“Her doctor has mentioned that risk. If she were released for a day, it would be a carefully thought-out and limited excursion. I know she’ll have to be exposed in small increments to avoid a setback.”
I remember Max’s revelation that Monique had been to visit Cassie several times and decide that Aidan needs a heads-up if his current fuck is visiting his longtime love. Something about that still seems strange to me. “You know, Max told me something surprising a few months back. I should have mentioned it then, but I didn’t want to make an issue out of it unless it continued. Apparently Monique has been to see Cassie a couple of times.” I’m shocked when he only shrugs his shoulders.
“Yeah, I already knew that.”
“What?” I ask disbelievingly. “Why in the world would you let that happen? That’s fucked.”
He gives me a look full of confusion before his expression clears. “Shit, I thought you knew. They went to school together. I mean, I don’t think they were bosom buddies or anything and I don’t remember ever meeting Monique then, but yeah. Go figure. Small world, right?”
I am completely floored and struggle for composure. “No way,” I finally manage. “The first time I met Monique was when she ground herself against my cock at a fundraiser a year ago. You’re talking college?”
“Yeah, man, that’s what she said. You know neither of us had any classes with Cassie so I have no idea who she did or didn’t know. Then she dropped out so they probably lost touch after that.”
“And Monique just up and told you all of this out of the blue? How’d she even make the connection? I never told her about Cassie or anything in my past.”
Shifting uncomfortably, Aidan confesses, “I told her. It was one evening after I got home from visiting Cassie. I’d had a lot to drink when she showed up unexpectedly. She knew I was upset and questioned why. Things have never been serious between her and me, but she knows me well enough to get that there’s someone else in my life. So I ended up spilling some of the story to her.” Looking guilty, he adds, “I told her that you were engaged to Cassie at one point, but not what happened. She just knows that Cassie had a mental breakdown and has been in the hospital for years. I told her that we were all longtime friends.”
I’m pissed that he told someone like Monique my personal business. I have to wonder if he even knows exactly what he revealed to her if he had been drinking. That bitch is a master manipulator and would have seized the opportunity to find out anything she could. “And how did she make the connection that Cassie was her long-lost friend?” I snap. “I mean, that seems a little coincidental, don’t you think?”
He’s defensive now; I can see it on his face before he even speaks. “Give me a little credit, Luc. Obviously, I fucked up and told her Cassie’s name and she remembered her. When she asked about visiting, pointing out that it might do Cassie good to talk to someone from her past, I had her story checked. It wasn’t that hard to verify that she did go to school with Cassie.”
“I guess the gold-digging whore part didn’t come into play until later, huh?” Even I wince when the sentence leaves my mouth. Aidan, to his credit, doesn’t show much reaction either way. He must be telling the truth about not having feelings for Monique; otherwise, he’d be pulling me over the desk for that remark. I flop back into my chair and run my hands through my hair. “Fuck. It’s already done. I just wish you had mentioned it. As I said, I’ve turned this over to you. Just please keep my name out of anything to do with Monique. I don’t trust her with that kind of information. I’d rather you not mention me to Cassie either.”
Now he just looks stunned. “And how do you even think that’s possible?” he sputters. “She asks about you every time I’m there now. What am I supposed to say? She seems to have no memory of what happened that night. In her mind, we’re all still the three musketeers. Even at her worst, she would still make some kind of response to your name. Luc, I think she believes you’re still together in some form.”