When my husband and I watch mystery shows/movies, we joke "If we guess
every ending, we'll end up being right with one of them." So here goes, here's my take/prediction:
Alice has been """in a relationship""" (can't get enough air quotes around it) with Loopy for at least the past year, likely more. Loopy truly believes in this relationship, Alice would drop it if anything better came along, but she's encouraging him to think they're together as long as it suits her.
A friend of a friend I've known since middle school comes to mind. Horrible relationship with her dad, all the girls have just bad relationship habits with men following that. For this particular one, she hasn't been single since she was 15 - would get into years long relationships, and whenever she'd break up, the next serious relationship would be just weeks/months later. When you knew her though, even the months gap wasn't real -- she'd been talking to the new boyfriend while still dating the old. I know she physically cheated at least once. She just couldn't handle
not having someone. Cheating is awful but the reason she did it is different than some who just get bored and want to have fun, she did it partially so her security chain was never broken.
To me, Alice is the same. I don't think she overlapped Ioan and Oucassi because she got bored, I think she saw the end of Picasso in sight and jumped ships with no gap to swim on her own. I'm not saying she got another man before Ioan left her, since she might have been blindsided (through willful ignorance, not for any lack of signs). But I really believe her personality couldn't have gone long on her own.
Now, the ideal man for her is an easygoing provider. Someone who will give her money, let her do her thing, and be controllable. Ideally someone handsome she can boost her own self image with, and someone rich to keep up her lifestyle.
So why Loops, who is poor and ugly? Well, she used to be able to overlap her men by, you know, meeting them and being pretty, then sinking her claws in. But since she's lost both her looks and her ability to leave the house, she has to settle for what she can find online. And given her online personality and reputation, the pond becomes even smaller.
I will say, this is the most equal relationship Lice has ever had, and likely will ever had. On Loopy's side he gets unlimited access to a woman's pain and trauma, with the bonus of her children's pain as well. On mAlice's side she gets to do whatever she wants with no consequences, gets to reference her "special person," and gets someone to feed her narc memememeME supply.
I think this is the guy she's been referencing (he goes to another school!) since the beginning. Sure, she could be making it up, but I haven't seen many topics Alice has purely pulled out of thin air. I think she's holding onto him just until her hopes of pulling a richer guy come through, but she keeps telling him they're "something" so she can have that security line she can't live without.
Obviously ALL my opinion only and way speculation, but when it comes out in the end I need to be able to say I called it right