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.
His name was Julian Rivers. He was Olivia’s “first love”—the one that got away. Julian was an illegitimate son of the wealthy Rivers family. The matriarch of the Rivers family refused to acknowledge him, leaving his social status in a humiliating, awkward limbo. Olivia’s parents had vehemently opposed their relationship back then. Julian, possessing a fragile yet fierce pride, couldn’t handle the humiliation. He abandoned Olivia, fled the country, and went completely off the grid. As it turned out, Olivia’s “love at first sight” with me was simply because my eyes and facial structure looked strikingly similar to Julian’s. Now that the real deal was back, she had no use for a cheap knockoff like me. And the timing of Julian’s return lined up perfectly with when Olivia suddenly became “too busy” over the last two months. Everything clicked. The puzzle was complete. Hearing this story, I could only shake my head and laugh bitterly. I never expected that I would end up as the cliché “rebound stand-in” in some trashy romance drama. Julian wanted to crash our wedding to publicly declare his ownership of Olivia. And Olivia wanted to use this dramatic stage to prove her undying loyalty to him, appease her angry lover, and force the Sterling family to finally accept Julian. And me? My carefully planned wedding was nothing more than a prop for their romantic roleplay. The world really is just one giant, ridiculous soap opera. To be honest, it was so absurd I couldn’t help but curse out loud. That night, the lights in my apartment remained bright. Even though the wedding was scheduled for the next day, I was busy packing my bags without a moment’s rest. Two hours prior, I had already booked a first-class ticket to London. If they wanted to play crazy, I could play crazier. Since Olivia could plan a romantic escape with Julian, I might as well return the favor by pulling a vanishing act of my own. Fortunately, my parents had already relocated to London years ago. We hadn’t invited any of their overseas friends or extended relatives to this ceremony, only a few close friends here in New York. We had initially figured that since our parents had already met during the engagement, we would just host a smaller, intimate ceremony in London later to save everyone the hassle of traveling. That decision turned out to be incredibly convenient for my escape plan. I briefly explained my plan to my best friend, Leo Carter. He stood there in silence, taking the packing tape out of my hands with a deadpan expression. Since I couldn’t read his mind, I felt a bit uneasy. “Leo, are you going to try to stop me?” Leo rolled his eyes and snapped at me: “Are you stupid? I brought you a couple of heavy-duty contractor trash bags. They’re virtually indestructible for packing clothes.” Right. I forgot Leo’s family owned an industrial chemical and supply company. On the day of the wedding, Olivia and I stood at the entrance of the venue in our formal wear, welcoming the arriving guests. This time, Olivia’s inner thoughts were so loud they gave me a pounding headache: *“Is Julian here yet?”* *“I’m finally going to be with Julian. Three years. I’ve waited three years for this. I’m finally going to be Mrs. Rivers.”* *“When he takes me away today, he’ll finally believe that my heart has always belonged to him.”* …… I couldn’t help but shudder, frowning as I glanced at her. Yet, her face remained perfectly composed, wearing the same gentle, elegant smile she always had as she turned to me: “Ethan, you look a bit pale. Why don’t you go rest in the groom’s suite? I can handle the guests out here. You can just come out when the ceremony starts.” Perfect. I actually needed a solid excuse to slip away. I nodded, intending to change out of my tuxedo into some casual clothes, but as I walked toward the back, I ran right into Julian. Thanks to our similar features and my mind-reading superpower, the moment our eyes met, I recognized him instantly. I reached out and grabbed Leo’s arm, holding him back as he started rolling up his sleeves, ready to beat up the homewrecker. I pretended to be completely oblivious: “You must be one of Olivia’s friends, right? Please, head inside. The ceremony starts in a few hours.” Julian’s smirk faltered. He clearly hated hearing me call her “Olivia” so familiarly, and his tone turned dripping wet with sarcasm: “Mr. Vance, I’m so sorry. It looks like we wore almost the exact same tuxedo today. If people didn’t know any better, they might mistake me for the groom.” Julian’s arrogant thoughts echoed in my head simultaneously: *“Smile while you can, idiot. In three hours, your precious bride is going to run away with me. Let’s see if you can still smile then.”*
