My mom always cared more about appearances than people. So when I got engaged, I thought she’d finally be proud. Instead, she gave the wedding fund my late dad had saved for me… to my cousin Elise—because she was “prettier.”

I’m Casey, 25, a chef who dreams of making films that move people. But for years, I lived under my mom’s harsh criticism. After Dad died in high school, her comments got crueler. Still, I held onto his dream of walking me down the aisle, and the wedding fund he created for that day.

When Marco proposed—right in our tiny kitchen—I thought it was finally my time. But at a family dinner, Mom announced she’d given the money to Elise, calling her the one with “real potential.”I was crushed—until Elise stood up. “I’m not taking it,” she said, and called out every insult my mom had thrown at me over the years. It was the first time anyone stood up for me.

That night, Elise and I cried and planned. I applied to film school. I postponed the wedding—not out of fear, but to become the woman Dad always believed in.Marco supported me the whole way. We got married a year later in his parents’ backyard, surrounded by love, string lights, and three kinds of cake. Even Mom showed up—and apologized.Elise gave a toast: “To Casey, who refused to let anyone dim her light.”And when she asked me, “What’s next?” I smiled and said, “Everything.”