“What do you see happening if she does get better and is eventually released from the hospital? I’m afraid you have a picture in your head that’s never going to play out in real life. She may well pack her bags and leave this place behind. She has nothing here anymore, not even her father.”

Tapping his chest, Aidan says, “She has me. That’s never going to change. I’ve fucked a lot of women, but I’ve only ever loved one. Don’t you think if this were a simple case of puppy love, the glow would have worn off after all these years? I need you to trust that I know what I’m doing.”

I resign myself to the fact that this conversation is going nowhere. We’ll always be at a stalemate on this subject. “Other than not being able to deal with additional stress right now, I put you in charge because you’ll look out for her in ways I can’t,” I admit. “I’m not comfortable with her being released, even for a day, but that’s not my call. I only ask that you get a second opinion before you consider doing anything like that. Cassie has essentially been in a coma for eight years. That’s a long time. Everything is different now, and she won’t know or recognize this world. Can you imagine the type of shock that something like that could cause?”

“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.”

I stiffen, not wanting to hear any more. I’ve already had more than enough of a mind-fuck for one day. Monique and Cassie know each other. The whole thing sounds suspicious. Was it possible that Monique had known of my connection to Cassie all along? No. Shit, surely not. I’d made sure I covered those tracks well years ago. Even if the bitch was nosy enough to dig into my background—which she more than likely had—there should be nothing to find. She would have only been interested in my finances, knowing Monique. I know with a certainty that I have to distance myself from this whole mess until I’m strong enough to deal with it. I have a pregnant girlfriend who’s depending on me. I can’t let this mess push me back into using again—I won’t. Thinking of Cassie and the possibility of our paths intersecting at any point in the future is dangerous to my sanity as well as my recovery.