A TIME TO HEAL

EPILOGUE

I made a totally different life for myself in Ghana. It was my fifth month in the country, and I hardly thought of going back home. The rare times I thought of home was when I thought of Kelvin, he was always on my mind. I appreciated all the things he did for me, at one point he had been my only support system and what a great job he had done. I didn't resent him despite all that happened. I still loved him, but I wasn't going to sacrifice my happiness for a relationship.

I didn't bother to get my furniture from home shipped to me, I wanted nothing to do with them. Akin helped me get them out of the house and he sent me the little money he made from selling them. When I got a letter back from my boss in the mail asking if I was interested in having a sendoff party, I was long settled in my new life so I replied that I wouldn't be able to attend it.

Occasionally, I got letters from Seye and Danielle, they were personally hand delivered by Akin whenever he showed up to visit. They sent me mails and texts also, but I guessed the letter was just for sentiment sake. I appreciated all and saved the letters in the bottom of the drawer by my bedside. It was from their letters I knew about the many changes happening in their lives, they rarely wrote about Kelvin and I was grateful for that.

Seye was married to Danielle now. Although I missed the wedding, I got loads of pictures in my inbox. They both looked happy on their great day and it still surprised me how they held on strongly to their love for each other. They were going to have a baby girl soon, Danielle was carrying and when I read that she was craving crazy things like edible chalk, I almost passed out from laughing.

I'd found my laughter again. I laughed easily now that I was in a different space. I was also still sticking to my healthy lifestyle, I went to a gym beside my apartment regularly and I got fresh fruits and vegetables from the local store.

I recently got a job in an I.T. firm, and I did the same thing I did in my previous job. The monotony of doing the same thing over and over again was never an issue for me, I loved to work and I loved what I did. I was in my office going over a schematic. The office was different from my old cubicle, but it looked almost like the office the interior decorated did for me when I got promoted. I liked the design so very much that I incorporated most of her ideas into my new office.

I rose from my desk and went to the bookshelf to look for a file I left there the day before. I felt the hair at the nape of my neck rise like I was being watched and rubbed the back of my neck. When I turned around to look, I dropped the files in my hands in surprise as I saw Kelvin. He strode towards me carrying a duffle bag on one shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as he entered my office. No one knew where I worked.

"I came to see you," Kelvin answered.

Kelvin looked different. He looked better and more handsome, but that could be because I hadn't seen him in months. His body language had changed though, he didn't have the self-importance attitude anymore. And his eyes, they looked different also, sadder. He had the eyes of someone who had seen too much of the world.

"How did you know where I was?"

"Akin."

Traitor. "I told him not to tell anyone."

"He said so repeatedly, but I was going crazy from not seeing you."

"Really? I thought you moved on."

"How could I? We're married, remember?" Kelvin said softly.

He was talking about the day we slept holding on to each other. I tried not to laugh. "There was no ceremony."

"You said yes when I asked, and I remembered saying yes when you asked. I took it seriously."

"You can have your seat." I motioned at the white sofa near the bookshelf.

Kelvin dropped the duffel bag and sat.

"What's that for anyway?" I looked at the bag then sat beside him on the sofa.

"I'm moving here with you."

My mouth gaped. "You're going to leave Nigeria also?" He must be joking.

"I already did. I resigned from my job before coming here."

"Why now?"

"You needed space and I let you have it. I wasn't going to leave you for long, I only wanted you to find whatever you were searching for."

"Do you think I've found it now?"

"You tell me."

"Not fully, but the change in location is helping."

Kelvin crossed his legs. "I forgave you a long time ago and I hope you've forgiven me, for whatever I did that made you doubt my love for you."

I wiped the tears falling off my face. "You didn't really do anything bad. It was just easier to believe it was you who sent the text than to grasp the fact that you loved me."

Kelvin wiped my tears and took my hands. "I'll never hurt you, I love you so much it scares me. That was one of the reasons it was easier being with Alex. I didn't want to be vulnerable, but I've realized that you're not my weakness, you're my strength."

"I'm sorry if I broke your heart by leaving the country unannounced."

"You needed to find yourself. Your life has not been the easiest, so I understand and I love that you're ready to go anywhere to find your happiness. It's what you deserve, and I'm going to be here to find it with you."

"You're going to leave everyone you love including your parents?"

"I'll visit or they'll visit, they're not so far from us. I just want to be with you."

"And I want to be with you also."

"I love you, Fatimah...from the bottom of my heart."

"I love you too, Kelvin."

"Promise me you'll never doubt my love for you again," he said.

I promised him and went into his arms. "I missed you so much," I said.

"I'm here now, and I'm never leaving," Kelvin said.

I held on to him tightly and hoped that our bond remained strong for the rest of our lives.

Author's Note.

Thank you for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

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