The whole world knew Lionel Potter was crazy about his wife.

He wrote songs just for her, baked desserts for her, and couldn't go three sentences without saying "my wife".

But Iris Potter discovered that the same Lionel who loved her as if his life depended on it had cheated.

She summoned the system and applied to leave the world.

[Understood. The self-exit channel has been activated. In 15 days, you will leave this world. The exit method will be a staged death. The location will be the seaside where you once saved the male lead. Cause of death: suicide by drowning.

[Please prepare accordingly for your death.]

On the 15th day, Iris arranged everything and staged her departure to look like she had gone into the sea, leaving Lionel behind.

Only then did Lionel wake up. He unraveled, nearly losing his mind, consumed by the need to find her.

[Iris, have you made your decision? Once you leave this world, there is no returning.]

The system's cold electronic voice hesitated slightly.

"I've decided," Iris Potter answered without wavering. "I'm leaving."

[Understood. The self-exit channel has been activated. In 15 days, you will leave this world. The exit method will be a staged death. The location will be the seaside where you once saved the male lead. Cause of death: suicide by drowning.

[Please prepare accordingly for your death.]

Iris frowned for a moment, then picked up her phone and contacted a lawyer, asking him to draft a divorce agreement.

Just as she was about to put the phone down, a notification popped up.

[Renowned singer Lionel Potter's song for his wife, "Only You", surpasses one billion streams!]

Her fingers trembled as she tapped it open.

The article included a video clip released by a reporter. It was a behind-the-scenes vlog of Lionel creating "Only You".

In the video, Lionel wore casual clothes, his long legs stretched out as he sat on a studio stool with a guitar in his arms, playing a beautiful melody.

"The music and lyrics are done. This melody came from my wife.

"We went to the coast together to collect seashells. I remember how the ocean breeze lifted her long hair, and the waves rolled over her ankles again and again. She rolled her sleeves up to her elbows and bent down slowly. Right then, the melody just appeared in my head.

"My wife is my lucky charm. I swear I'll love her forever."

Iris closed the video without expression and scrolled down to the comments.

As expected.

[Wow, he keeps mentioning his wife. This is insanely sweet!]

[I counted. In nine minutes, he said "my wife" 199 times. That's true love!]

[His wife is so lucky. I'm jealous. If I had a husband like that, I'd die happy!]

The whole world knew Lionel was crazy about his wife.

But no one knew what Iris had given up for him.

She had crossed into this world in her real body, and she came only for him.

Six years ago, she accepted the mission to make Lionel fall for her. That was how they met.

Back then, Lionel was at rock bottom. He was torn apart by online abuse and spiraled into depression.

She pulled him away from obsessive fans who meant him harm, but her collarbone was scarred by acid burns.

She jumped off the cliffs and dragged him back from death, but the freezing water damaged her body and left her unable to have children.

Still, Lionel fell in love with her and married her.

The mission was complete. She could have returned to her original world and started over, but she chose to stay for him.

After marriage, he kept her identity under wraps to protect her. No one knew what the mysterious wife looked like, but everyone knew he couldn't stop talking about her.

In his daily vlogs, he would say, "Croissants are such a pain to make, but my wife loves them. I'll learn no matter how hard it is.

"I recorded a new song last night and didn't come home, but I still made sure I was the first to say good morning to my wife."

All of it was proof that he adored her.

Even Iris never imagined that a man who loved her this much could still drift away, in body and in heart.

She opened the "Only You" music video. The female lead sat by the shore, young and fresh-faced, gently swinging her legs.

That face looked a little like hers when she was younger.

Iris felt dazed and didn't notice Lionel had already come back and was standing behind her.

The heat pressing against her back made her shiver. The faint scent of women's perfume made her stomach turn.

"Sorry, honey. After the interview, the label dragged me out to dinner, so I'm late."

Iris pointed at the girl on her phone and turned to him. "Did she go, too?"

Lionel glanced at it, calm as ever, then crouched down and brushed against her hand.

"Pamela is the lead in the MV and a popular influencer. She's in charge of promotion, so of course, she went."

Iris said nothing, but her eyes caught the faint lipstick mark below his collar.

Entertaining the label didn't stop him from sneaking around.

The nausea finally won. She shoved Lionel away and ran to the bathroom, gagging over the sink.

Lionel froze for a few seconds, then rushed into the bathroom and gently patted Iris's back.

"Honey… Are you pregnant?"

The excitement he couldn't hide made Iris curl her lips in a bitter half-smile. When the nausea eased, she straightened up, breathing hard.

"Did you forget? The doctor said I can't have children."

Lionel still couldn't hide his hope. "Let's go to the hospital tomorrow anyway. Just in case, right?"

He picked up his phone and booked an appointment. Iris opened her mouth, then closed it again. She didn't say anything.

The next morning, they went to the hospital fully disguised.

It was a private hospital, and the doctor was someone Lionel knew well.

"Mrs. Potter's uterus suffered severe trauma. Based on the test results, the chance of pregnancy is almost zero."

Even though Iris hadn't expected anything, hearing the regret in the doctor's voice still made her chest ache.

If she had returned to her original world three years ago after completing the mission, she would've had a healthy body.

Yet, she chose to stay. And now, even leaving meant returning with this damaged body.

Still, as long as she could leave, that was enough.

She glanced calmly at Lionel, who stood beside her with disappointment written all over his face.

He only looked down for a moment before pulling her into his arms.

"It's okay, honey. If we want a kid someday, we can always adopt."

Iris quietly pushed him away. "Kids don't matter anymore."

Lionel clung to her arm. "Right. As long as we're together, that's all that matters."

Iris lowered her eyes and thought that that wouldn't happen, either.

