My pandemic epiphany: the best part of having eight partners is being alone

Forced to quarantine away from her multiple lovers, Ashley Ray embraced isolation and loved it

On my 20th birthday, the first person I'd ever been in a long-term relationship with proposed to me. We'd been dating for almost three years. I said yes. Everyone we knew was shocked. Even at 20, I'd made it clear I wasn't the type to believe in traditional relationships. I spent most of high school quoting Simone de Beauvoir when friends asked me for relationship advice. It turns out being pretentious is the most dangerous gateway to polyamory.

Related: All you need is loves: the truth about polyamory