I didn't have a good answer. Or rather, I did, but saying it out loud would make me sound completely unhinged.
"I just... I need to feel like I'm helping people," I finally said. "Like I'm preventing what happened to me from happening to someone else."
Drew's expression softened slightly. "Elyse, you can't save everyone from pain. It's not your job to be the infidelity police of Clearwater."
"I know," I whispered, tears starting to form. "But when I get those messages, when women reach out desperate for help... I feel like I can't say no."
"But you can. And you need to." Drew took a step closer. "What if something had happened tonight? What if that guyhad seen you taking pictures? What would have happened to Holly if you'd gotten hurt? Or worse?"
The thought of Holly waiting for us to come home, only for me to never return because I'd been confronting an angry cheater, made me feel sick.
"I didn't think?—"
"That's just it," Drew interrupted. "You're not thinking about the consequences. But I am. I'm thinking about them every single time you do this."
We stood in silence for a moment, the gravity of his words sinking in. A car drove by, its headlights briefly illuminating Drew's face. I could see the exhaustion there, the worry lines that seemed deeper than they had been even a few months ago.
"I'm sorry," I said finally, meaning it. "I really am. I got caught up in wanting to help one more person."
Drew sighed. "I believe you're sorry. But Elyse, this can't happen again. Not just because I asked, but because you need to recognize how dangerous this is. How it's affecting us."
I nodded, tears now flowing freely. "I know. I promise, for real this time, I'm done."
"I've heard that before," Drew said, his voice gentle but firm.
"I mean it this time." I reached for his hand, relieved when he didn't pull away. "We have too much to lose. Holly needs us—both of us. And I need you."
Drew squeezed my hand, though his expression remained serious. "Let's go home and talk this through properly. Holly's waiting for us."
"Okay."
We drove home separately, my mind racing the entire way. The weight of what I'd done—the trust I'd broken—settled heavily on my shoulders. I'd come so close to jeopardizing everything that mattered to me for a stranger's marital problems. What kind of person did that make me?
When we pulled into our driveway, the lights were on inthe living room. Through the window, I could see Holly curled up on the couch with Eden, watching TV. The simple domestic scene nearly broke me. This was what I'd been risking—this precious, hard-won family we were building.
Drew and I walked in together, and Holly looked up expectantly.
"Hey, you two," she said, muting the TV. “Did you find the phone?”
Drew and I exchanged a glance. “We did,” Drew said with a slight edge to his voice. "What are you watching?"
"Some competition show about glass blowing," she replied, then looked more closely at my face. "Aunt Elyse, have you been crying?"
I touched my cheek, feeling the residual dampness. "Just a little emotional tonight. Actually, Holly, we wanted to talk to you about something important."
Holly sat up straighter, suddenly looking nervous. "Is this about what I asked at the bookstore? Because if you guys don't want to, I totally understand?—"
"No, sweetie," I said quickly, sitting down next to her. "It's nothing like that. In fact, Uncle Drew and I would love nothing more than to make you officially part of our family. If that's still what you want."
Holly's eyes widened. "Really? Like, for real adoption?"
Drew sat on her other side. "For real. We'll need to talk to a lawyer, of course, and there will be some legal hurdles given your mom's situation. But yes, we want to adopt you, Holly. For sure."
Holly's face lit up in a way I hadn't seen since she'd come to stay with us. She threw her arms around Drew, then me. "I've been hoping... I mean, I didn't want to push, but..."
"We've been hoping too," I said softly, stroking her now-purple-and-pink hair. "We love you, kiddo."
"I love you guys too," she said, her voice muffled against my shoulder.
