Dead Presidents (An Aria Raymond Thriller Book 3), Thomas Ransom [best thriller books to read txt] 📗

more I feel it might be good for me. It will help me get the closure I need. I want to look at him and ask him why he did what he did. I want to hear his side of the story. I know I have heard everything from you all, but I just need… I want to speak to him directly. I am not sure how I will react. I might break down, I might get angry, but my gut tells me it is something that I have to do. It could be something that would help me finally move on with my life and leave everything behind.”

“I see…”

“I know. I know you must be judging me right now…”

“What! No, Aria. Not at all. Please don’t think that. I am in no position to judge, and I know you would make the right decision for yourself. You might be right. It could help you move on.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much, Sanjay! I don’t know… I honestly don’t know what I would do without the three of you.”

“Oh, stop it!” Sanjay insisted, “Okay… let me see what I can do. I will try to arrange a meeting between the two of you. Nicole would probably help you more on this…”

“Yeah, but first, she and Tanya will try to talk me out of this,” Aria chuckled.

“Well… yeah, that too,” Sanjay laughed. “Don’t worry, I will make the arrangements, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something, okay?”

“Awesome! Thank you once again.”

Sanjay looked at his phone and shook his head. He was genuinely concerned for Aria. He wasn’t sure if this was a good decision for her. She was already suffering through the trauma of being in prison, getting wrongfully convicted, and then betrayal by her boyfriend. This wasn’t just a case of boyfriend cheating or lying or hiding things from the girlfriend. Aria’s life was in danger, and she was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering her own boss, all because of her boyfriend! Whether he was trying to protect her or not was beside the point.

He sighed. There was nothing he could do, though. Aria can make her own decisions, and this is what she wanted. Sanjay had promised to help her, and that’s what he was going to do, even if he felt this was wrong for her. He leaned against his chair, wondering. He could also be wrong. Maybe this is really what she needs to get over everything. Maybe she needs to confront David about what he had done and tell him how that made her feel. She could let go of her emotions this way. Yeah. He thought to himself. It might actually be good for her. He decided to make a call but realized it was too late to call anyone. He packed up his things and promised to ask around about arranging the meeting tomorrow.

Aria couldn’t sleep at all that night. While she was extremely confident when she told Sanjay that she wanted to meet David, she had her doubts. She knew for a fact that meeting him after months and after everything that happened wasn’t going to be easy. She didn’t know how and where she would start. What if she breaks down in front of him? What if she has a panic attack? She honestly wasn’t sure at this point. You would think that spending time in prison, being in isolation, getting a beating, winning a few fights with the inmates, most importantly, being called a murderer would toughen someone up. Still, Aria wasn’t feeling strong at the moment. It was probably because she genuinely loved the man who was responsible for putting her behind bars. The man roamed around freely while she had to endure the torture of the crime he had committed.

He even came to visit her so many times. How the hell did he get the courage to look into her eyes after what he did to her? Aria suddenly felt enraged. No. She was doing the right thing. She had to see him. She had to make him look into her eyes and admit what he did. She wanted him to know the hurt and pain he had caused her, the things she had to do to survive! How dare he do this to her!

He should pay for this. She knew he was given a life sentence without parole and that he would be rotting in prison for life, but Aria somehow felt this wasn’t enough. He must face her. He probably already knows how hard prison is. She wanted to see the damage herself. It might give her some sense of peace. Yes, she was doing the right thing. Satisfied with her decision, it was easier for her to fall asleep after that.

True to his words, Sanjay successfully arranged the meeting for Aria within a week. The week following that was nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster ride for her. She had made Sanjay promise not to tell Diaz or Tanya because she knew they would try to talk her out of it. It was tough trying to hide it from both of them when one or both of them insisted on meeting her or taking her out or video chat with her almost every day. Aria was distant throughout the week, waiting in anticipation of the meeting. As the date came closer, she started feeling more anxious. She experienced grave mood swings – anger, excitement, sadness, nervousness, hate, guilt, and frustration.

Finally, Sanjay arrived outside her house to take her to the facility. The ride was quiet. Neither of them said anything. Sanjay knew Aria probably didn’t want to talk, and he respected that. He parked the car in the prison’s parking lot. They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Aria opened the door, indicating she was ready to go inside. Sanjay led her