The Goalie's Quiet Wife

Anton Petrov lets nothing in. Not the press, not the fans, not his teammates, and not the wife who walked out three years ago. Now Alba Lindqvist is back in his city, running a bakery two blocks from his arena, and she has a daughter who has his eyes, his frown, and his habit of waking up angry. He finds out the way he finds out everything — from someone else's joke. He does not shout. He does not sue. He shows up at 5 a.m. every morning, buys one pastry, says nine words, and leaves. Alba wants to know why. Anton has an answer, and it is the same answer he should have given her three years ago. Before the custody papers. Before the fever. Before the small hand pressing a plastic goalie mask onto his face and calling him something he never thought he would be.