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One of Ashley’s deepest disappointments was not ever meeting or knowing Cord’s mother, a woman he’d adored. As for Cord’s father, he was a cold man, aloof.
“You were what? Eighteen?” Cord nodded. “Tell me more about your family. How many brothers and/or sisters?”
“I’m an only child.”
Vince wrote more notations. “Since you went away to school in the East, am I assuming correctly that you generally made several visits home a year?”
“No,” came the abrupt reply.
This was news to Ashley. Her gaze fastened compulsively on him, her heart thudding.
“Why not?”
At this point Cord leaned forward, his hands clasped between his knees in an attitude of solemnity. “My father and I became estranged before I graduated from high school.”
“Why?”
Cord’s face darkened with lines. “From the time I was fourteen, I always had to work for my father at the office doing odd jobs, anything he wanted me to do. It was always intended that I would head the family business after he retired, so he expected me to know it all.” His voice grated.
“I take it the idea of filling his shoes didn’t appeal to you.”
“No. I had interests which ran in another direction entirely, but being the only son, I felt trapped.”
“You never told me that—” Ashley blurted.
Cord absently brushed his lower lip with his thumb. “I never said anything because my mother urged me to do what my father wanted. Above all, I hated disappointing her.”
“Surely she wanted your welfare above all else!”
Sadness lurked in Cord’s eyes. “I’m positive of it. But because Dad didn’t seem capable of making her happy, I thought I could. Anyway, in May of my senior year, about three weeks before graduation, Dad hired a new girl to replace the receptionist who was leaving to get married.”
Suddenly Cord’s dark glance swerved to Ashley. “Her name was Sheila Wright.”
A gasp came out of Ashley. “You really did know her clear back then?” she cried in fresh agony. “Then that means Sheila was telling the truth.” For the second time in one morning, she watched Cord’s face pale.
Vince got to his feet before she did. “All right. The mention of this Sheila has touched on an issue of extreme sensitivity, one that has obviously not been resolved.” He eyed Ashley compassionately. “Is Sheila the person you feel is partially responsible for the breakup of your marriage?”
“Among other reasons.” Ashley’s voice shook. She felt ill. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
“Ashley—”
She heard the tormented plea in Cord’s tone, but she couldn’t handle the gut-wrenching revelation that Sheila had been his lover as far in the past as high school! Sheila had intimated that she’d been the other woman in the background of Cord’s life, but Cord had always denied it.
Somehow Ashley had thought she was the only person important to Cord before they were married…
“If you’ll excuse us, Cord, I’d like to speak to Ashley in private.”
She had barely made it out the door when Vince caught up with her. “I can see you’re in pain, Ashley. The more we delve, the more it’s going to hurt. But I want you to think about a couple of things before you leave the hospital.
“Without your help, your husband can’t remain here on this particular program. It takes two.”
She knew that, but she feared that if she heard any more, it would destroy her.
“We haven’t been going ten minutes, yet already you’ve learned several new things about your husband’s past. Wouldn’t you rather know the whole truth, instead of just bits and pieces, before you walk away from your marriage?
“Dr. Drake said you didn’t know your husband had ever had a smoking problem. It’s obvious your husband is a very private person. Apparently he has a history of keeping certain memories to himself which are destructive to him and hurting you now. If you were to stay the entire week, perhaps we’ll find out why he has chosen to remain silent on so many issues.
“In the end, you will have greater understanding of his psyche. So will he. Unburdening himself could be the key to getting over his habit. If you do go through with the divorce, the time spent here will give you closure on your marriage.
