During my sister's wedding, my dad's girlfriend slapped me & said, Get out, you cheap girl! But then

hi everyone I'm Lily Rabe where do I even start I'm 31 years old doing really well in my marketing career and I thought I had a handle on all my family drama but everything changed when my little sister Maria started planning her wedding I was there to help her plan her perfect day but it became clear that things were going to be more complicated than I expected the shadow of our dad John hung over everything ever since his divorce he hasn't been the same he's been struggling sinking into a mess of alcohol and poor choices

one of the worst decisions in my opinion is his new girlfriend Julie from the moment I met her I got bad vibes one day while Maria and I were picking out flowers she turned to me worry clear in her voice Liv do you think Dad will actually show up sober she asked her eyes filled with hope I really hope so me I said trying to reassure her for your sake I do but deep down I wasn't sure hope was going to be enough as the wedding day got closer I felt like I was less of

a maid of honor and more of a referee constantly trying to keep the peace my boyfriend Paul was amazing through all of it he'd always try to calm me down saying things like babe you can't control everything I know I know I'd reply though in my heart I couldn't stop worrying but if dad ruins this day for Maria I'll never forgive him little did I know things were about to get much worse about a week before the wedding I met up with my best friend Teresa for coffee she's always been the voice of reason in

my life and I needed her more than ever what's really going on with you and Julie she asked giving me a look that told me she already knew something was off I lowered my voice glancing around as if someone could overhere there's something not right about her Teresa the way she latched onto dad so quickly always whispering things to him and get this I overheard her talking on the phone about some big score coming up Teresa's eyes widened you think she's scamming him I don't know I admitted but I'm going to find out that conversation

sparked something in me and I couldn't let it go I spent late nights scrolling through social media making quiet phone calls to some of Dad's old friends trying to put the pieces together the more I looked the more I felt like I was uncovering a puzzle that I wasn't sure I wanted to solve the day before the wedding Maria and I were at the venue making some last minute checks when suddenly dad and Julie showed up unannounced daddy Maria squealed running over to hug him I stayed back watching closely Julie's eyes were darting around the

room almost like she was checking everything out in a calculating way Dad on the other hand slurred my little girl all grown up and my heart sank he was already drunk John darling letun go check out the bar Julie said smoothly giving me a smug glance as they walked away together I felt a surge of anger rise up in me but I tried to keep it together for Maria's sake Maria turned to me her eyes shimmering with unshed tears live I didn't let her finish I pulled her into a hug Whispering don't worry sis tomorrow

is about you and Brian nothing's going to ruin it if only I had known how wrong I was they say there's always a calm before the storm well our storm was brewing and it was about to hit with the force of a category 7 hurricane as I stood there holding my baby sister Maria close I made a silent promise to myself no matter what I would protect her happiness at the time I had no idea that I'd be fighting for much more than just a perfect wedding day the ceremony itself was beautiful Maria looked absolutely

radiant and for a brief moment all the family drama seemed to disappear standing beside her watching her exchange vows with Brian I felt a flicker of hope maybe just maybe we could get through this day without any problems I wanted so badly for Maria to have one perfect day but that fragile Hope was shattered the moment we walked into the reception I saw him almost immediately dad standing by the bar already drunk with Julie clinging to him like a Lifeline my heart sank you okay Paul my boyfriend whispered as he squeezed my hand sensing my

unease I've got to hold it together for Maria I muttered forcing a smile but deep down I knew it was only a matter of time before something went terribly wrong as the night wore on the tension in the room became unbearable dad's laughter grew louder his movements more and more sloppy Julie's eyes kept scanning the room a strange gleam in them that made my skin crawl something wasn't right and I could feel it live dad's making a scene Maria whispered to me her voice filled with worry I'll handle it I said trying to sound confident

