Serena was pretty sure she had only told him her last name-Knowles. She never mentioned her full name.
Dr. Beckett's expression stiffened. He looked a bit awkward.
After a moment, he replied, "I... actually knew your parents. When you were little, I used to play with you."
"What?! You knew my mom and dad?!"
Serena tried to remember, but couldn't recall her parents ever mentioning anyone with the last name Beckett-aside from her ex-husband.
Dr. Beckett turned his eyes away, chuckling dryly. "It's all in the past now. I haven't been in touch with them for many years."
"But... it sounds like you guys were pretty close. So why did you suddenly lose contact?"
A bunch of questions swirled in Serena's mind. She stared at him, waiting for an answer.
But Dr. Beckett didn't want to get into it. He just paused and said, "If your eyes ever act up again like you described, come find me. I'll set you up with a top specialist. That doctor earlier... she's not very experienced. Don't book with her again."
"Thank you!" Serena still wasn't ready to give up. "But my parents..."
Before she could finish, Dr. Beckett suddenly stood up. "I've got an important meeting to attend. If your eyes are okay for now, you should head home."
He was clearly trying to end the conversation.
Serena knew when not to push. Even with a thousand questions in her head, she stood up. "Alright then, I'll head out. Sorry about earlier-I didn't mean to argue with that doctor..."
Dr. Beckett waved it off. "I told you, I believe you. No need to explain."
"Okay." She gave him a polite nod and turned to leave.
On the way home, the more she thought about it, the weirder it all seemed. She suddenly spun the wheel and turned toward her parents' house.
When she knocked on the door, Nola answered. She smiled brightly and ushered her inside. "Serena! What a surprise! Didn't Clint come with you?"
Serena hesitated for a moment before replying, "Mom... I divorced Clint."
"What?!" Nola's hand shook, and hot water almost spilled from the thermos. "You two... what happened?" Seeing her daughter's downcast face, she took a breath and changed the question. "When did this happen?"
"Just a few days ago."
Carrying a cup of warm water over, she said gently, "Serena, marriage is a serious thing. I hope... you and Clint didn't rush into this."
"No, Mom. I thought long and hard about it. Even though he won't admit it and says he had his reasons, I'm convinced-he cheated on me with Poppy Castano."
"Poppy? Who's that?"
"Apparently, she's his childhood sweetheart. The Castano and Beckett families are really close. They've known each other since they were kids."
"Castano..." Nola seemed to recognize the name.
The look on her mom's face made Serena uneasy. She had a hunch her mother knew more than she was letting on.
Testing the waters, Serena asked, "Mom, do you know Clint's dad-Gaius Beckett?"
Nola flinched and nearly dropped the cup. "Huh? N-No. Didn't he pass away a long time ago?"
Serena caught every micro-expression.
Even though her mom denied it, she was now even more certain-her mother knew who Gaius was.
But seeing how evasive she was, Serena knew pressing her wouldn't help.
So she changed the subject. "Mom, do you know Dr. Beckett from the public hospital? He said he knew you and Dad, but I've never heard you mention him."
Nola tensed, fingers gripping the cup tightly. "Maybe someone your dad used to work with. You know he's switched jobs a lot over the years. Honestly, there were so many colleagues-I can't keep track."
"Really?"
She stared at her mom's face, skeptical.
"Of course. I barely even remember the guy."
"Mhm." Serena took a sip of water, then let the topic drop.
After sitting for a bit longer, she found an excuse to leave.
"You're not staying for dinner? It's been a while since you came home," her mom tried to keep her.
"I'll come back in a few days. I've got something I need to do today."
"Alright. But next time, call ahead. I'll make sure your dad's home to see you."
"Okay."
Once she left and got in the car, Serena rested her head against the steering wheel. Her mind was a tangled mess of threads-each one leading somewhere, but nothing tying together. Everything felt disconnected, but also strangely linked.
After thinking it over, she took out her phone and dialed a number.
The call was picked up instantly.
A cheerful voice came through, "Serena! If you didn't call soon, I was gonna show up at your door!"
Serena chuckled. "Xavier, how's your recovery going? You sure you're well enough to be making house calls?"
"Please! I'm healing fast. I'm basically all better now. They're just holding me here for no reason. If they weren't in the way, I'd be out already."
A nurse nearby chimed in gently, "Mr. Blaze, you're recovering quickly, but not fully. You still need a few more days of bed rest."
"Zip it! You talk too much." Xavier shot her a glare.
The nurse lowered her head and quickly left with her tray.
Serena laughed. "Don't be mean. She's just doing her job."
"Doing her job? If she really cared, she'd let me out of here so I could see you! You're the only cure I need. Just seeing you would get me back on my feet!"
"Cut it out. You make it sound like I'm some kind of miracle drug."
"Heh! You are my miracle cure! I'd crawl out of my grave if it meant seeing you!"
"Okay, okay, stop. That's getting creepy." Serena sobered up. "Actually, I need your help with something."
Xavier perked up. "Name it!"
"You've got a bunch of guys working for you, right?"
"They're not my guys. Just employees."
"Well, I need you to have someone look into a person for me."
"Who?"
"Clint's father-Gaius Beckett."
***