“Jennifer, the card isn’t working. I can’t check out of the hotel. I can’t even get home like this. Fix it now!” my husband shouted over the phone.
When I was in college, I lost both my parents in a car accident. After that, I had to take on several part-time jobs just to afford my tuition.
Life was really hard back then. A friend once suggested I try starting a business.
Even though things weren’t easy, I gave it my full focus, and slowly, the company began to grow.
Today, I work as the vice president of the company.
While most of my friends were getting married and starting families, I also started thinking about my own happiness.
I met my husband, and we clicked right away. We got married just three months later.
But after the wedding, everything changed.
My husband quit his job and decided to stay at home. He said he would be a stay-at-home husband.
I kept asking him to at least work part-time, but he always refused.
One day, I noticed my credit card was gone.
It turned out my husband had taken it and gone on a trip with his parents.
I tried calling him several times, but he didn’t pick up.
When he finally answered, he said coldly, “Don’t bother me while I’m spending time with my family. Something you clearly don’t know how to do.”
I smiled as I replied.
He didn’t know it yet, but his luck was about to run out.
My name is Jennifer Aniston. I’m 35 years old and currently the vice president at Adventure Company.
Today, I’m financially stable. But there was a time when I couldn’t even afford a proper meal.
That time started when I lost my parents unexpectedly.
They were hit by a car that ran a red light while they were walking across the street.
Back then, I thought my life would be normal, going to cafes with friends and studying together.
But losing them changed everything.
Money became my biggest worry. I had no idea how I’d be able to pay for school.
I tried to cover my college expenses through scholarships and part-time jobs, but it still wasn’t enough.
I had to keep working multiple jobs while going to classes, often with almost no sleep.
One day, my classmate Jack Martin made a surprising suggestion.
“Jennifer, how about we start a company together?” he said. “If we combine your talent and my business skills, I think we can make it work.”
Jack was well respected at the university.
Starting a business sounded like a big responsibility, but I decided to face the challenge.
“I’m scared,” I told him. “What if we fail? And how will I even manage the time with all my part-time jobs?”
Jack gave me a warm smile, like he really understood how I felt.
Then I saw something strong and confident in his eyes.
“Don’t worry, we’ll succeed,” he said.
His confidence somehow made me feel better. He had a way of making big things seem possible.
At that moment, I felt a deep desire to change my life, so I said yes.
We started a small company while still in college.
In the beginning, getting money to fund our business was hard. Banks kept turning us down, and it was difficult to hire people.
Since we were just a small startup, not many talented people were interested. Even after posting job ads, only a few applied, and it was tough to find the right people.
But thanks to Jack’s calm decisions and smart advice, we slowly built a solid team.
Over time, our company began to grow.
Jack and I faced many challenges together, and our trust in each other grew stronger. We became close business partners.
As the years passed, I reached the age of 35 and realized I had spent most of my time working.
I didn’t regret it.
I had worked hard to pay for my studies and build the company from scratch. I felt proud of what we had achieved.
The company was now doing really well. More than 12 years had passed, and both the number of employees and the profits had grown a lot.
But as I watched many of my close friends getting married and starting families, I noticed something.
My life was only about work.
One afternoon after a lunch meeting, I talked to Jack about it.
“Jack, lately I’ve been thinking,” I said. “Many of my friends are getting married. It’s made me question how I’ve been living.”
Jack looked surprised.
“Where’s this coming from?” he asked.
“I’ve been focused on work ever since college,” I said. “But now I’m starting to wonder. Am I missing out on something?”
Jack paused for a second, then asked, “Are you thinking about getting married?”
After hearing me out, he nodded and said, “If you’re not happy with how things are now, maybe it’s time to consider a change.”
I realized that life isn’t just about work. And the same goes for marriage.
If I wanted a fuller life, I needed to take the first step.
Jack’s words made me stop and think about where my life was going. Until then, I had only focused on my career.
With his encouragement, I decided to try finding a life partner.
A friend told me about a safe matchmaking app, so I gave it a try.
I started going on dates after work, meeting people at restaurants, bars, and movie theaters.