I walked over to where Dad was attempting a very unsteady Macarena stumbling and laughing like nothing was wrong Dad let's get some fresh air I suggested trying to stay calm nonsense he slurred I'm celebrating my baby girl's big day he tried to twirl but nearly fell over Julie appeared at his side tightening her grip on his arm leave him alone he's having fun she said sharply this isn't about fun it's about showing respect for Maria on her special day I replied trying to keep my voice steady Julie's eyes narrowed as she sneered you think you're

so perfect don't you always trying to control everything the argument escalated quickly we moved to a quieter corner of the room but our voices kept Rising with each exchange you don't know anything about our family I spat at her my patience gone I know one thing she hissed your daddy prefers my company over yours something inside me snapped is that before or after you drained him of his money Julie I shot back my voice trembling with anger her face Twisted with rage and before I could react she lunged at me grabbing a knife from a

nearby dessert table for a moment everything seemed to slow down I saw the blade glint under the reception lights heard people screaming and felt my heart pounding in my chest all I could think was I've ruined Maria's wedding but then out of nowhere Paul tackled Julie sending the knife clattering to the floor chaos erupted around us guests screamed and Scattered chairs were overturned and the whole scene became a blur of noise and movement through the Mayhem all I could focus on was Maria how had it come to this I had promised to protect her happiness

but now her wedding day was turning into a nightmare I saw Maria's horrified face as Brian held her back security rushed in quickly restraining Julie as she screamed obscenities at anyone who came near it was chaos I stood there Frozen as the police arrived and led Julie away in handcuffs in that brief moment I caught a glimpse of dad he looked completely lost and broken that was when I realized things would never be the same again the days following the wedding were a blur between police reports interviews and endless sleepless nights I felt like I

was living in a nightmare every little sound made me jump and the image of Julie lunging at me with that knife replayed in my mind over and over Hall my rock through all of this held me close whenever the nightmares hit you're safe now Liv he whispered trying to comfort me but feeling safe seemed impossible how could I feel safe when my own father's girlfriend had tried to stab me at my sister's wedding how do you even begin to recover from something like that Maria understandably was a wreck when I visited her about a week

after everything had happened she couldn't even look at me all those months of planning she said her voice heavy with sorrow and for what my wedding will always be remembered as the day someone tried to kill my sister me I'm so sorry I started guilt weighing heavily on me she cut me off shaking her head I know it's not your fault live but still I can't help feeling like our family is cursed or something while Maria was dealing with her pain dad was in complete denial he called me constantly leaving voicemails that made my blood

boil Lily sweetie let's not blow this out of proportion he'd say Julie was just upset she didn't mean any harm hearing him defend her like that after everything she had done was infuriating the final straw came when he showed up at my apartment wreaking of alcohol I opened the door to find him swaying slightly his eyes glassy Dad you need to leave I said trying to keep my voice steady but pumpkin were family we need to stick together he slurred sounding pitiful I felt something Harden inside me as I looked at him no Dad we're

done I can't do this anymore the hurt in his eyes almost made me waver almost but as I closed the door I knew it was the right thing to do meanwhile Teresa my ever determined best friend had started digging into Julie's past what we uncovered left me speechless live look at this Teresa said one night spreading papers across my coffee table July's got a record assault fraud you name it I scan the documents feeling sick to my stomach how did Dad not know about this Teresa hesitated biting her lip that's the thing Liv I think

he did the truth hit me like a ton of bricks we found joint bank accounts suspicious money transfers evidence that Dad wasn't just a victim in all of this he was an accomplice telling Maria what we discovered was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do we sat together in her kitchen the wedding gifts still sitting in the corner untouched I can't believe it she whispered tears streaming down her face how could he do this to us I don't even know him anymore I didn't have an answer for her I didn't know who

dad was anymore either I spoke softly but firmly we need to protect ourselves now Maria looked at me her expression shifted to one of determination I'm with you Liv always she replied despite her words the guilt weighed heavily on me I had exposed our father's crimes and in doing so I might have destroyed his life but then again hadn't he already done that to himself the mix of anger confusion and guilt was too much for me to handle alone so I decided to seek help that's how I found myself sitting in a therapist's office trying

