“Mom?”

I crouched down. “Hey.”

She looked toward the reception room. “Why did Dad say you needed someone?”

I paused before answering.

“Sometimes adults say things when they’re upset,” I told her. “But what someone says about you doesn’t decide your value.”

She thought about that for a moment.

“But we wanted you here,” she said.

I smiled. “That’s what matters to me.”

She hugged me, and suddenly the entire reason I had brought Edward seemed unimportant.

Later, Max approached me in the hallway.

“So what happens with you and Edward?”

I looked at him.

“You really need to know?”

He didn’t answer.

“You’re getting married today,” I said. “You should be thinking about your future, not mine.”

He stood quietly for a moment.

Then I walked away.

Outside, Edward was waiting near the car.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Actually, I think I am.”

He smiled. “Good.”

I looked back toward the building. For years, I had allowed someone else’s opinion to influence how I saw myself. That night, something finally changed.

My daughter climbed into the car and asked, “Mom, do I look okay?”

I smiled. “Do you like your dress?”

She looked down and spun around once.

“Yes.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

She smiled and climbed into her seat.

Before getting into the car, I caught my reflection in the window. For once, I didn’t search for flaws or wonder what anyone else would think.

I simply looked at myself.

Then my youngest called from inside the car.

“Mom! Let’s go!”

I smiled, opened the door, and joined my daughters.

I had arrived at the wedding wanting to prove something to Max.

I left realizing I had nothing to prove at all.