My mother-in-law smashed my late mother's valuable crystal glass set – she didn't know she was being framed

Two weeks passed in tense silence. Sandra moved through the house like a storm cloud. Dad tried to play peacemaker, but Sandra's rage filled every room.

I came home that Thursday afternoon, my arms full of wedding flowers and silverware. The front door closed behind me. I knew immediately something was wrong.

The dining room door was open. Sunlight streamed through the windows. But something glittered on the wooden floor. My heart stopped when I saw it.

Crystal shards covered the floor like shooting stars. My mother's precious pair of glasses lay in ruins. Each piece told a story of violence, hatred, and deliberate destruction.

Sandra stood there, holding a broom in her hand. Her face showed neither shame nor regret. Only contentment.

"Oh, Jen!" she gasped theatrically. "I'm so clumsy. I knocked over the whole closet looking for something."

I stood there stunned, trying to grasp the extent of his cruelty.

"Accidents happen," she continued. "I guess some things aren't meant to last."

I turned around and ran. My shoes crunched on the splinters. Every step broke my heart a little more. I couldn't let her see me cry. I didn't want to give her this victory.

That night, I called Aunt Marlene in tears. She was Mom's sister. She was the only person who could truly understand what I had lost.

“Sandra broke Mom’s crystal glasses,” I screamed into the phone.

Silence spread between us. Then Aunt Marlene's voice returned, changed.

“Jennifer, darling, I have something important to tell you.”

” What ?”

��

"I was with you last week. Sandra was on the phone with her friend Nancy. She thought she was alone." Aunt Marlene paused. "She was planning to destroy the crystals."

“Did she foresee it?”

"She said, 'If Jennifer wants to honor anyone at this wedding, it should be me. It's time to get rid of Alice's precious mementos.'"

Rage filled me. This wasn't an accident. This was murder. The murder of my mother's memory.

"But Jenny," Aunt Marlene's voice softened. "I did something. I bought a set of cheap crystal glasses at the thrift store. I traded them in that same day."

I gasped. "My... my mother's crystal glasses..."

"Your mother's real crystal glasses are safe in my attic. And I set up a small camera in your dining room. We have everything on video. I knew you'd call. I wanted to surprise you with the crystals at your wedding, darling."