At my wedding, my mother-in-law called my shy mom “ugly,” and I couldn’t let it slide. My plan for revenge seemed perfect, but as the fallout began, I realized I might have crossed a line I couldn’t come back from.

During the reception, I learned from my cousin that Vivian, my mother-in-law, had insulted my mom. Furious, I asked the photographer to edit Vivian’s photos to make her look bad. The edited photos showed Vivian with exaggerated wrinkles and smeared makeup.

Vivian was livid when she saw them. “Fix these now!” she demanded. I finally confessed, “I did it because I heard you called my mom ugly. That was cruel.”

Vivian was stunned, and Michael, my husband, backed me up. “Mom, Evelyn is part of our family and deserves respect.”

Realizing I had stooped to her level, I apologized. “I’ll have the photos fixed if you apologize to my mom.”

Reluctantly, Vivian agreed. We invited both moms for dinner, and while the evening started awkwardly, they found common ground.

Before leaving, Vivian pulled me aside. “I’m sorry, Sophia. You’re good for my son, and I hope we can move past this.”

Driving home, Michael grinned. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

I laughed. “No, but let’s never do anything like this again.”

Family is about loving people, flaws and all.