At my wedding reception, Carol thought she’d won when she smashed my mom’s photo. She stood there, smirking, waiting for me to crumble. But she had no idea what was about to unfold. I was 27, and my mom had passed when I was 19—she was my best friend, my hero. Losing her nearly destroyed me. But Carol? She was about to face something much worse.

Carol had always been cold, trying to erase my mom from my life. She tossed out my mom’s quilts and even removed every photo of her from our house. When I broke down, she just stared, saying, “She’s gone. Deal with it.” Over the years, I tried to get along for my dad’s sake, but her cruelty made it impossible. So I went low contact, vowing that my mom would still be part of my wedding day, no matter what.

When my wedding day arrived, Carol tried to make it all about her. But when she saw my mom’s photo at the head table, her demeanor shifted. She marched up and threw it on the floor, shattering the glass, all while sneering at me. She hissed in my ear, “I’m the woman of this family now.” What she didn’t know was that I had been preparing for her outburst.

Exactly 60 seconds later, the doors swung open, and a detective walked in with two officers. Carol was arrested for financial fraud and identity theft. As they led her away, she screamed at my dad, blaming me. But he didn’t say a word. He simply picked up my mom’s broken photo and whispered, “She would have been so proud of you.” The wedding guests resumed their chatter, but for me, that moment meant more than anything. Carol’s game was over, and my mom’s memory was rightfully honored.