David arrived Sunday carrying a paper bag from the bakery my husband used to like.<\/p>\n
That detail caught me off guard.<\/p>\n
For years, whenever he visited, he came with a purpose already arranged in his head. A broken appliance to borrow a tool for. Boxes to leave in my garage. Children to drop off. A form that needed a signature. There had almost always been an object between us, something practical enough that neither of us had to examine the relationship too closely.<\/p>\n
This time he stood on the porch holding cinnamon rolls.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo agenda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
He smiled uneasily.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently I have to announce that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved aside and let him in.<\/p>\n
He had not visited since the argument with Sarah and the attorney. The cottage looked different now. I had replaced the kitchen curtains, rehung two shelves, and put a faded rug beneath the dining table. The tomato plants outside had nearly doubled in size. Small ordinary changes, but they made the place feel settled.<\/p>\n
David noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve done a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been here a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than the city house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLately, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
That answer seemed to trouble him, though he did not say why.<\/p>\n
We made coffee and carried it outside. The morning was cool enough that steam rose visibly from the mugs. David sat where Emma usually sat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.<\/p>\n
For several minutes, neither of us said anything.<\/p>\n
It was not unpleasant.<\/p>\n
That surprised me too.<\/p>\n
He opened the bakery bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got the ones with pecans.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father\u2019s favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
We each took one.<\/p>\n
He pulled apart a corner but did not eat it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been thinking about Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep wondering what he\u2019d say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked around.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I considered answering carefully, then decided against it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019d tell you that bringing a lawyer to your mother\u2019s house to get on her deed was a terrible idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
David winced.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe might use stronger language.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made him laugh once.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe probably would.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took a sip of coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you thinking about him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m starting to realize I spent years telling myself certain things were normal because nobody stopped me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I set down my mug.<\/p>\n
He stared toward the yard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Dad was alive, I asked before borrowing things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called before coming over.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI paid him back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe expected you to.\u201d<\/p>\n
David nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word hung there.<\/p>\n
He looked almost embarrassed by what he was about to say.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he died, you never expected anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t because I thought less of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was grieving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
He rubbed his thumb against the side of his mug.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I benefited from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence was simple.<\/p>\n
It was also the first time he had said something that required no correction.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
His shoulders dropped slightly, as if hearing agreement hurt less than anticipation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I was helping you by keeping you involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe twins. Holidays. The business. Coming over. Asking you for things. I told myself you liked being needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean I should have treated you like you were permanently on call.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He finally bit into the cinnamon roll.<\/p>\n
We sat quietly again.<\/p>\n
I found myself wanting to comfort him.<\/p>\n
That instinct was so familiar I almost followed it automatically.<\/p>\n
Then I stopped.<\/p>\n
David was uncomfortable because he was examining his own behavior.<\/p>\n
I did not need to rescue him from that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI repaid another piece of the loan Friday,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to increase the amount next month.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to damage the business to repay me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not angry about the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the weird part.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t weird.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels weird.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m angrier about assumptions than dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I finally understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n
We finished the cinnamon rolls.<\/p>\n
Then David stood and asked if I wanted help repairing the loose hinge on the shed door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came here with no agenda,\u201d I reminded him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis would be your agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed.<\/p>\n
We spent the next hour outside.<\/p>\n
He found the old screwdriver set I kept in a small toolbox near the back steps. He removed the hinge, straightened the plate against a block of wood, and replaced two stripped screws. It was exactly the kind of small job he had once done with his father.<\/p>\n
Watching him work brought back a memory so clearly that for a moment I could almost see my husband standing beside him.<\/p>\n
David must have noticed my expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hold the screwdriver the same way your father did.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked down at his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
