"MR. ASHFORD?" Sarah's voice drew his attention back to the table. "Can I ask you something?"
Every muscle in his body tensed instinctively.
"Of course."
"The anger management thing—was it really that helpful? Because I've been thinking about trying therapy myself, but I wasn't sure if it was worth it."
The question was so genuinely curious, so devoid of the mockery or judgment he'd been expecting, that for a moment he couldn't respond.
Around the table, he could see similar expressions of interest rather than ridicule.
"It was..." he paused, searching for words that wouldn't reveal too much while still being honest. "Illuminating. I learned that many of the reactions I thought were necessary were actually just... habits."
"Bad habits?" Mark asked.
"Unproductive habits," Grayson corrected. "Patterns that served a purpose once but had outlived their usefulness."
"Like intimidating people into compliance instead of actually communicating?" Sarah pressed gently.
