A 35-year-old woman sent us a heartfelt letter about her complicated situation: she has fallen in love with her married neighbor, Kevin, and is seeking advice from readers. She explained that she couldn’t talk to friends or family, fearing judgment, but hoped people would try to understand her perspective.

Nine months earlier, she had gone through a painful breakup and moved in with a friend and her husband. That’s when she met Kevin, who helped them move in. She quickly developed feelings for him, even though she knew he had a wife and children. They often rode the same bus to work, and she admired how kind and attentive he was to his family. Over time, her crush grew stronger, especially as she compared his behavior to her ex-fiancé.

Eventually, Kevin asked her to babysit his three daughters while his wife was in the hospital. She agreed, but the evening turned into a disaster. The oldest girl was defiant and disrespectful, the middle child was extremely loud, and even the youngest, though initially sweet, joined in the chaos. At one point, the woman was locked out of the house by the oldest child. A family friend arrived just in time to let her back in, leaving her shaken.

She admitted that the experience changed how she viewed the situation. She had imagined becoming a stepmother one day, but now she feels conflicted. She believes Kevin and his wife’s marriage is unhappy, yet she worries she could never build a good relationship with his children. Torn between love and reality, she doesn’t know if a future with Kevin is possible and feels she has no one she can safely talk to about it.