Chapter 1

The party was loud, too loud.

Music throbbed through the floor of Artisan Ales, vibrating up my legs.

Chloe, my wife, our CEO, beamed under the lights.

Seven years we' d been married, a secret kept tight while we built this place from nothing.

Tonight was supposed to be our night.

She' d hinted, a soft touch on my arm days ago, "Big announcement, Ethan. For us."

I believed her. I always did.

The new investors mingled, fat cats in suits, their eyes glinting with the success of my IPA, the one I' d spent a decade perfecting.

Chloe raised a glass, her voice cutting through the din.

"Thank you all for coming! Artisan Ales is on the move, and it' s thanks to fresh vision!"

My stomach tightened. This wasn't the script.

Before she could continue, Liam, the new marketing intern, barely old enough to drink legally, stepped forward.

He was all charm, a slick smile plastered on his face.

"And Chloe' s about to announce my new lead role on the brand refresh project!" he declared, winking at her.

A wave of murmurs, then applause.

Chloe hesitated for a breath, just one.

Then her face smoothed into that CEO mask, the one that had become too familiar.

"Yes! Liam, our dynamic new talent, will be spearheading our image! A fresh face for a fresh future!"

She didn't look at me.

The crowd roared. "Power duo!" someone shouted.

Chloe and Liam. Not Chloe and Ethan.

My chest felt hollow. The noise, the lights, Chloe' s bright, false smile – it all blurred.

Years of work, late nights, the scent of hops clinging to me like a second skin, all for this.

For her to stand there with him.

I moved through the crowd, a ghost at my own celebration.

When I reached them, the applause was still ringing.

Liam preened, Chloe glowed.

I held out my keys, the ones to the Head Brewer' s office, my office.

"A gift," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "For your... announcement."

Liam' s eyes widened, then a smirk. "Wow, thanks, old timer! Generous."

Chloe finally looked at me, a flicker of something – surprise? annoyance? – in her eyes.

It was gone as quickly as it came.

She just smiled wider at Liam.

The investors clapped harder, thinking it was some planned gesture of magnanimity.

Only I knew the taste of ash in my mouth.