After Gregory left, no one spoke for nearly a minute.<\/p>\n
We heard the sedan pull away.<\/p>\n
Only when the sound disappeared did Rachel lower herself into a chair.<\/p>\n
Her hands were shaking so badly she tucked them beneath her thighs.<\/p>\n
Sarah stood over her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is in the Samuel file?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stared at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have the original.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA storage unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Gregory know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows now that something exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel began gathering papers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we should retrieve it immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I haven\u2019t considered that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think your father just made its importance very clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also has people who watch buildings, cars and phones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel paused.<\/p>\n
That was the problem.<\/p>\n
Until then, Gregory\u2019s surveillance had felt invasive.<\/p>\n
Now it felt strategic.<\/p>\n
He had spent decades buying knowledge before other people understood they needed it.<\/p>\n
Sarah went to the front window.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll assume we go straight there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Rachel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere exactly is the unit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAcross town.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything irreplaceable?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of correspondence. A police report. A private investigator\u2019s file. Notes from my grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour grandmother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel rubbed her palms against her trousers.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hated Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah gave a humorless smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least one person had healthy instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel ignored that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found the box after Grandma died. She had kept things my mother apparently gave her over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cLetters mostly. Records. Notes about my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Samuel Bennett?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne envelope contained his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at Matthew.<\/p>\n
He had fallen asleep again.<\/p>\n
I envied him.<\/p>\n
Every time he closed his eyes, the world reduced itself to warmth, hunger and the rhythm of a heartbeat.<\/p>\n
Adults built archives.<\/p>\n
We built lies large enough to need storage units.<\/p>\n
Rachel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel spent time with my family before he died. More than Thomas\u2019s letter suggests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much time?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently every summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Gregory and Thomas were close.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel glanced at the photograph again.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think they were friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they were closer than Dad admits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusiness?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandmother wrote that Gregory practically lived with the Bennetts when he was eighteen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandparents never mentioned him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe they had reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentence sat badly in the room.<\/p>\n
I unfolded Thomas\u2019s letter again.<\/p>\n
There was more than accusation in it.<\/p>\n
There was grief.<\/p>\n
The sentences about Samuel were careful, almost restrained, but I recognized the tone. Someone had lived with the same questions so long that anger had hardened into precision.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Samuel\u2019s death wasn\u2019t simple,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe file might explain why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Rachel replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how to handle evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know how my father handles fear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what his fear did to my uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I know what it did to Mark.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t defend Mark.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel pushed away from the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if we pretend Mark became this way from nowhere, we\u2019ll miss half of what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered Sarah\u2019s description.<\/p>\n
He becomes seventeen again when Gregory enters the room.<\/p>\n
I hated that compassion kept finding inconvenient places to exist.<\/p>\n
Mark had betrayed Sarah.<\/p>\n
He had lied to me.<\/p>\n
He had abandoned Matthew.<\/p>\n
He had likely arranged secret testing without my consent.<\/p>\n
Whatever Gregory had done to him did not erase any of that.<\/p>\n
But it might explain why Mark had repeated the same pattern.<\/p>\n
Find the vulnerable person.<\/p>\n
Move responsibility.<\/p>\n
Control the story.<\/p>\n
I was still thinking about that when someone knocked.<\/p>\n
Everyone froze.<\/p>\n
Not three measured knocks.<\/p>\n
Four hard ones.<\/p>\n
Rachel stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Mark.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was right.<\/p>\n
His voice came through the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah, open it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not move.<\/p>\n
He knocked again.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel, I know you\u2019re in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah's face became calm in a way I had never seen before.<\/p>\n
She walked to the door and opened it.<\/p>\n
Mark stepped inside before she invited him.<\/p>\n
He looked terrible.<\/p>\n
Not dramatic, not injured\u2014just stripped down.<\/p>\n
His shirt collar was open, his hair wet from the rain, and purple shadows sat beneath his eyes.<\/p>\n
Then he saw me.<\/p>\n
For one second the room disappeared for both of us.<\/p>\n
There he was.<\/p>\n
The man who had once slept with his palm spread over my stomach.<\/p>\n
The man who had talked about names.<\/p>\n
The man who vanished.<\/p>\n
His gaze dropped to Matthew.<\/p>\n
Something broke across his face.<\/p>\n
He took one involuntary step forward.<\/p>\n
I moved back.<\/p>\n
He stopped immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s him,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
I hated that his voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked at Matthew for so long that Sarah finally said, \u201cYou don\u2019t get to come in here and make this tender.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at his wife.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah folded her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me what you found.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich version?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Samuel file.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel's expression changed.<\/p>\n
Mark stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou actually have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sank into a chair.<\/p>\n
For the first time, genuine fear appeared in him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting suggestion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must be Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Bennett\u2019s nephew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI figured.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid my uncle contact you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice became hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer had better be true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah stepped between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart with Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He flinched.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to begin there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want me to say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me how my blood ended up in a clinic I never agreed to visit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark\u2019s face drained.<\/p>\n
Rachel whispered, \u201cSo you did know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t drug you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words came too quickly.<\/p>\n
