Our therapist\u2019s office had two couches, one chair, a box of tissues, and a clock placed where clients could see exactly how slowly difficult conversations moved.<\/p>\n
Her name was Dr. Maren Cole.<\/p>\n
She rarely interrupted.<\/p>\n
That made her dangerous.<\/p>\n
Silence forced people to keep talking long after they reached the safe version of an answer.<\/p>\n
At our fourth session, she looked at Elise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you need from Daniel that you have not asked for?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise shifted beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole waited.<\/p>\n
Thirty seconds passed.<\/p>\n
Then Elise said, \u201cI want to know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole did not ask what she meant.<\/p>\n
Neither did I.<\/p>\n
Elise looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Corinne?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question was simple.<\/p>\n
I had answered versions of it before.<\/p>\n
I was selfish.<\/p>\n
I wanted attention.<\/p>\n
I was avoiding responsibility.<\/p>\n
All true.<\/p>\n
Apparently not enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean why her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like you could have cheated with anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise flinched.<\/p>\n
I immediately regretted the bluntness.<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay with the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorinne made things feel easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean nothing with her was real.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t sound better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t see bills. Mabel crying. You recovering. The mortgage. Work stress. My failures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew you had a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew facts.\u201d<\/p>\n
I searched for better words.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe got the edited version of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise remained quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could show up for two hours, be funny, spend money, act spontaneous, then leave before anything became boring or hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent thousands.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney you told me we didn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause spending it made me feel like the person I wanted to be with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat person?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSuccessful. Generous. Unrestricted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was asking whether we could afford diapers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you bought her jewelry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSay how much.\u201d<\/p>\n
The request caught me off guard.<\/p>\n
I knew.<\/p>\n
Of course I knew.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-eight hundred dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I postponed replacing the dishwasher.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole remained silent.<\/p>\n
That silence was brutal.<\/p>\n
Elise\u2019s voice became quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you love her?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
Even after everything, hearing it plainly hurt.<\/p>\n
I hated causing fresh pain with an old fact.<\/p>\n
Still, lying would have been worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I repeated. \u201cI believed I loved her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
I did not reach for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you love?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question was almost a whisper.<\/p>\n
I thought carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way I felt around her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The realization had taken me too long.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved the version of myself I got to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise wiped under one eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved you differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed without humor.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t mean better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved you in a way that had responsibility attached to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds romantic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked directly at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I resented the responsibility instead of understanding that intimacy includes it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole finally spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise, what are you hearing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I got the real man.\u201d<\/p>\n
I winced.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Corinne got the fun version.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes me angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me angry at myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat straighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I spent months wondering what she had that I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was prettier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was thinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou bought her dresses. Jewelry. Hotels. Restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was at home wearing the same nursing bra three days because I couldn\u2019t get enough sleep to do laundry.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to disappear.<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked at pictures of her,\u201d Elise continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wiped her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI studied them.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hurt to hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI compared everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were recovering from giving birth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that logically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to compare yourself to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went quiet.<\/p>\n
I turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorinne did not have something you lacked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s easy for you to say now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had your attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had your time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour desire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each admission felt like putting weight onto someone already carrying too much.<\/p>\n
But Elise had asked for truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had all the things I kept telling myself I was too tired or busy to give you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise covered her face.<\/p>\n
I sat still.<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole handed her tissues.<\/p>\n
After a minute, Elise looked at me again.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why should I ever believe I\u2019m enough?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question broke something open.<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t need to be enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t mean that badly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem wasn\u2019t that you weren\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem was that I thought another person was supposed to make me feel satisfied with myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise watched me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen real life made me feel inadequate, I looked for someone who reflected back a better image.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I know that no one can do that permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stayed silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I ever cheat again, it won\u2019t be because you failed to be enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be because I chose to betray you again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
The sentence sounded harsh.<\/p>\n
It was meant to remove the burden from her.<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole nodded slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that bring up?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise opened her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cRelief.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd terror.\u201d<\/p>\n
That did not.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy terror?\u201d Dr. Cole asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it means I can never prevent it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Elise looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I repeated. \u201cYou can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled again.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t be prettier enough, calmer enough, more interesting enough, sexually available enough, successful enough, forgiving enough. None of it can guarantee what I choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd freeing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat responsibility does that leave you with, Elise?\u201d<\/p>\n
She thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeciding whether his behavior now is trustworthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot guaranteeing his future behavior?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeciding what I will do if he betrays me again.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what would you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole asked gently.<\/p>\n
Elise answered without hesitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pain shot through me.<\/p>\n
Then something else.<\/p>\n
Respect.<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
Elise noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d expect me to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo second chance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I knowingly do this to you again after everything, you should protect yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face crumpled.<\/p>\n
For a moment I thought I had said something wrong.<\/p>\n
Then she reached for my hand.<\/p>\n
I took it.<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole gave us silence.<\/p>\n
After the session, we walked to our cars without speaking.<\/p>\n
The parking lot was wet from afternoon rain.<\/p>\n
At Elise\u2019s SUV, she stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was awful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hated everything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame.\u201d<\/p>\n
She almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Then she became serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed that answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I wasn\u2019t missing something Corinne had.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you\u2019ve said it before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou explained it without making me special.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
She thought for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you used to apologize, you\u2019d say I was the best wife, the best mother, the most beautiful woman, all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that helped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if I was all those things, then why did you cheat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
She touched the roof of the SUV.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday you basically said none of those qualities protect me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that scares me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut at least it puts the responsibility where it belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
We stood there while cars moved slowly through the lot.<\/p>\n
Then Elise said, \u201cI think I trust you more after hearing something I didn\u2019t want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat seems backward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe trust is backward.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to get dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter that session?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could eat in silence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTempting.\u201d<\/p>\n
We picked up Mabel first.<\/p>\n
The three of us went to a diner.<\/p>\n
Mabel ate pancakes with her hands.<\/p>\n
Elise stole some of my fries.<\/p>\n
I pointed it out.<\/p>\n
She denied everything.<\/p>\n
The normalcy felt strange after such an intense hour.<\/p>\n
Maybe that was healthy.<\/p>\n
Hard truth did not have to consume the whole day.<\/p>\n
Life could continue around it.<\/p>\n
Over the next month, therapy became more difficult.<\/p>\n
We discussed finances.<\/p>\n
Sex.<\/p>\n
Resentment.<\/p>\n
Elise\u2019s fear that motherhood had made her invisible.<\/p>\n
My habit of turning discomfort into withdrawal.<\/p>\n
My need to be admired.<\/p>\n
Her tendency, developed during the worst period of our marriage, to stop asking for help because disappointment hurt more than doing everything herself.<\/p>\n
Neither of us left sessions feeling victorious.<\/p>\n
That was probably why they helped.<\/p>\n
One evening after therapy, Elise came to my apartment.<\/p>\n
Mabel was with Natalie.<\/p>\n
We made pasta.<\/p>\n
Halfway through dinner, Elise said, \u201cI don\u2019t want to keep living separately forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped chewing.<\/p>\n
She looked nervous.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not proposing anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. I\u2019d be intimidated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
She folded her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m saying this halfway thing can\u2019t continue indefinitely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe either eventually become a real couple again, with an actual shared life, or we admit this was part of healing and stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second option hurt.<\/p>\n
I did not reject it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow soon do you need to decide?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019ve started thinking about living together.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked around my one-bedroom apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean somewhere neutral.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word mattered.<\/p>\n
Not the old house.<\/p>\n
Not her rental.<\/p>\n
Not my apartment.<\/p>\n
Something new.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not going to ask tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNext week?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She narrowed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re irritatingly patient now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been told.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would you need?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor living together?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeparate financial visibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo secret accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClear division of responsibilities with Mabel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTherapy continues.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpace.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat neither of us treats living together as surrendering independence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise took longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I feel suspicious, I say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou answer without getting defensive if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if I can\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou say you\u2019re defensive instead of punishing me for asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need access to finances.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot passwords to everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to become your monitor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want that either.\u201d<\/p>\n
She breathed slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I need my own room somewhere in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOffice. Retreat. Whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI pictured sharing every room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the old marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence settled.<\/p>\n
Then I said, \u201cI want a garage.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s your condition?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m contributing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n
The tension broke.<\/p>\n
Three weeks later, we began looking at houses.<\/p>\n
Not buying.<\/p>\n
Just looking.<\/p>\n
The first had terrible plumbing.<\/p>\n
The second had beautiful windows and no storage.<\/p>\n
The third had a small room upstairs that Elise immediately claimed as her office.<\/p>\n
I watched her stand in the doorway.<\/p>\n
Sunlight fell across the hardwood floor.<\/p>\n
Mabel toddled in behind her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one,\u201d Elise said quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
Not too close.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould you live here?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked around.<\/p>\n
Then at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I could.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words carried more weight than any proposal.<\/p>\n
We made an offer two days later.<\/p>\n
It was accepted.<\/p>\n
At therapy that week, Dr. Cole asked how we felt.<\/p>\n
Elise said terrified.<\/p>\n
I said terrified.<\/p>\n
Dr. Cole smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopeful.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSame.\u201d<\/p>\n
The closing date was set for six weeks later.<\/p>\n
For the first time since our divorce, we had made a decision that belonged to the future rather than the past.<\/p>\n
But moving into the same house would expose whether everything we had learned could survive ordinary life.<\/p>\n
And ordinary life, I knew now, was where I had failed the first time.<\/p>\n
Our therapist\u2019s office had two couches, one chair, a box of tissues, and a clock placed where clients could see exactly how slowly difficult conversations moved. Her name was Dr. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5553"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5573,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5553\/revisions\/5573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}