My stepmom RUINED the skirt I made from my late dad’s ties to honor him during my prom. ______ When my dad died, I was left with my stepmother, Carla — who didn’t shed a single tear. At the funeral, while I could barely stand, she leaned over and hissed, “You’re embarrassing yourself. Stop crying — he’s gone.” Two weeks later, she cleaned out dad’s closet, tossing his favorite collection of ties into a trash bag. “They’re not junk. They’re his,” I begged. She rolled her eyes. “HE’S NOT COMING BACK FOR THEM. GROW UP.” I saved them when she wasn’t looking. Each still smelled faintly like my dad’s cologne. Prom was coming up. I didn’t want to go, but I knew Dad would’ve wanted me to. So I decided to honor him and stitched those ties into a skirt. Each pattern held a memory — his job interview, my recital, Christmas mornings. When I tried it on, I whispered, “He’d love this.” The night before prom, I hung it on my closet door. The next morning, I smelled Carla’s perfume in my room. The skirt was on the floor — RIPPED APART, ties scattered like bones. I screamed. Carla appeared, sipping coffee. “That thing was HIDEOUS anyway. DO NOT PRETEND TO BE A PATHETIC ORPHAN!” “You destroyed the last thing I had of Dad’s!” She smirked. “He’s DEAD, not magic. Get over it.” But karma was faster then I thought, as police lights flashed outside. A knock. Carla froze. The officer came in and looked at me. “You live here?” “Yes… why?” He turned to Carla. “We’re here for Mrs. Miller.