Six years after our divorce, my ex-husband’s new wife, Cassandra, tried to win my daughter Lily over with a $1,000 prom dress. She even mocked the dress I was sewing for Lily myself—an effort I poured love, late nights, and decades-old sewing skills into. Lily had fallen in love with the expensive gown online, but I couldn’t afford it. Instead, I offered to make her one like it. Though hesitant at first, Lily agreed. We designed it together, bought fabric with my credit card, and spent weeks bonding while I stitched it by hand.The night before prom, Cassandra arrived uninvited, proudly presenting the designer dress and throwing subtle insults at my homemade version. Lily thanked her but didn’t say which dress she’d wear.The next evening, she came downstairs in the dress I made. “Because I don’t choose based on price tags,” she told Cassandra at the school entrance. “I choose based on love.” The next morning, Lily posted a photo online, praising the dress I made and what it meant to her. Her message went viral. A few days later, Cassandra sent Lily a message demanding $1,000 for the unused dress. Lily calmly replied, “I already had all I needed from my mom.”
Cassandra blocked her. My ex apologized, but the damage was done. I framed a picture of Lily in the dress next to one of my mom teaching me to sew. Some things money can’t buy—and love, stitched into every seam, is one of them.
