Lionel walked down the corridor, turned into the obstetrics wing, and slipped into the stairwell.

Only one door was closed.

Iris stood outside it. From where she was, she could clearly see a petite girl with delicate features.

It was Pamela.

When Lionel saw her, he frowned slightly. "Why are you here?"

Pamela pouted and lowered her head, but her eyes tilted up toward him, full of grievance.

"I woke up before dawn, and you were gone. I got scared."

Her eyes were already filling with tears as she spoke.

Lionel looked pained. He gently pulled her into his arms.

"What's there to be scared of? I'm not going anywhere."

Pamela rubbed her cheek against his chest. "It's not just that. I missed you."

Lionel rubbed the top of her head indulgently. "Since when did you get this clingy?"

Pamela didn't answer. She looked up at him like a puppy, her eyes overflowing with affection.

That kind of look was dangerous.

It was exactly how Iris used to look at him.

"Lionel, do you love me?"

The moment Pamela asked that, Iris instinctively slowed her breathing. Her heart lifted painfully into her throat.

Lionel's gaze darkened. He pressed his lips together, said nothing, then suddenly shoved Pamela back against the wall and kissed her hard.

As if that wasn't enough, he moved to her neck, sucking lightly and leaving a trail of red marks behind.

Iris's eyes burned. She felt as if her heart was being yanked apart, leaving her unable to breathe.

This was how Lionel looked when he was overwhelmed by desire. Back then, when she looked at him that way, he had lost control just the same.

She took a deep breath and turned to leave.

However, Pamela's next words stopped her cold.

"Lionel, I'm pregnant. You have to take responsibility."

Iris instinctively looked toward Lionel.

His body stiffened as shock flashed across his face. Then unmistakable joy surged in his eyes, followed by a conflicted frown.

Iris knew that Lionel had always wanted a child of his own.

She didn't listen any further and went back to her room.

Twenty minutes later, Lionel returned, carrying two bowls of chicken soup.

"How are you feeling? Any better?"

He set the soup down and bent toward her, trying to kiss her forehead.

Iris frowned and turned her head away.

Lionel froze, confusion written all over his face.

"I'm hungry. Let's eat."

After a long pause, Lionel slowly straightened up, looking like he wanted to say something but didn't know how.

"Honey, you've seemed down these past few days. Did something happen? If something's wrong, tell me. I'll handle it."

As he spoke, he opened the soup and held it out to her.

Iris took it and said calmly, "It's nothing. Probably just not feeling well."

Hearing that, Lionel finally relaxed, the panic in his chest easing.

Iris stayed in the hospital one more night and was discharged the next day.

Over the following days, she stayed home organizing the fragments of their past.

Birthday gifts they had exchanged. Anniversary presents.

Photos from trips they'd taken together. Train tickets, admission stubs, little souvenirs they had picked up along the way.

Movie stubs, concert tickets, entry passes to events…

Looking at the massive pile of memories, Iris felt dazed.

So much had happened in six years.

She glanced toward the living room sofa, where Lionel sat listening to a CD. The disc spun slowly as music filled the room.

Yet Lionel, usually completely absorbed whenever he listened to music, was staring blankly at his phone.

He hadn't gone out much these days, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.

On his screen was an ultrasound image.

Iris glanced once, then looked away.

At lunch, Lionel got a call from a friend who was the MV director.

"Lionel, the MV's views just hit another record! We should celebrate. Bring your girlfriend, too."

Lionel panicked and shot a nervous look at Iris. Seeing that she showed no reaction, as if she hadn't heard, he finally let out a breath and agreed.

After he left that afternoon, Iris messaged her lawyer and said she was coming to pick up the divorce papers.

The divorce papers had been printed for a while now, but Lionel had been home these past few days. Iris didn't want to stir up trouble, so she hadn't gone to pick them up.

After finally getting the papers, she drove back home.

The system announced in its cold voice, [Iris, you have seven days remaining before leaving this world. The exit channel is now 50% open. Please make sure to settle all matters within the remaining seven days.]

After the announcement, the system vanished.

Iris kept driving, her expression blank.

Then she saw Pamela ahead, walking off the curb toward a steakhouse.

Iris froze for two seconds and pulled the car over.

At lunch, during Lionel's phone call, she had vaguely caught a few words. Just enough to hear "celebrate" and "girlfriend".

On impulse, she followed Pamela to the private dining room where they were eating.

The moment Pamela walked in, the room erupted in teasing cheers.

"Hey, the famous singer's girlfriend is here!"

Pamela nodded politely at everyone. "Hi."

"Come on, sit. Order whatever you want. Otherwise, Lionel's gonna say we didn't treat you well."

Everyone laughed. Lionel cleared his throat and pulled Pamela to sit beside him.

"No need. Pamela can't eat this stuff right now."

Pamela blushed shyly.

The room went quiet for a few seconds until someone spoke.

"Can't eat this stuff… Wait, is she pregnant?"

Pamela lowered her head and leaned closer to Lionel.

That confirmed everyone's suspicion.

After another brief silence, someone said, "Then we really have to keep this quiet. Can't let Iris find out."

Lionel stiffened, and his face went pale.

Pamela glanced at him uneasily.

Outside the room, Iris narrowed her eyes. A chill crept up from her feet, twisting into anger. Something inside her snapped.

She had met all of Lionel's friends before. To protect her identity, she rarely interacted with them.

