"You have a collect call from an inmate—"
"I accept."
A click. "Valentino?"
"Hey." Just hearing his voice made everything easier. "How are you?"
"I'm okay. Counting down. How are you?"
"I need to talk to you about something." I looked at the manuscript. "I finished the book. About us. About everything."
A pause. "And?"
"My editor wants to publish it. They think it'll be huge. But Luca, you're still inside. I don't want to put this out there without your permission."
"What does it say? The book."
"The truth. All of it. How we met. The coercion. The evolution. The trial. Everything." I swallowed hard. "I don't pull punches. I admit what you did. What I did. How complicated it all was."
"Then publish it."
"Just like that?"
"Valentino, it's our truth. If you think people need to hear it, then they should hear it." His voice was steady. "I trust you. Completely."
"It's going to bring media attention. People are going to have opinions—"
"Let them. We know what we are. We know what we built. Fuck everyone else's opinions."
I laughed, feeling lighter. "Okay. I'll tell my editor yes."
"Good. I want to read it when I get out."
"You'll be the first person I give a copy to."
"Five minutes remaining," the automated voice announced.
We talked quickly about other things. His routine. My work. The visit this Saturday. Never enough time.
When the call ended, I emailed my editor:Let's do it.
***
The book released two months later.
The media response was immediate and intense.
Some outlets praised it."Russo's unflinching honesty about journalistic ethics and personal choice is remarkable.""A complex examination of power, coercion, and genuine transformation."
Others condemned it."Romanticizing coercion and Stockholm syndrome.""Irresponsible glorification of an abusive relationship."
I did interviews. So many interviews. Morning shows. Podcasts. Print media. All of them asking variations of the same questions.
"Do you think you were coerced?"
"Initially, yes. But that changed. People can evolve. Relationships can transform."
"Aren't you just experiencing Stockholm syndrome?"
