didn’t confront him immediately. Instead, I played along, even as I contacted a lawyer to protect myself. Two days before the wedding, Alex handed me a prenup. When I saw the clause for the lake house, I agreed to sign it at the wedding.On the big day, just before the vows, I took the microphone and exposed them to the guests, playing the incriminating recording of their conversation.

The silence was broken by applause from my side of the room, but Alex was stunned, and Martha rushed out in shame.I walked away, leaving Alex and his mother behind. Later, I sent Alex a photo of the lake house with a note: “You’ll never see it again.” I spent the weekend there, cleaning and reminiscing, finally feeling free.Not all fairytales end with a prince—sometimes, the princess saves herself.