thing about them. How nice.
Ned smiled, and without hesitation, lied through his teeth. "I'm in real estate. I come here occasionally for business."
"Then you must have been to a lot of places," Ian heard this and thought of his own future, perking up to ask more.
"You could say that. Why do you ask?" Ned asked casually.
"I've been thinking about changing my environment lately. Do you know which city would suit me?" Ian asked.
They chatted for quite a while.
Ian and Mickey had never had a conversation like this.
Ian liked this kind of talk. He felt this was what couples were supposed to do.
Fck you, Mickey!
And just like that, Ian became thoroughly convinced that he had wasted so much time on Mickey.
Ian didn't want to have any contact with Mickey ever again.
"Another round?" Having made up his mind, Ian pursed his lips into a smile and asked Ned.
Ned nodded immediately.
They started round two.
---
The Alibi Room had an extra drunk tonight.
Mickey sat on a barstool next to Frank. He downed two beers in one go. His still-youthful face was practically etched with sorrow and anger.
"Kev! Another one!" Having finished another beer, Mickey called out to Kev.
Kev obliged.
Beside him, Frank looked at Mickey in this state. After a moment of thought, realizing this might be a golden opportunity for free booze, he immediately put his plan into action. Smiling, he said to Mickey, "Milkovich, you can't drink like that. You gotta pace yourself. Otherwise, you'll be under the table in no time."
Mickey heard him, glanced at Frank, and couldn't be bothered to respond. However, he didn't take his anger at Ian out on Frank.
Frank wouldn't give up. "Buy me a few drinks. Whatever happened to you, I guarantee I can talk you through it."
Mickey heard this and instinctively wanted to say fck off. But the words stopped at his lips, and he changed his mind.
The reason was simple.
Frank was a piece of trash, sure. But Frank was undeniably successful with women, and he always lived freely.
Mickey smiled. "Alright. Let's see what you got!"
Successfully scoring free booze, Frank was delighted. He gave a smug grin. "Don't worry. I've got plenty of skills. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."
And so, Mickey and Frank started chatting.
The scene was truly bizarre... at least, that's how Kev saw it.
Before they knew it.
It was closing time at the Alibi.
Mickey and Frank were both wasted, stumbling their way out.
Outside the bar.
Under the influence of alcohol, Mickey lost control. He started crying, then screamed, "Fck you! Ian Gallagher!!"
Hearing this.
Although he was drunk as a skunk, Frank retained a shred of clarity. He perked up instantly, his eyes widening as he looked at Mickey.
The next second.
The things Mickey had said in the bar earlier connected with what he just shouted in Frank's brain.
Ding-dong.
So that's what it is.
Ian dumped Mickey...
Frank grinned, immediately draping his arm around Mickey's shoulder, launching his "Sell the Son" plan. "Mickey, listen to me. I have a way to get you and Ian back together..."
---
The long night was finally coming to an end.
Around 3:00 AM.
Jimmy drove Fiona to her front door.
Looking at her familiar home through the car window, Fiona's mind was swirling with thoughts. After a long time, she sighed, opened the door, and prepared to get out.
Seeing this, Jimmy immediately opened his door too.
Fiona tensed up. She stopped getting out and looked at Jimmy with a deeply complicated expression. "Don't come in. If Lip sees you, he's gonna freak out again."
Lip was just a self-righteous little idiot; Jimmy wasn't worried about him at all.
However, Jimmy didn't insist on getting out. "See you tomorrow night then?"
Fiona didn't know what to do. She thought for a moment. "We'll talk tomorrow. I'm tired."
Dropping that line, Fiona got out of the car and walked toward the house with heavy steps.
Fiona didn't know exactly what was happening, but she felt that something had definitely changed... She almost didn't want to go back into this house. This home suddenly felt different.
It made Fiona feel terrified.
Driven by that fear.
Fiona gritted her teeth and sped up.
She reached the door, got her keys, unlocked it, entered, and turned on the lights.
As the lights flickered on.
Instantly, Lip, sitting on the couch with a face full of rage, appeared in Fiona's vision.
Fiona jumped, startled.
Fck! At this hour, suddenly seeing this? Who wouldn't be scared?
Fiona was genuinely spooked. "What the fck! Why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing sitting here?"
Lip stared at Fiona without blinking, delivering a rock-solid answer. "Waiting for you!"
Fiona wasn't stupid; she knew that. She instantly got annoyed. "I'm tired. Whatever it is, let's talk tomorrow."
"Can't wait for tomorrow. Sit down. We need to talk," Lip said decisively. "It'll only take a few minutes."
Fiona, who was controlling and always saw herself as the head of the household, instinctively couldn't stand Lip's attitude. She frowned and looked at him.
She stared for a few seconds.
Her stubbornness kicked in.
Fck it. This conversation is gonna happen sooner or later. Let's talk!
Fiona didn't delay. She walked over and sat on the sofa diagonal to Lip. She pulled a cigarette from her bag, lit it, took a hard drag, looked straight at Lip, and said, "You want to talk? Talk."
"Did that bastard Jimmy bring you home?" Lip didn't back down an inch. He stared wide-eyed at Fiona and asked.
Fiona exhaled a puff of smoke. "Yes."
"Heh!" Getting confirmation, Lip felt his heart clench violently. It hurt like hell. He let out a cold laugh. "Explain yourself!"
"After what that bastard did to me, you're tangled up with him again? What the fck are you thinking?"
Hearing this, Fiona took several drags on her cigarette, almost choking. "It's complicated. I still have feelings for him..."
Before Fiona could finish, Lip couldn't take it anymore. He cut her off. "Are you fcking kidding me? Feelings? Ha! You're gonna make me laugh to death!"
"That bastard is married! He lied to you the whole time!"
"And after all that, you still have feelings for him?"
"What the fck is wrong with you?"
Wrong with me??
Some things really can't be explained. Or rather, there's no way to explain them.
For example, hearing the phrase "wrong with you," Fiona's body shook. A wave of anger erupted uncontrollably.
In this moment, Fiona suddenly didn't want to hold back anymore. Her expression twisted, becoming almost ferocious.
"What is wrong with me?"
"You're asking what is wrong with me?"
"What's wrong with me is you guys!"
"All these years, I worked myself to death! I worked job after job, completely ignoring my own life, just to make money to feed you lot!"
"What is wrong with me?"
"You're the one with the problem!"
"Why did you turn out like this?"
"In the last six months, what good have you done?"
"Did I make this family turn out like this, or did you?"
"..."