Only You, In Every World

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.