Part 4/10:

These experiences fueled a personal resolve: to reject the superficial markers of success and instead focus on building wealth through disciplined savings and investments. However, as the narrator accumulated wealth, they faced an existential crisis; their life's meaning and relationships began to unravel, indicating that success devoid of purpose is hollow.

Events took a tragic turn on what should have been a celebratory double date when their close friend—someone they admired and deemed accomplished—took their life. This shocking loss thrust the narrator further into a state of introspection regarding their own worth, happiness, and the relentless hustle to meet societal benchmarks they had created in their mind.