Sometimes the smallest objects bring out the biggest emotions, especially when someone’s grieving.

So when one stubborn woman refused to return a cookbook she rescued from a box destined for the trash, her brother and sister-in-law didn’t take it lightly.

Now she’s wondering whether standing her ground is worth the chaos it caused.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITAH for keeping a “Family” cookbook that was previously thrown away

More than 10 years ago, my SIL’s MIL passed away.

The family cleaned out her house, took what they wanted, then decided to toss the rest.

They told her to take anything she wanted, so she obliged.

Before it was tossed, my SIL said to see if there was anything I wanted. All I could find was an old cookbook, which was in plain sight on the kitchen table.

Fast forward to this year when I posted a photo of my island with cookbooks all over it. I was looking for a certain recipe.

Turns out, her in-laws felt differently about it years later.

My BIL saw the photo and saw his mother’s cookbook, then demanded its return. I refused.

It launched a full-on family feud.

The whole family is in an uproar. Half are on my side, half on his.

I’ve had to block quite a few from being able to contact me, as they were getting really rude.

AITAH for not returning it? If I hadn’t taken it, it was going to be thrown away.

What a strange thing to get in a tiffy about.

What did Reddit think?

It’s unreasonable for these in-laws to go back on their words like this.

Ego aside, maybe giving it back is the right thing to do.

Perhaps these in-laws deserve the benefit of the doubt, even if they are acting a bit erratically.

It’s easy for things to get mixed up in the shuffle sometimes.

In the end, the family’s reaction was messy, but the message was clear—sentimentality doesn’t always follow logic.

Sometimes you just have to do the right thing, even if you don’t want to.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.