"Romano," the warden said. "We've been reviewing your file."
Here it comes. Whatever bad news they had.
"Your behavior has been exemplary. No infractions. No complaints. Cooperative with staff. Positive contributions to your work detail."
I waited, not sure where this was going.
"Your attorney filed for early release review. Given your record here, we're approving it. You'll be released at twelve months instead of the full eighteen. Pending continued good behavior."
Relief flooded through me so intensely I felt dizzy. "Six months?"
"Six months. Don't fuck it up." The warden's voice was blunt. "One infraction and this gets revoked. Understand?"
"Yes, sir. I understand. Thank you."
"Dismissed."
I walked back to my cell in a daze. Six months. Not twelve. Six more months until Valentino.
That Saturday, when he walked into the visiting room, I stood and pulled him into a hug that lasted longer than allowed. The guard had to tell us twice to separate.
"What's going on?" Valentino asked as we sat. "You look—different."
"I got approved. Early release in six months. Not twelve—six. They moved up my eligibility."
His eyes filled with tears. "Six months? For certain?"
"Six months. I'll be home by summer." I grabbed his hands. "Six more months and I'm coming home to you."
"Six months," he repeated, voice breaking. "We can do six months."
"We can do anything," I said. "Together."
"Together," he agreed.
For the first time since incarceration, I felt hope. Real hope. Not just survival, but actual light at the end.
Six more months. Then freedom. Then Valentino. Then the rest of our lives.
We could survive six more months.
CHAPTER 21: VALENTINO
SIX MONTHS.
SIXmonths down, six to go.
Halfway to having Luca home again.
I sat at the dining table staring at the manuscript in front of me. Three hundred pages. Our entire story. From that first encounter at the coffee shop to the trial to now. Every moment documented. Every choice examined.
The Architect and The Journalist: A Love Story That Started Wrong
My editor wanted to publish it. Major publisher. National release. Book tour. The works.
But I wasn't sure. Publishing while Luca was still in prison felt like... what? Exploitation? Exposure? I didn't know.
My phone rang. The familiar evening call.
