Page 9 of Offside Rule

“Mamma!” she screamed, her grandmother on her heels.

“Careful, Giuli.”

But my daughter didn’t listen. She increased her pace, and I dropped to my knees, opening my arms for her just as she slammed into me full force. Giulia squeezed me with her small hands, and I sucked in a deep breath, the bubblegum scent tickling my nostrils. It was the one smell that reminded me of home.

Because as much as I wanted it to be, this house wasn’t home.

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I enjoyed the feeling of having her in my arms. I've only been away for two days, but I'd miss her even if I went to buy something from the store. Giulia had this way of getting under people's skin, and I wasn't just saying that because she was my daughter. If she wanted someone to like her, it was easy for her to get it done.

I held her to my chest and watched how my mother walked toward us, supporting herself with the wall as she smiled downat us. My daughter's arm tightened even harder around my neck, and I released a relieved sigh.

It was too bad I had to leave again in four days.

“How’s my little bug?" I asked, caressing the back of her head as she kicked her feet.

"Good, Mamma," she cheered before she broke the hug, then caught my face in her hands before pressing a sweet kiss on my nose. "I missed you."

My chest warmed. "I missed you too, cara," I told her. "What if we go out to eat some tramezzini and tiramisu?" At that question, she clapped her hands and took a few steps back in excitement. "Go change your clothes and we'll go."

Giulia kissed my cheek, then bolted away, passing Nonna in a rush.

My keys were still hanging heavily in my hand, so I put them on the entrance table. When my eyes fell to a photo of my husband and me, my mother stepped next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

I bit the inside of my cheek. “We looked so happy.”

Two years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to look at this picture without bursting into tears and locking myself in a room away from everyone else. Now, four years after the accident, I had learned to accept what had happened, and understood that wallowing in pain until my last day wasn’t going to bring him back. But continuing to live my life would at least keep his memory alive.

For a long time, the only way I had thought about my husband was as the man I’d lost who I’d loved endlessly, and nothing more. I had pushed the happy memories away and relived only the terrible moments after his death.

He deserved to be remembered for what he was—a kind, beautiful young man who had never in his life mistreated me.

“You were happy.” My mother smiled at me, and I returned the gesture, resting my head on her shoulder.

That photo had captured the moment we’d found out I was pregnant—how could we not be happy? I remembered how he’d said in his throaty voice that he’d hoped we’d have a boy so he could protect me when he was on a mission. Little did he know, the daughter he never got to meet had rescued me from the hell he’d left behind with ease. Enzo had looked beautiful in his navy-blue shirt and his ravished blond hair.

The picture had been taken six months before I got the call that Enzo had died saving his teammates. Exactly a week before he was supposed to come home from his final mission.

“Come on,” she nudged me, “I’ll help you unpack.”

I was chilling on the couch later that night, scrolling on my phone, when my eyes landed on a few articles. I dropped my feet to the floor, pulling myself to the edge of the sofa, gawking at the screen.

What the hell?

My fingers tapped on the device as I read through the titles.

This can't be happening.

Was It Enough? Xavier Kevalle's Minimal Suspension Stirs Controversy After Aggressive Incident.

Did the Ref Go Too Easy? Fans Outraged by Kevalle's Minimal Suspension After Aggression.

Minimal Penalty, Maximum Backlash: Referee’s Light Punishment for Kevalle Sparks Debate.

I bit my bottom lip, my heart beating in my chest like a drum. The articles were always exaggerated, which wasn’t newsto me, but they were portraying it as something it wasn’t. They insinuated that I was preferential, and that Xavier’s actions on the field were far more than what they actually were.

I was the referee, and I had decided that he didn’t deserve to be suspended from the championship since it was the first time he’d ever acted like that in a game.

My mind flew to Xavier. The articles didn’t mention my name, but he was all over the internet, and I knew it couldn’t be easy for him to read what people had to say.

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