Billionaire's Accidental Wife novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15 One year later. Chelsea’s Diary.

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Dear Diary, The beautiful grasslands, bright sunshine, and enormous acres of undeveloped land never cease to astonish me. Every morning, I wake up just before dawn to hear the first tweets of native birds and the delicate rustle of towering trees kissing the sky outside my window.

But it’s the huge gray elephants with their gorgeous ivory tusks and lengthy, wrinkled trunks that I appreciate the most about my home. They are quite kind with the locals, especially the youngsters, who regard them as pets as well as companions. The contact between animal and man in this scene is organic and spontaneous; none is afraid of the other. Kenya’s breathtaking beauty has been my home for the past one year.

However, the adjective “beautiful” is not restricted to merely the land. I have an unfathomable bond to the people here as well, and my heart hurts a little as I look down at the wild smiles of the children playing football on their lunch break.

I am alone in the classroom now with my suitcases packed at my feet. A tear streams down my face as reality sinks in. I have been dreading this day. Nothing could have prepared me for the teary goodbyes from my students and their pleas for me to stay. I am so melancholic, heartbroken and weary all at the same time. My body is frozen in place as I continue to stare at the beaming faces of my orphaned kids. They have become more than just students to me. I love them like they are my own. The tears pour out like an uncontrollable flood.

How can I leave them? It’s been almost a year now, and this land has become my life since I left. Dave in Paris. I have my reason, and it is more complicated than that. I’ve never heard any of them, not even Jane. Catherine and especially Dave. I have my new life now. But I can tell you just yet.

But how do I say goodbye to the most beautiful, loving and happy children I have ever met? Children who, despite their unfortunate circumstances, greet me each day with exclamations of, “Hello Miss!” followed by an enthusiastic hug.

Their determination and courage are inspiring and as I prepare to leave, I vow to take a tiny piece of their little souls with me, to keep in my heart. “Chelsea…it’s time,” comes a soft maternal voice from behind me.

Miss Maya, the leader of the volunteer staff at Alfonso Orphanage, appears at the classroom doorway, ready to accompany me to the cab.

I take one last look around my classroom before leaving for what could be the last time. I catch a glimpse of my kids’ charts, sketches, and personal things. The mural we created was originally riddled with bullet holes, and the tank of the little baby turtle we nursed back to health is on the back wall. I see a flicker of their raised, passionate hands to solve a math

question as I turn my gaze down to their desks.

I will myself to be strong and reach down to collect my luggage, exhaling a long, deep exhale. I go with Miss Maya through the orphanage, past the bunk beds, other classrooms, and cafeteria, remembering where each of my children sleeps and what their favorite lunch dish is.

Finally, my journey through the halls of my home for the last one year is nearing its end, and I as step outside of the orphanage, I am bombarded by a sea of tiny arms swallowing me up in hugs and kisses.