My stepmom, Madison, had a gift for making me feel like an outsider in my own home. So when prom came around, I wasn’t surprised when she brushed me off.
“Prom’s a waste of money,” she said, right after dropping $3,000 on Ashley’s dress.
But I had a secret weapon—my grandma.
Gran pulled out my mother’s old prom dress, a beautiful satin gown that felt like a hug from the past. We altered it together, and when I walked into prom, I wasn’t just wearing a dress. I was carrying my mother’s memory.
Madison’s face when she saw me? Absolute shock.
Then came the announcement: prom queen. Me.
The aftermath was even sweeter. My dad, finally realizing how much he’d let Madison control our lives, filed for divorce.
That dress didn’t just get me to prom—it got me my life back.