to make sense of it all Lily it's normal to feel conflicted my therapist Dr Jacob reassured me during one of our sessions you've been through something traumatic you're grieving the loss of the father you thought you knew I star down at my hands feeling torn but shouldn't I hate him after everything he's done there's no should when it comes to emotions she explained kindly what's important is that you acknowledge how you feel and work through it working through it sounded easy but it wasn't still as I left Dr Jacob's office that day I felt a

small glimmer of hope it wasn't much but it was a start maybe just maybe I could rebuild something positive from the ruins of my family's past for months after the wedding disaster I found myself in a place I never thought I'd be happy despite everything that had happened I had a strong support system Maria Paul Teresa and I had become an unbreakable team our bond was Stronger than ever one night while we were having dinner at my apartment Maria raised her glass to New Beginnings she toasted and to family the one we choose I added

clinking glasses with my sister the media was all over Julie's trial it was a circus sitting in that courtroom my stomach was in knots as Julie's true nature was revealed for everyone to see Dad sat beside me looking completely stunned as her history of crimes came to light but the real shock was Yet to Come Teresa and I had been working hard Gathering evidence of Dad's involvement in Julie's schemes during the trial our lawyer stood up and addressed the court your honor we have documentation proving John Rabe involvement in Miss Blake's fraudulent activities as the

legal battle continued my personal life took an unexpected turn for the better my career started to take off one Sunday afternoon my boss called me into his office Lily we're promoting you to senior marketing director he said with a smile your resilience and creativity this past year have been outstanding I left his office in a days immediately calling Paul to share the news babe that's incredible I'm so proud of you he exclaimed excitement clear in his voice amidst all the chaos Maria and Brian made a beautiful decision they decided to renew their vows this time

it was a small intimate ceremony in their backyard with only close friends and family second times the charm Brian joked making Maria giggle as they exchanged Rings again watching them I felt a sense of Peace wash over me we were finally healing all of us then the day of Julie's sentencing arrived the courtroom was filled with tension as the judge prepared to deliver the verdict as I sat there I reflected on how far we had come since that fateful wedding day day we had been through so much pain and betrayal but somehow we had made

it through we were stronger and we were moving forward it wasn't easy but we had found our way back to each other the storm had passed and we were finally finding Cal again I stood up to deliver my Victim Impact statement my hands shaking but my voice steady the scars from that night run deep I began but they've made me stronger I looked directly at Julie knowing this was my moment to reclaim my life I'm here today not as a victim but as a Survivor as Julie was led away in handcuffs I felt a sense

of closure it was like a long and painful chapter of my life was finally coming to an end the real celebration however came a month later Maria Brian Paul Teresa and I were at my favorite restaurant Gathering to celebrate my promotion and everything we had overcome together to Lily to Isa raised her glass her smile wide the strongest person I know I couldn't let her finish without adding to all of us I looked around at the faces of the people who had stood by me through the hardest year of my life for proving that family

isn't just about blood but about loyalty and love as we laughed and shared stories I felt something shift inside me I realized how much had changed the past year had been like a nightmare but in a strange way it had also been a gift it showed me who really mattered it taught me how strong I could be and it gave me the courage to cut out the negativity and toxic influences in my life sitting there surrounded by real love and happiness I knew that this was my happy ending it wasn't perfect and it came with

its scars but it was real and that made it beautiful for the first time in a long time I felt hopeful about the future I was grateful for the family I had found and the strength I had discovered Within Myself so that's where my story ends but I'm curious about your thoughts if you were in my shoes would you have given your father another chance after everything he did or would you have kept those boundaries in place like I did it's a tough decision and I know many of you have faced similar struggles with toxic

family members I'd love to hear your experiences please share in the comments how you've handled difficult family Dynamics in your own lives if my story resonated with you please hit that like button and consider subscribing for more real life stories and discussions about navigating complicated family relationships your support means so much to me and it helps me continue sharing these personal stories thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next video