But fate hadn't been kind to her. She battled breast cancer in her early 30s and left the world before hitting 40.

It was quite a sensational story back then, as many believed that Bennett's mother had taken her own life. Otherwise, why would she pass away on Benico's birthday?

Naturally, these were all rumors, and no one could confirm whether they held any truth.

Jace had always been a person who didn't engage in gossip about others. Even though he was aware of these rumors, he couldn't verify their accuracy, so he chose not to share them with Claudia.

"Bennett has been through a lot. You should spend more time with him these days."

Bennett lost his mom when he was still a teenager, and then had a stepmother step into his home shortly after. Jace, being a man himself, could somewhat grasp what Benico was thinking.

To Jace, Benico hoped a stepmother might fill the void for Bennett.

Yet, Benico's fatherly duties seemed Lacking. How could one expect a non-blood relative to treat Bennett with maternal Love?

This was also the reason why Jace didn't seek out or marry another woman for all those years.

Claudia nodded, "Yes, I know."

She wondered if Bennett was in a better mood. Even though it was a Saturday, he had to go to work. Quite unfortunate, she thought.

The doctor was calling Jace's name. Claudia snapped back to the moment and said, “Dad, your turn for a check-up. Hand me your phone."

Jace gave her the phone and went into the computed tomography room with the form.

Noticing the door to the computed tomography room was shut, Claudia hesitated for a brief moment before accessing Jace's phone to scan through his recent calls.

She wasn't trying to invade her father's privacy. Her concern stemmed from the individual who had previously upset Jace. That individual felt like a ticking time bomb, and Claudia feared they might harm her father again.

Yet, there were no recent call logs on Jace's phone, hinting they might have been erased earlier that day.

She locked the phone, unsettled by her findings. It suggested the situation might be more complicated than she'd thought.

Fifteen minutes later, Jace exited the computed tomography room.

Pretending to know nothing, Claudia passed the phone back to Jace.

“Dad, it's been a while since we visited Mom."

Jace took a moment before replying, “Once I'm out of the hospital, we'll go see your mom together."

“Sounds good."

After the examination, Claudia escorted Jace back to his room.

The full medical report would be available this coming Monday.