My mother died when I was thirteen.

One second, she was there—laughing, reminding me to tie my shoelaces, humming as she baked blueberry pie. The next, she was gone.

It was sudden. Cruel. The kind of loss that changes you forever.

But before she left, she gave me something precious.

Her wedding dress.

“For my beautiful daughter, so that a part of me will always be with you on your special day.”

I was just a kid then, but I treasured that dress. It stayed zipped up in its garment bag, untouched, waiting for the day I’d finally get to wear it.

And then my dad met her.

Lisa.

She came into our lives like a whirlwind, smiling too much, inserting herself into every conversation, making little comments about how I needed a strong female figure.

I tried to be happy for my dad. He had been lonely, and I wanted him to find love again. But Lisa didn’t just want to be my dad’s new wife.

She wanted to erase my mom.

The moment she moved in, she started redecorating, boxing up my mother’s things, making our home feel like a place I barely recognized.

And then came the engagement.

I didn’t object when Dad proposed to Lisa. It was his life, his decision.
But I never expected what came next.

I came home late one evening, stepping inside to the sound of laughter. Lisa’s voice, high and excited.

Another voice chimed in—her sister, Greta.

Something felt off.

The air in the house felt wrong.

I followed the sound to my dad’s bedroom. The door was cracked open just enough for me to see inside.

And when I did—my entire world stopped.

Lisa was wearing my mom’s wedding dress.

She twirled in front of the mirror, smoothing the lace sleeves, adjusting the beading—like it belonged to her.

Like it wasn’t a sacred piece of my mother’s memory.

Greta clapped. “Oh my God, Lisa! It’s perfect! Like it was made for you!”

My blood boiled.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I shouted, slamming the door open.

Lisa gasped, spinning around.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said, voice dripping with fake innocence. “I didn’t think you’d be home yet!”

“Take. It. Off. Now.”

She sighed, like I was the unreasonable one. “I was just trying it on. No big deal.”

“No big deal?!” My voice cracked. “That dress was for me! Mom left it for me! It’s not yours!”

Lisa’s fake sympathy vanished in an instant.

She tilted her head, smiling like she was doing me a favor.

“Honey, it’s just a dress. Besides, wouldn’t it be a beautiful way to honor your mother? Me wearing her dress to marry your father? It’s symbolic, don’t you think?”

Her sister nodded in agreement. “That’s such a lovely way of looking at it!”

I saw red.

I turned to my dad, who had just walked in, briefcase in hand.

“Dad. Say something. This isn’t okay.”

For a brief second, I saw hesitation in his eyes. A flicker of guilt.

But then Lisa looped her arm through his, smiling up at him—like she already knew he wouldn’t fight her on this.

And just like that—he caved.

Lisa tilted her head, eyes gleaming with triumph.

“Your dad thinks it’s a wonderful idea.”

Something inside me snapped.

I could have cried. Could have screamed.

But I didn’t.

I sat in my dark room that night, fingers shaking over my laptop keyboard.

How to weaken fabric?
How to ruin lace without visible damage?
How to make a dress fall apart?

My search history looked insane.

But I didn’t care.

And then I found it.

Soaking fabric in water and letting it dry repeatedly weakens the fibers, making delicate material brittle.

It was perfect.

The moment Lisa moved too much, the seams would start to split. The fabric would tear.

I just needed one more thing.

A replacement dress.

The thrift store smelled like old fabric and dust. Racks of dresses hung so tightly together, their lace and tulle tangled in a mess of forgotten memories.

Willow, my best friend, nudged me.

“Are we looking for anything specific, or are we just hoping the universe provides?”

I gripped my phone, reading off my list.

“Long sleeves. Lace. Beading. Something that looks expensive but isn’t.”

She raised an eyebrow. “That’s oddly specific, Summer.”

I didn’t answer. I just ran my hand over a nearby dress, cheap polyester rough under my fingers.

Willow sighed.

“Summer, talk to me.”

I swallowed hard.

“I just… I really thought my dad would stand up for Mom. That he’d protect her memory.” My voice wavered. “She told him. She wrote it down. That dress was meant for me. And he just stood there and let Lisa…”

I clenched the fabric in my hands. “Let her steal it.”

Willow squeezed my hand. “She can’t erase your mom, Summer. She can try, but Lisa will never be her.”

I exhaled and squared my shoulders.

“Come on. Let’s find Lisa something worthy of her.”

The night before the wedding, I made the switch.

My mother’s dress stayed locked away in my room.

The cheap replica I bought took its place.

The one I had soaked and dried every night for the past week.

Lisa had no idea.

She thought I had finally accepted it.

The morning of the wedding, Lisa beamed as she slipped into the fake dress.

“You did such a great job steaming it, Summer,” she said.

Oh, Lisa.

I steamed nothing.

I just smiled and handed her the bouquet.

Lisa walked down the aisle, glowing, smug as ever. She reached my father, taking his hands.

And then—it happened.

Rip.

A collective gasp echoed through the room.

Lisa froze.

Another step—another tear.

The fabric at her side split clean open.

Then, as she moved to cover herself, another rip.

One sleeve tore off. The lace unraveled. Beads popped off, skittering across the floor like tiny white lies coming undone.

Lisa’s perfect moment was falling apart.

“What’s happening?!” she shrieked.

I stepped forward, arms crossed.

“Oh, Lisa. That’s not my mom’s dress.”

Her head snapped toward me, face burning red.

“What did you do?!”

“I wouldn’t trust you with something so precious,” I said sweetly. “So I got you a little… replacement.”

The room fell into stunned silence.

My dad? He looked mortified.

Guests exchanged whispers, watching Lisa desperately clutch at the disintegrating dress.

Children giggled behind their hands.

And me?

I walked out of that ceremony with my head held high.

Lisa refused to speak to me after that.

My dad? He was furious. But I told him the truth.

“You actually let her wear Mom’s dress?” I said. “Even after Mom left it for me? You gave me no choice.”

In the end, they still got married.

No big ceremony. No grand dress.

Just them, at a courthouse.

And my mom’s dress?

Still mine.

Waiting for the day I wear it.

And Lisa?

She got exactly what she deserved.