I kept my polite smile, gave a casual shrug, and said, “Well, tuxedos all look pretty much the same anyway.” I waved a server over to escort him inside. As he walked past, I heard his mind again: *“What a dumbass. I practically spelled it out for him, and he still doesn’t realize I’m here to ruin his life.”* The moment Julian was out of earshot, Leo couldn’t help but spit out, “Look at that arrogant prick. I seriously can’t stand him.” I shrugged. “Let him have his moment. He thinks I’m the joke of the day. After all, Olivia is fully prepared to let him ‘rescue’ her. That way, they get to play the tragic, star-crossed lovers while publicly forcing the Sterling family to accept him.” The wedding venue wasn’t far from JFK Airport. By the time I was sitting in the first-class lounge, the ceremony hadn’t even begun. I stared at the clock on my phone, waiting for the circus to start. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! My phone vibrated continuously. Leo was spamming my Snapchat with a live commentary: “Ethan! He did it! He actually did it!” “Holy shit, these two cheaters are acting like they’re starring in Romeo and Juliet. Absolutely shameless.” Barely five minutes after the official start time, Leo sent me a video clip of the venue. According to the original schedule, I was supposed to walk onto the stage first, followed by some cheesy romantic speech from the officiant, and then the bride would enter. But to make it easier for Julian to crash the wedding, Olivia had altered the timeline, insisting that she walk out first and I follow. She wanted Julian to swoop in at the perfect dramatic moment, completely unaware that she had played right into my hands. In the video, Julian, wearing his matching tuxedo, strode up to the altar and snatched the microphone from the officiant’s hand. Ignoring the shocked whispers of the crowd, he began pouring his heart out, declaring his undying love. His dramatic, passionate speech brought tears to Olivia’s eyes. “Olivia, will you run away with me?” The guest seating erupted into chaos. Taking the bride away on her wedding day? This was a public slap in the face. But to everyone’s utter shock, Olivia nodded with tears of gratitude. She walked over, locked her fingers with Julian’s, and leaned gently against his shoulder. “I will.” At that moment, Julian’s massive ego was fully inflated. He even took the opportunity to address the closed doors of the groom’s suite, delivering a “victory speech.” The gist of it was: *I know you love Olivia, Mr. Vance, but she loves me. I hope you can find it in your heart to let us be happy.* In the video, Olivia stood in her simple, easy-to-run-in wedding dress, paired with those ridiculous white sneakers. Julian held the microphone, unable to hide the smug triumph in his eyes. He was clearly eager to see me come out looking devastated. He had probably rehearsed his patronizing consolations a hundred times in his head: “I truly hope Mr. Vance can bless Olivia and me.” “Mr. Vance?” The atmosphere suddenly turned incredibly awkward. When the victim of your public humiliation doesn’t even show up, your grand romantic gesture instantly turns into a pathetic, one-man circus. “Mr. Vance?” “Ethan?” …… Julian called out my name several times, but the venue remained dead silent. Finally, the coordinator pushed open the suite doors. The room was completely empty. Only my discarded boutonniere lay on the table, symbolizing the groom’s unexplained absence. The crowd erupted into a frenzy. Someone yelled: “Holy shit, did the groom run away too?” In the quiet airport lounge, I let out a loud laugh. Of course I wanted to bless them. Some of the guests were people I actually respected, and while it was bad form to ditch them, I figured a free comedy show was a decent apology. I shook my head, laughing as I watched the screen. Right at that moment, the giant projector screen behind the altar suddenly flickered, displaying a massive block of text in bold, blood-red font: **”WEDDING CANCELLATION NOTICE”** **”Due to Olivia Sterling’s ongoing affair with Julian Rivers, I have decided to call off the wedding. I wish them the best in their circus of a relationship. Hopefully, they stay locked in together forever and don’t ruin anyone else’s life.”** Below the text, a slideshow of recent, highly intimate photos of Olivia and Julian began to play on a loop. Buzz. Leo sent me a message: “Mission accomplished!” Seeing his text, I uploaded the exact same notice to my Snapchat Story—the final post I would ever make on this account. The wedding hall completely exploded. No one was laughing at me anymore. The real joke was standing right on the stage, holding hands. Now that the groom had vanished, nobody cared about Olivia and Julian’s “romantic escape” anymore. Julian’s passionate declaration of love on stage now looked utterly pathetic against the giant red word **”AFFAIR”** flashing right above his head. Star-crossed lovers? No, they were just two cheap cheaters caught in 4K. Leo was having the time of his life. Two minutes later, he sent me another video.
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