When Jake and I returned from our honeymoon, a bright red dumpster sat in our backyard, stuffed with ripped wrapping paper. Inside the house, every single wedding gift was gone. The thief? My mother-in-law, Linda.

She left a smug note: “I took your wedding gifts as payment for watering your plants.” She claimed she “deserved them more” — from the espresso machine to my late grandmother’s handmade quilt.

Jake and I drove to confront her, but she refused to return anything. Instead, she bragged to her friends about her “new” treasures. That’s when we set a trap: we invited her to a family barbecue, knowing she’d show off the stolen gifts. We recorded everything.

The next day, we posted the video in a private group for our wedding guests. The backlash was immediate. Furious friends demanded their presents back, some even threatened police action. Linda panicked, begging us to take it down.

We refused until every gift was returned. By the end of the week, everything — from the cash to the quilt — was back in our house.

We may have lost trust in Linda, but we gained something more important: proof that Jake stood firmly by my side.