Chapter 2

My mind raced back, a torrent of memories now tainted.

Olivia' s tearful proposal at that Denver Oktoberfest.

Her insistence on a quick wedding.

The way she always dismissed my mild questions about Jake, who occasionally surfaced in local music news.

It all clicked. The puzzle pieces, ugly and sharp, fell into place.

I was a fool. A convenient, wealthy fool.

Liam spoke, his voice devoid of the warmth I thought we shared. "Dad, about the brewery... we need to discuss its future."

Jake put a hand on Noah's shoulder. "Your mother wanted the boys to be secure."

Secure with my life's work.

The pressure in my chest intensified.

My doctor had warned me. Stress was a killer for my heart condition.

This was beyond stress. This was annihilation.

"Get out," I managed, my voice raspy.

"Ethan, be reasonable," Jake started.

"Get. Out."

They hesitated, then Liam shrugged, a gesture so callous it stole my breath.

They left, the three of them. A united front against me.

Alone with Olivia' s still form, the reality of my wasted devotion suffocated me.

I reached for the phone, my hand shaking.

Not for a doctor. For my lawyer.

"Change the will," I told him, my voice weak but firm. "Everything. The brewery, the house, all of it. To the Colorado Children's Charity."

Let them have nothing from me.

The lawyer was surprised but took my instructions.

The pen felt heavy as I signed the new documents when he rushed them over.

A profound sense of injustice burned through me.

Then, a searing pain shot through my chest, up my arm.

I gasped, clutching the spot.

The last thing I saw was Olivia' s peaceful, dead face.

I died heartbroken. Alone. Utterly betrayed.

Then, light. Noise. The smell of beer and bratwurst.

Laughter. Music.

I sat bolt upright.

Oktoberfest. Denver. Years ago.

I looked at my hands. Younger. Stronger.

Across the beer garden table, Olivia Hayes, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears, was speaking.

"...and so, Ethan, I know this is sudden, but..."

She was reaching for my hand.

She was proposing.

The exact moment. The genesis of the lie.

I was back.