For a second, he looked twenty years younger.<\/p>\n
We had lunch at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
That was when the conversation changed.<\/p>\n
It happened without warning.<\/p>\n
David was spreading mustard on bread when he said, \u201cSarah mentioned you\u2019ve been seeing an estate lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand stopped over the plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows that already.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He concentrated on the sandwich.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s worried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you might do something permanent while you\u2019re upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not an accusation.<\/p>\n
Not exactly.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
I set down the knife.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would count as permanent?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe will. The houses. Things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you asking whether I changed my will?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
I resumed making my sandwich.<\/p>\n
We ate for several minutes.<\/p>\n
Then he asked, \u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
He immediately regretted it.<\/p>\n
I could see that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat difference would the answer make?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you don\u2019t need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
I believed him.<\/p>\n
But something inside me had cooled.<\/p>\n
Not completely.<\/p>\n
Only enough to remind me that change was not a straight road.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you came because you wanted to see me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stay in that conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
He rubbed his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood and carried my plate to the sink.<\/p>\n
Behind me, he said, \u201cSarah thinks you\u2019re giving the cottage to Emma.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thinks Emma has been pushing you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmma has done nothing of the kind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His answer was immediate.<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
I returned to the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does Sarah care who gets the cottage?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
Finally, he said, \u201cBecause she still sees it as part of what our family is building.\u201d<\/p>\n
My patience thinned.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not part of what your family is building.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop using language that makes it sound like it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
I studied him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid, listen carefully. I do not owe you an explanation of my estate plan. I do not owe Emma one either.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI may leave everything equally.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI may leave the cottage to the twins.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes flickered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI may sell it and travel.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI may give money to a charity.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI may spend every dollar I have before I die.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression shifted again.<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I choose later has nothing to do with whether I love you now.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was quiet for a long time.<\/p>\n
Then he nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the part Sarah doesn\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at his hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer was better than certainty.<\/p>\n
After lunch, he helped me carry two bags of soil from the trunk of my car.<\/p>\n
Then we sat on the porch again.<\/p>\n
He did not mention the will.<\/p>\n
Neither did I.<\/p>\n
When he stood to leave, he hugged me.<\/p>\n
It was not the quick sideways hug he had given me for years.<\/p>\n
He held on for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks for letting me come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need permission to visit.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulled back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean I should ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked toward his car.<\/p>\n
Before opening the door, he turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever you decide about the cottage\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
He looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Then he finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
He nodded once, got into the car, and drove away.<\/p>\n
I stayed on the porch.<\/p>\n
Part of me wanted to believe the sentence had settled everything.<\/p>\n
Another part remembered that Sarah was still asking questions through him.<\/p>\n
That evening, I called Emma.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid visited.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow bad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer contains a warning label.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
I told her about the cinnamon rolls, the shed, the conversation about his father.<\/p>\n
She was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
I told her about the will.<\/p>\n
Emma sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s trying, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean you have to trust every step.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
We talked another twenty minutes.<\/p>\n
Before hanging up, Emma said, \u201cDon\u2019t let one decent afternoon convince you the problem is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked through the kitchen window at the repaired shed door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two days later, Margaret Collins called.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to ask whether you authorized anyone to contact my office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause.<\/p>\n