But every one of them knew she existed. They all knew her story with Lionel.

And now, it seemed they all knew about Pamela, too.

Iris took a deep breath, put on a polite smile, and pushed the door open.

"Hi, everyone! I was passing by and thought I'd join you for a bite."

Ten full seconds of silence followed.

The moment she walked in, Lionel and his friends all froze, their faces going stiff and ugly.

Iris curved her lips slightly and looked around the room.

"What's wrong? Am I not welcome?"

Only then did they snap out of it. "Of course you are. Come sit right…"

But Pamela was sitting next to Lionel, and there was no empty seat. The man offering smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Lionel's gaze stayed locked on Iris as he stood up without realizing it.

Iris didn't care. She calmly sat across from him. "No need to fuss. This spot's fine."

Lionel frowned slightly.

Halfway through the meal, Iris looked at Pamela. "You must be Pamela! You're even prettier in person than in the music video. You actually remind me a bit of myself when I was younger."

Lionel stiffened. "She's not as pretty as you were back then."

Iris raised an eyebrow.

Pamela's face went pale, sadness flashing in her eyes.

No one else dared to speak.

In the blink of an eye, Pamela adjusted her expression and put on a gentle smile again, as if she hadn't been affected at all by Lionel's words.

"Why aren't you eating?" Iris asked her. "You've been sitting here forever and haven't touched your utensils."

Pamela smiled and placed a hand over her stomach. "I'm pregnant. I can't eat greasy food."

After speaking, she turned to look at Lionel, her expression hesitant, as if she wanted to say more.

The atmosphere grew even stranger. No one made a sound.

Lionel ignored Pamela's look. His brows were drawn tight as he stared at Iris, clearly anxious. He wanted to speak, but she cut in first.

"I see. You're right. You should be careful with what you eat."

Her tone was calm, as if she hadn't noticed anything unusual.

Suddenly, she set her utensils down and stood up.

"Enjoy your dinner. I've got things to take care of at home, so I'm heading out."

Iris curled her lips into a smile and walked out of the private room, ignoring everyone's tension. After all, she had only come in to make them uncomfortable.

Mission accomplished. Every single one of them ate stiffly, like they were chewing cardboard.

Lionel couldn't sit still anymore. He ditched everyone and chased after Iris.

"Honey, listen to me…" he began.

Iris turned back with feigned surprise. "Hm? What's wrong? Isn't this a celebration dinner? You're not staying with your friends?"

Lionel stared at her, testing the waters. "You're not angry?"

She kept walking and smiled. "What would I be angry about?"

Lionel hurried to keep up. "Uh… Pamela sitting next to me was totally an accident. I only love you. I'd never betray you."

Iris sounded indifferent. "I know. There were other guys sitting next to her, too. I trust you."

She said those words slowly, her smile unreadable.

For a split second, Lionel felt like he didn't really know her anymore. Even so, he couldn't put his finger on why.

After a long pause, he asked carefully, "Really?"

"Really."

Hearing that, Lionel relaxed. Yet, an unexplainable irritation crept up inside him.

"Then wait for me. I'll say goodbye to them and go home with you."

Before she could refuse, he turned and went back into the room. Iris used the moment to hide the divorce papers in the car.

After that, Lionel stayed glued to her at home for two days straight.

Iris found it annoying. Thankfully, on the third day, the label for Lionel's other album called him in for a collaboration, and he went to the recording studio.

Two hours later, Lionel called her.

"Honey, there's a contract on the table in the media room. I forgot to grab it. Can you bring it over?"

Iris agreed. She drove over, handed it to him, and watched them sign it.

After the label reps left, Lionel glanced at his phone, the tips of his ears turning red. A moment later, he walked over and wrapped an arm around Iris's waist.

"Thanks, honey. But I need to re-record a track, so I can't go home with you."

He looked regretful. Iris quietly stepped back.

"It's fine. I can go back myself."

"Then I'll order your favorite croissants and a slice of cheesecake to be sent home."

As he spoke, he leaned in to kiss her forehead. Iris pretended not to notice and bent down to brush dust off her pant leg.

The moment she stepped out of the studio, she saw Pamela getting out of a car.

Pamela saw her as well, but didn't greet her.

Instead, she loosened her grip on the front of her trench coat and walked straight into the studio without looking sideways.

Iris raised an eyebrow. She caught a glimpse of pale skin beneath the coat, a black lace strap on her shoulder, and long white legs flashing as the hem swayed in the wind.

Under the trench coat, she was wearing nothing but lingerie.

A minute later, Iris turned back toward the studio.

Inside the control room, Pamela slipped off her coat the moment she entered.

Lionel gulped.

"Why did you come dressed like this?"

Pamela wrapped her arms around him.

"Didn't you send Iris away because you saw the photos I sent you? You ignored me for two days. You didn't even reply to my texts. I was scared that if I didn't tempt you, you'd forget about me. I didn't mean to mention the pregnancy in front of her that day. I just cared too much about you, and it slipped out. Please don't be angry, okay?"

Standing outside the door, Iris listened as Lionel's heavy breathing quickly filled the room, along with the creak of the desk scraping against the floor.

Pamela's trembling voice came out broken. "Lionel, slow down… I'm still pregnant…"

Lionel let out a deep breath, forcing restraint into his voice. "Okay… I'll slow down…"

Iris pressed stop on the recording without changing her expression and walked away calmly.