The doctor said the nausea from last night was likely caused by stress and emotional exhaustion, nothing serious.

After they left the hospital, Lionel suggested taking Iris to Whalers' Bay to clear her head.

She didn't refuse. She wanted to see the ocean one last time, anyway.

It was the first place she saw when she came into this world.

Back then, Lionel had jumped into the sea during his depression and got terrified of the water for a long time afterward. Iris slowly helped him heal and fall in love with the ocean again.

She stood there, exactly the way she had back then, but her heart wasn't what it used to be.

The bay was secluded and quiet, perfect for zoning out.

The October sea wind cut through them. Iris pulled her coat tighter around herself.

She got cold easily.

Lionel quickly draped his jacket over her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"That better?"

An elderly couple walked past, hand in hand.

The old lady said, "Look at young people these days. So affectionate."

The old man squeezed her hand proudly. "Hmph. If they're still like that at our age, that's what really counts."

They laughed and walked away together.

Iris's body stiffened.

Yes, she and Lionel weren't that impressive. Three years married, and his heart had already changed.

Lionel didn't notice anything. He leaned in and brushed against her ear.

"Honey, when we're old, we'll be just like them."

The nausea surged again. Iris wanted to rip the fake tenderness right off him.

Just then, Lionel's phone rang. He glanced at the screen but didn't answer right away. After hesitating for a second, he said, "Wait here, okay? I need to take this."

A minute later, he came back, guilt written all over his face.

"I'm sorry, honey. I can't stay with you. There's an emergency at the label company, and they need me right now."

Iris didn't respond. She simply handed him his jacket back, signaling him to go.

Seeing how calm she looked, Lionel hesitated, like he wanted to say something.

In the end, he only said, "Head back soon. Don't stay out too late."

After that, he left.

Iris narrowed her eyes and watched his retreating figure, her expression full of irony.

The label company, huh? She had clearly seen the caller ID. It was Pamela Briggs.

Before Iris could even get angry, a sharp gust of wind hit. Warm liquid rushed between her legs, followed by sudden, stabbing pain in her abdomen.

Iris's face went paper white.

Iris went to the hospital closest to Whalers' Bay.

Because of the damage to her uterus, every period left her in unbearable pain.

In the beginning, she would start getting anxious days before it came.

Lionel hated seeing her suffer. No matter how busy he was, he would drop everything and stay by her side, warming her stomach, making her hot cocoa.

With him around, Iris slowly stopped worrying. Most of the time, it was Lionel who reminded her that her period was coming.

But this time, he had forgotten, too.

After taking painkillers, Iris leaned back against the hospital bed and summoned the system.

"Find Lionel's current location."

[Okay, Iris.]

With a soft chime, a location map appeared in her mind.

Lionel was stopped on Suncrest Drive. About three minutes later, the marker moved to Imperial Gardens, Building 13.

That was where Pamela lived.

Iris opened a short video app, searched Pamela's account, and entered her livestream.

"Welcome to everyone who just joined!" Pamela glanced at her watch. "But my boyfriend's on his way, so I'll be ending the stream soon."

Her voice was soft and sweet, the kind that put people at ease.

As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of a door opening came from off-camera. Her face instantly lit up with excitement.

She muted the mic and tilted her head up, eyes bright, like a puppy waiting for attention.

The next second, an arm wrapped around her neck. The man lowered his head and kissed her hard, as if he couldn't wait a second longer.

Even though his face wasn't visible, the livestream chat exploded instantly.

[Ahh, they're so sweet! Kiss more. I wanna see!]

[PDA on a livestream? You two are too much!]

[That's illegal, kissing in front of us… But I love it!]

Unlike the excited fans, Iris felt like she'd been drenched in ice water. The cold spread from her chest outward, leaving her shaking uncontrollably.

That man was Lionel. The sleeve visible in the frame was the exact jacket he had been wearing.

Just an hour ago, that jacket had been draped over her shoulders. The thought made Iris nauseous.

The two of them kissed for nearly a full minute, completely unwilling to part.

Iris flipped her phone face down.

After a while, the mic turned back on. Pamela smiled shyly, her tone sweet and apologetic.

"Sorry, everyone. My boyfriend's here, so I'm ending the stream. See you tomorrow."

At the very last second before the stream ended, Iris caught a line of scrolling comments.

[Go on, go on. We know when to leave. Can't interrupt a couple and their private session!]

Iris laughed soundlessly. It felt like a string in her head had been yanked out of tune, buzzing nonstop.

She stayed in the hospital overnight and slept poorly. When she woke up in the morning, she saw Lionel slumped beside the bed, gripping her hand.

Suppressing her discomfort, Iris pressed her lips together and pulled her hand back.

Lionel startled awake. When he saw that she was up, guilt flashed across his face as he grabbed her hand again.

"I'm sorry, honey. I've been too busy these past few days and forgot about your period. It's my fault. Are you feeling better now?"

Yeah. Juggling two women would make anyone busy as hell.

Iris tried to pull her hand free again, but Lionel held on even tighter.

"Why didn't you call me yesterday and tell me? When I couldn't find you after I got home from work, I almost lost it. Next time, you have to tell me. Nothing's more important than you."

If Iris had heard that before, she would've cried her eyes out. Now, she just looked at him calmly for a few seconds, then turned her head away and closed her eyes.

"I'm still tired. I want to rest."

Lionel froze. Seeing her so distant made panic rise in his chest.

"Honey…"

Before he could finish, his phone vibrated. He glanced at it. A moment later, the Lionel who had been clinging to her suddenly changed his mind.

"Get some rest. I'll go buy you some soup."

After he left, Iris opened her eyes abruptly, got out of bed, and followed him.