Chapter 1

I have a very unique superpower: I can hear the inner thoughts of anyone who doesn't love me.

On the eve of my wedding, however, I suddenly heard my fiancée's voice in my head:

"If Julian crashes the wedding tomorrow to take me away, maybe wearing high heels isn't the best idea for a quick escape."

I kept my mouth shut. The next morning, I boarded a one-way flight to London.

Later, that wedding became the biggest joke in the city—both the groom and the bride had run away.

I’ve always had a special superpower: I can hear the inner thoughts of people who don't love me.

Thanks to this ability, I can easily tell if someone’s affection for me is fake.

It allowed me to cut ties with fake friends instantly, and to remain completely unfazed when the "campus goddess" I’d supposedly liked for years confessed her love to me.

Even when buying fruit at a local market, I could read the vendor's mind to pick the sweetest, juiciest one.

Because every single hypocritical thought they had was broadcasted directly into my brain.

To keep my world from getting too noisy, I usually avoided making eye contact with strangers.

But when I met Olivia Sterling for the first time, the entire world fell completely silent. All I could hear was our actual conversation:

"Hi, I’m Olivia. Nice to meet you."

There was no inner voice.

When our eyes met, I couldn’t read Olivia’s mind at all.

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied.

During the time Olivia was pursuing me, the world around me felt incredibly peaceful and pure.

I genuinely believed she loved me.

So, we fell in love, started dating, and eventually reached the point of planning our wedding.

For two whole years, I never once heard her inner thoughts.

But on the very eve of our wedding, Olivia’s inner voice suddenly forced its way into my head.

Because of the upcoming wedding, Olivia had been incredibly busy lately.

She came from an incredibly wealthy family and had recently taken over her father’s position, running the Sterling Financial Group on Wall Street.

Between the wedding prep and her business, we both had a mountain of work to handle, especially over the last two months.

I had my own career, and I deeply respected hers.

As a result, we had barely seen each other recently. But today was our final fitting, and thinking about the rare quiet moment we’d share, I couldn't help but smile.

When I arrived at the bridal boutique, she was already there, trying on shoes.

She whispered something to an assistant, then stepped outside with her phone in hand, speaking in a highly soothing, comforting tone to whoever was on the other end.

I understood how busy she was. Running a major corporation is no easy task, especially since she wasn't the only heir in the Sterling family.

We caught each other's eyes and shared a knowing nod.

But then, Olivia’s voice suddenly echoed inside my head:

*“Julian said he’s going to crash the wedding and take me away tomorrow. I should probably wear sneakers so it’s easier to run.”*

Julian? Crashing the wedding?

I froze on the spot, staring at her mouth. Once I confirmed that this was indeed her inner voice, I had no idea how to react.

Even though it was a scorching summer day outside, a sudden chill rushed through my veins, paralyzing me.

I could hear her mind now. What that meant was blindingly obvious.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boutique assistant slip a pair of casual white sneakers into her wedding dress garment bag, just as she had instructed. Olivia gave me a quick nod and turned to walk out the door.

This was our usual routine—she always had some urgent business meeting to rush off to.

But the voice I had just heard was unmistakable. I never misheard my superpower.

My body moved on its own. Unable to accept it, I quickly followed her and called out:

"Olivia!"

I desperately wanted to read more. I wanted to know what the woman who wore my engagement ring was actually thinking.

Why did she suddenly stop loving me right before our wedding?

Hearing my voice, Olivia paused just as she was about to slide into the backseat of her town car. But it was only a brief pause. She turned around, gave me a rushed explanation, and signaled her driver to hit the gas:

"I’m so sorry, Ethan. A major client just called with an emergency. I have to run."

She was lying.

At that exact moment, her mind was screaming:

*“I could tell Julian was furious over the phone. If I don't go comfort him right now, he won't let me hear the end of it tonight.”*

I’ve never been the type of guy to sit around and wallow in self-pity. Instead of driving myself crazy with questions, I prefer taking action.

I immediately called Olivia’s personal secretary, offering a quick excuse to grab a coffee, and used my mind-reading superpower to dig up the truth.