LOVE FEVER
CHAPTER ONE
THE LOVE WE BELIEVED IN
People often say that love makes life beautiful. I used to believe that without question. I believed that when two people loved each other, they could face almost anything together. I believed that love was enough to survive difficult seasons, financial struggles, and the pressure of the outside world.
But I would later discover that love could be tested in ways nobody prepares you for. Sometimes, the person who promises to stand beside you forever is the same person who eventually walks away. And sometimes, losing someone teaches you more about love than having them ever did.
My name is Ethan Miller. I was twenty-five years old, living in Toronto, Canada, and working at the headquarters of one of the country's major commercial banks. My life looked successful from the outside. I had a respectable job, a decent apartment, a beautiful girlfriend, and plans for a comfortable future.
Her name was Olivia Bennett. She was twenty-four, intelligent, ambitious, and beautiful in a way that did not require much effort. She worked at the headquarters of another bank, just a few streets away from my office.
We had met at a financial technology conference two years earlier. She had challenged one of the speakers during a discussion about digital banking, and I had been impressed by the confidence in her voice. After the conference, I approached her with a question about her argument. One question became a conversation, the conversation became dinner, and dinner eventually became a relationship.
We were not married, but we were serious about each other. Sometimes she stayed at my apartment for several nights. On other occasions, I spent the weekend at hers. We had even started discussing where we would live after our wedding.
To many people, we were the perfect young couple.
But there was something growing inside me that I could no longer ignore.
I was tired of working hard to build someone else's dream.
Every morning, I arrived at the bank before eight. Meetings filled my calendar, reports consumed my afternoons, and management expected results every month. My salary was good, but my freedom was limited. I could see opportunities in the financial sector, yet I was always required to follow decisions made by people who had no interest in the ideas I wanted to pursue.
One Friday evening, Olivia came to my apartment. She found me sitting beside the window, staring at the city lights with my laptop open.
Olivia: "You have been staring at that screen for almost an hour. What are you thinking about?"
Me: "Our future."
Olivia: "That sounds serious. Is something wrong?"
Me: "I want to start my own microfinance company."
She placed her handbag on the sofa and looked at me.
Olivia: "Your own company? What do you mean?"
Me: "I mean a financial business that helps people access small loans. I want to build a company that uses technology to make borrowing easier, faster, and more transparent. I have been studying the market for months."
Olivia: "That is interesting, Ethan. But what does that have to do with tonight?"
I closed my laptop and turned towards her.
Me: "I am thinking about leaving my job."
For a moment, she said nothing. Her expression changed, and I immediately knew that my words had not landed the way I expected.
Olivia: "Leaving your job? Are you serious?"
Me: "Completely serious."
Olivia: "Ethan, we are planning a wedding. We are talking about having children. We have responsibilities. Why would you choose this moment to leave a stable job?"
Me: "Because I do not want us to depend on salaries forever. What happens if one day the bank decides it no longer needs us? What happens if both of us lose our jobs? I want to build something that belongs to us."
Olivia: "But we already have jobs. We are doing well. We can save money, buy a house, get married, and build our family. We do not have to risk everything."
Me: "I am not asking you to leave your job. I am asking you to understand my dream. I can build this business while you continue working. Your salary will help us remain stable as I work towards something bigger."
She looked away. I could tell she was uncomfortable.
Olivia: "So, you want me to carry the financial responsibility while you experiment with a business?"
Me: "That is not how I see it. I want us to invest in a future where neither of us is trapped by employment."
Olivia: "And what if the business fails?"
Me: "Then I will find another way. But I cannot spend my whole life wondering what could have happened if I had tried."
She picked up her phone and remained silent. That evening, we ate dinner, but something had changed. We were sitting at the same table, yet our thoughts seemed to be in different worlds.
I understood her fear. Marriage was not just a romantic celebration to her. It represented security, stability, and the beginning of a family. She wanted a husband who could provide a predictable life.
But I wanted more than a predictable life. I wanted the freedom to create, to make decisions, and to build something that could outlive me.
Over the following weeks, the subject returned several times. Sometimes we discussed it calmly. Other times, a simple question turned into an argument.
Eventually, I made my decision.
I resigned from the bank.
My manager tried to convince me to reconsider. He reminded me that promotions were possible and that I was still young enough to build a successful career inside the institution.
But my mind was already made up.
On my last day, I walked out of the headquarters carrying a small box containing my personal belongings. I looked back at the tall glass building and felt two emotions at once: fear and freedom.
For the first time in years, I was no longer an employee.
I was going to become an entrepreneur.
When I told Olivia that I had officially left the bank, she did not celebrate. She simply looked at me and asked a question that would follow me for a long time.
Olivia: "Ethan, are you sure you have not just destroyed the future we were planning?"
I held her hands.
Me: "I have not destroyed our future, Olivia. I am trying to build a better one."
She gently pulled her hands away.
Olivia: "I hope you know what you are doing."
I watched her walk towards the bedroom. I wanted to tell her that everything would be fine. I wanted to promise her that success was coming. But the truth was that I had no guarantee.
All I had was a dream, a plan, and the determination to make it work.
What I did not know was that leaving my job would be easier than keeping the woman I loved.
And the real test of our relationship was only beginning.
Sometimes two people love each other deeply but imagine completely different futures. The challenge is not always the absence of love. Sometimes, it is the fear of walking an uncertain road together.