Contingency (Covenant of Trust) Read Online Free PDF Page B

it from scratch.” Chuck nodded. Maybe he did understand. “You have to rebuild your credibility with her. In three weeks.”
    “Three weeks?” Chuck jumped up and paced away from Phil. “I have to make her trust me in three weeks?”
    “No, but you have to show her that you’re making progress toward change, or she’s not going to invest herself emotionally in counseling. She will divorce you.”
    “I guess you’re going to tell me how to do that.” Chuck shoved his hands deep in the pockets of his slacks.
    “There’s nothing mysterious about it. In a nutshell, you have to get past the guilt and shame and learn to live in Christ’s grace, and you have to make yourself worthy of Bobbi’s trust. That’s where the confession comes in. Also, you have to accept that there are some things in your marriage, in your life even, that will never be the same.”
    “I know.”
    “Let me throw out some things you may not have thought of yet. You can’t be alone with a woman again, ever. No meetings, no taxis, no elevators.”
    “That’s going overboard, isn’t it?”
    “No such thing, anymore. I’d recommend you not work late at your office, but bring it home.” Chuck didn’t protest. “You can’t give Bobbi the slightest reason to doubt you ever again. Your integrity has got to be beyond reproach.”
    “Yeah,” Chuck whispered, easing back into his seat.
    “This other woman, is she a Christian?”
    “I doubt it.”
    “You need to apologize to her for how you’ve treated her, and then break off all contact with her. I imagine she’s not going to be very forgiving.”
    “That’s putting it mildly. She found out I was married about the same time Bobbi found out about her.”
    “How could a woman you worked with not know you were married?”
    “It never came up.”
    “What about your wedding ring?” Phil asked, pointing to the finger where the ring should have been.
    “Oh, it’s not what you’re thinking,” Chuck said, holding his hand up for Phil to see. “About four years ago, Gavin wanted to take his son-in-law, John, you know, Kara’s husband, and Danny deer hunting, and he asked me and Brad to go. I fell out of a tree and broke my wrist and these two fingers on my left hand,” he said, indicating his little finger and ring finger. “See, they’re kind of crooked.” Phil nodded. “I just never got my wedding band resized.” Then his voice grew quiet. “I never made it that much of a priority.”
    “Don’t you have any pictures of Bobbi at work?”
    “Yes, right on my desk!”
    “I’m getting off the subject,” Phil said. “We don’t need to get into all this tonight. Bottom line, Chuck, is you’re going to have to let Bobbi set the pace here. Don’t force her toward reconciliation before she’s ready. It may take a long time, but she deserves to do this on her terms. Answer every question she asks, but don’t volunteer things yet.”
    “Isn’t that deceitful?”
    “No, it’s giving her time to absorb things. While Donna and I help her work through things, you and I will focus on how this happened in the first place. Then, we’ll get to counseling you together about where the two of you go from here. Well, the four of you. The boys will have to be a part of the healing.”
    “I haven’t talked to the boys yet.” Chuck mumbled.
    “Brace yourself. It’ll be almost as difficult as facing your wife. For the next couple of weeks, you may feel like that’s all you get done, admitting your adultery.”
    “How many people do I have to tell? If I confess it at church, won’t that take care of it?”
    “You have coworkers. You’re going to have to be straight with them. There’s your mother. Then there’s going to be gossip, embarrassment, and even when you and Bobbi reconcile, this is a specter that won’t go away. Ever.”
    Chuck nodded, and Phil hoped his words registered. “Years from now, it may rear its ugly head, and you’ll feel like you have to prove