~JOYCE~

I sat on the plush leather sofa in the dimly lit sitting room, my eyes fixed on the flickering television.

On screen, the World Cup match unfolded in a blur of green pitch and shifting jerseys.

Beside me sat Marcus Hathaway—my stepfather, my university's soccer coach, and the most soccer-obsessed man I'd ever met.

For the past few weeks, sitting here watching matches with him and mom had become my nightly routine.

Truthfully, I didn’t care about soccer.

Yet I sat through every agonizing ninety minutes of shifting green pitch for one reason: it was the only time I ever got to spend with Marcus.

He was the one...