My Stepmother Dressed Me Like a Stained Curtain for Prom Until One Silver Stitch Exposed What She Had Stolen From My Dead Mother

The laughter in the entryway died instantly.

Brianna was striking a pose by the front door when her smile slowly collapsed. Logan lowered his phone, his eyes widening as he stared at me.

Dad froze with his camera raised, his jaw dropping.

Alexis, who was holding a glass of white wine, turned around with a triumphant smirk—a smirk that vanished so fast her glass nearly slipped from her fingers.

"Lily?" Dad whispered, his voice cracking. "Where... where did you get that dress?"

"It’s the dress Alexis gave me, Dad," I said calmly, stepping onto the marble floor of the foyer.

Alexis’s face went completely pale, the color draining from her lips until she looked like a ghost. "No... that’s impossible. That dress was... it was an old vintage piece..."

"It was an old vintage piece covered in cheap mustard brocade," I said, walking right up to her. "Someone went to a lot of trouble to hide what was underneath. But I know how to use a seam ripper."

Dad stepped closer, his eyes scanning the champagne silk, the silver ivy, the flawless drape of the skirt. Memories seemed to crash into him all at once. He reached out a trembling hand, touching the edge of the sleeve.

"This is... Claire's reception dress," Dad stammered, his eyes filling with sudden tears. "Julian made this for her. I thought... Alexis, you told me this dress was lost when the attic flooded two years ago!"

Alexis swallowed hard, her eyes darting nervously between Dad and me. "Mark, I... I must have confused it! I found a box of old fabrics in the garage and took it to a tailor to be modernized for Lily! I had no idea—"

"You didn't take it to a tailor," I said coldly. "You sewed that hideous fabric over it yourself. You tried to make me wear a ruin."

"That's ridiculous!" Brianna interjected, her voice shrill with jealousy as she looked at my dress. "Mom was just trying to help you! You're making a scene because you always want to be the center of attention!"

Before Dad could respond, the horn of Maya's car honked outside.