1985 (#19) - Dina's insanity, Brent's death and John's secret pact

Back in the city accompanied by Victor, Ashley soon regains her memory for the joy of Dina. Ashley is angry with her mother for never telling her the truth, but in the end both agree that it is important that John never knows anything about this. Meanwhile, Katherine and Brent return from their cruise, which Dina hurls herself at. Brent is shocked by the vicissitudes experienced by Ashley and assures that it was not his intention to upset his daughter in this way and put her life in danger. Brent then asks Dina for forgiveness, but when she is overcome by insanity, she pulls out a gun, ready to kill Brent. Katherine runs to his rescue, taking the shot aimed at him. Brent, distraught, tries to leave his fingerprints on the gun so that he can be found guilty instead of Dina, who is still shocked by what she has done. Fortunately, Katherine saves herself and Brent, despite being formally charged with attempted murder, is cleared by Katherine herself, who drops all charges. Dina thanks Brent for taking responsibility for the incident, and asks his forgiveness for losing her mind. Some time later, as soon as Katherine is released, Brent's happiness is interrupted by a sudden deterioration in his health. In the end, the illness prevails on the same man, who thus dies in Katherine's arms. Dina and Ashley are desperate for the man's death and Ashley, in particular, is bitterly sorry for never having had the chance to meet her real father. Katherine tries to comfort her and, together with Dina, makes a solemn pact that the truth of fatherhood must never come out of them, since John must never know anything about the fact that he is not Ashley's father. Some time later, however, Dina and Ashley decide to reveal the truth to Jack, who thus discovers that he is only Ashley's half-brother.

1985 (#15) - Ashley's amnesia and Victor's intervention

Completely stunned by the news of her true parenthood, Ashey suddenly realizes that she is not an Abbott and that she has always lived in a family that is not hers. Without her own certainties, Ashley is unable to react in any other way than running away, without a destination. Meanwhile, Katherine, who is unaware that Brent has confessed the whole truth to Ashley, decides to devote herself completely to the man she loves, giving him happy and serene moments, the last moments of his life. So she takes him on a cruise together, with no thought for the near future. When Dina is no longer able to find Ashley, she realizes that she must have known the truth and immediately sets out in search of the woman. Victor unexpectedly rushes to her aid and decides to take part in the search and find Ashley; what Victor has forgotten, however, is that he has decided to leave on his wedding anniversary with Nikki, who seems at least disappointed by the man's absence. Meanwhile, Ashley finds herself wandering around aimlessly by hitchhiking; the trauma suffered has made her lose her memory and soon she finds herself asking for a ride with Hank Basley and Vince Balance, two truckers who unload her at a restaurant and motel along the road. Here Ashley introduces herself to owner Tom Gunner as Annie River, and is hired as a waitress. Victor, meanwhile, thanks to a few sightings, gets on the trail of the girl; what he doesn't know is that Vince Balance, one of the two truckers who transported her, intends to pick her up and take advantage of her. Luckily, thanks also to the help of Tom, who has recognized Ashley in the girl he hired, Victor manages to arrive in time and save Ashley, with whom they exchange kisses full of passion.

1985 (#13) - Katherine and Brent's relationship, Dina's fears and Ashley's father

Convinced by Brock to keep at least for now the secret of Jill and Jack's betrayal of John, Katherine, at Brock's suggestion, begins to devote completely to herself, particularly playing tennis. It was at the Genoa City Tennis Club that Katherine met an old friend of hers, Brent Davis, who had recently returned to the city. There is immediately a great feeling between the two of them and in a short time they start dating, living intimate and very happy moments. Meanwhile, it turns out that Brent was Dina Mergeron's former lover, just when he was married to John; however, it doesn't seem possible that this is the only reason why Dina seems to strongly oppose Katherine dating Brent. When cornered by the woman, Dina is then forced to confess that her daughter Ashley is the result of her love for Brent, so he is the woman's biological father and not John. Katherine is shocked by the news, but assures Dina that she will keep the secret. Dina, however, does not trust Brent, despite swearing that she will only focus on his relationship with Katherine, and fears that the man may upset the balance in the Abbott family. Some time later, however, Brent suddenly discovers that he is seriously ill with liver cancer, and all of a sudden his priorities change, having decided he doesn't want to take the secret of Ashley's fatherhood to the grave. Dina tries to convince Brent in every way to give up, but Katherine defends the man, believing that he has every right to know the truth, as does Ashley. When Brent decides to contact Ahsley giving her an unexpected gift, Dina realizes that Brent is now determined to reveal the whole truth, and despite all his attempts, he finally manages to present Ashley as his father to a distraught woman. The girl, completely shocked, instinctively runs away.