Days after divorcing Josh for allegedly cheating on our wedding night, he appeared at my door, clutching an envelope. “It’s about your mom,” he said. Inside were security photos proving the “other woman” had only been in his hotel room for two minutes — and the last image showed my mother paying her and a man outside.

Shaken, I confronted my mother. She admitted staging the scene to “save” me from a life with Josh, insisting she knew what was best. I told her she wasn’t my mother anymore and walked away.

Josh had spent weeks working hotel security to prove his innocence. Sitting in my car, I realized I’d lost my mother that day — but maybe not my husband. We reconciled, moved in together, and started over. I haven’t read another message from her since. Some bridges deserve to stay burned.