My grip tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho contacted you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour daughter-in-law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked whether I was representing you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret\u2019s voice became more careful.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked whether documents had already been signed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she say which documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer somehow made it worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I could not discuss a client or potential client.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe then asked whether a family member could challenge estate documents if the person who signed them was not thinking clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to shrink.<\/p>\n
Margaret continued before I could speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not engage in the question because of the context. But I thought you should know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the notebook on the table.<\/p>\n
Incapacitated.<\/p>\n
Not thinking clearly.<\/p>\n
At my age.<\/p>\n
The phrases began to arrange themselves into a pattern.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would somebody need to claim I wasn\u2019t thinking clearly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her tone shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you worried someone may attempt to challenge your capacity?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m beginning to wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was silent for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I recommend we document your decision-making carefully. Not because I believe you lack capacity. Quite the opposite. But if you are concerned about a future dispute, a clear contemporaneous record can help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of record?\u201d<\/p>\n
She explained.<\/p>\n
Independent legal advice.<\/p>\n
Medical confirmation if appropriate.<\/p>\n
Detailed notes.<\/p>\n
No family members present during signings.<\/p>\n
Nothing dramatic.<\/p>\n
Nothing secretive.<\/p>\n
Just evidence that my choices were deliberate and informed.<\/p>\n
I wrote everything down.<\/p>\n
When the call ended, I sat alone in the quiet kitchen.<\/p>\n
For several minutes, I tried to find an innocent explanation.<\/p>\n
Perhaps Sarah was simply frightened.<\/p>\n
Perhaps she worried that Emma was manipulating me.<\/p>\n
Perhaps she believed she was protecting David.<\/p>\n
All of those possibilities could be true.<\/p>\n
None changed what she had done.<\/p>\n
She had contacted my lawyer to ask whether I was competent to control my own affairs.<\/p>\n
The next morning, I called David.<\/p>\n
He answered from the business.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know Sarah called Margaret Collins?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
Longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I believed him immediately.<\/p>\n
His shock was too clean.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked whether I had signed documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe also asked about challenging them if I wasn\u2019t thinking clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
Then, very quietly, \u201cShe said that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I heard a door close on his end.<\/p>\n
He must have stepped into a private room.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t blame you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m also concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Sarah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what she thinks she\u2019s protecting herself from.\u201d<\/p>\n
David breathed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do not need to talk to her for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking you to choose between us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what this is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could become that very easily.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll handle Sarah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t decided.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sounded suddenly exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me she was done with the property stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll call you later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not confront her in anger and then come tell me what she said.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know me too well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, he laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll talk to you later.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
That afternoon, I drove to the city house.<\/p>\n
I had not spent the night there in almost two weeks.<\/p>\n
The rooms smelled closed.<\/p>\n
I opened windows.<\/p>\n
Then I went to the garage.<\/p>\n
David and Sarah still had boxes there.<\/p>\n
Dozens.<\/p>\n
Holiday decorations.<\/p>\n
Old business records.<\/p>\n
Children\u2019s clothes.<\/p>\n
Furniture wrapped in blankets.<\/p>\n
For years, I had stepped around them.<\/p>\n
That day I looked at them differently.<\/p>\n
Not as clutter.<\/p>\n
As another assumption.<\/p>\n
I began reading labels.<\/p>\n
Most were harmless.<\/p>\n
CHRISTMAS.<\/p>\n
TWINS BABY CLOTHES.<\/p>\n
KITCHEN.<\/p>\n
Then I found a plastic file bin beneath a blanket.<\/p>\n
DAVID BUSINESS.<\/p>\n
I almost left it alone.<\/p>\n
It was not mine.<\/p>\n
Then I noticed the lid was not completely closed.<\/p>\n
A sheet of paper protruded from the side.<\/p>\n
I pushed it inward.<\/p>\n
As I did, I saw my own name.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
The document was facing downward.<\/p>\n
I should have walked away.<\/p>\n
Instead, I lifted the lid.<\/p>\n
The top page contained a typed heading.<\/p>\n
ESTATE VALUE ESTIMATE\u2014MARGARET HALE.<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
Below it was a handwritten list.<\/p>\n
City house.<\/p>\n
Cottage.<\/p>\n
Retirement accounts.<\/p>\n
Insurance.<\/p>\n
Possible investments.<\/p>\n
At the bottom, in Sarah\u2019s handwriting, were three words.<\/p>\n
David\u2019s expected share.<\/p>\n
I stood in the garage, holding a document that had never been meant for me to see.<\/p>\n
And beneath it were pages of calculations.<\/p>\n
They had not merely wondered what I might leave behind.<\/p>\n
Someone had already assigned a value to my death.<\/p>\n
David arrived Sunday carrying a paper bag from the bakery my husband used to like. That detail caught me off guard. For years, whenever he visited, he came with a … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5837","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\/5837","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=5837"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5857,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5837\/revisions\/5857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}