My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t ask whether you drugged me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He realized his mistake.<\/p>\n
Sarah turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need everyone to understand what was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo context first,\u201d I said. \u201cFacts.\u201d<\/p>\n
His hands dropped.<\/p>\n
He looked older than forty-one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe restaurant night, you got dizzy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t because of the drink.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were exhausted. You hadn\u2019t eaten enough. You nearly fainted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took me somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they draw my blood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
I could hear Matthew breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told them I consented.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer hurt even though I already knew it.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sign my name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not know anyone signed it until later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMark.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI swear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll forgive us for not valuing your oath.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark ignored her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told the doctor you were my fianc\u00e9e. I said you had approved screening and were frightened of needles.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Insane makes it sound detached from choice. You lied to a doctor about my consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
His gaze flicked toward Matthew.<\/p>\n
Then away.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost shouted.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not put this on him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why say his name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he told me I had to know before you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked at his sister.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said if the baby had a chromosomal condition, Thomas Bennett would use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cUse a baby for what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou obeyed anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah stared at the man she had married.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou violated Emily medically because your father told you a stranger might use her baby against you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought there was more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was always \u2018more\u2019 with Gregory,\u201d Rachel said. \u201cThat\u2019s how he trained us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked at her sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand what Thomas sent me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel took Thomas\u2019s letter from the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark froze.<\/p>\n
He stared at the opened envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou read it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
His expression moved from fear to resignation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you know about Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know he had Down syndrome and drowned when your father was present.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark\u2019s eyes closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour uncle believes my father killed Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence landed without sound.<\/p>\n
Even Rachel looked shocked.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face became completely still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Thomas believe happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Gregory left Samuel in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold spread through my chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn purpose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Gregory say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Thomas was lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was seventeen, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd after your crash?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark's mouth twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the crash, Dad taught me how easy it is to make a story official.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
Mark looked directly at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission seemed to physically hurt him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas never touched the steering wheel. He never distracted me. I was showing off. I went too fast into the curve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s hands tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy uncle spent twenty-four years being treated like the reason you crashed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re forty-one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark flinched.<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had twenty-four years to become older than seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah's eyes filled, but her voice remained steady.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Matthew\u2019s diagnosis scared you because it reminded you of Samuel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Thomas\u2019s letter said my father had once protected himself by making a disabled child\u2019s death look accidental and then protected me by blaming another vulnerable person.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said if my child had Down syndrome, I should ask myself whether I was going to become Gregory too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became silent.<\/p>\n
I felt something painful move through me.<\/p>\n
Thomas had not threatened Mark.<\/p>\n
He had warned him.<\/p>\n
And Mark had responded to a warning about becoming his father by becoming exactly like him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou read that,\u201d I said, \u201cand then you had me secretly tested?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was terrified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark stood, then immediately sat again as if his legs had failed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought if the screening was negative, the whole connection would disappear. Thomas would have nothing symbolic to attach to the past. Dad would calm down. I could deal with the pregnancy without him interfering.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when it came back high risk?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Matthew.<\/p>\n
\u201cI panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou vanished.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew I thought you left because of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did leave because of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words struck me harder than I expected.<\/p>\n
Matthew shifted against my chest.<\/p>\n
Mark continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not because there was something wrong with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t say it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen say what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI left because when I saw the result, I realized Thomas was right. I was already making decisions about another vulnerable person without his mother\u2019s consent. I was becoming my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
A laugh escaped me, sharp and humorless.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you corrected that by abandoning us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told myself leaving would protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel whispered, \u201cMark.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad wanted Emily gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted me to pay you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never offered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
Somehow, that did not comfort me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted a lawyer to approach you about confidentiality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah whispered, \u201cA nondisclosure agreement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when you refused?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe started surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Some surveillance began earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he lied to me too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice was cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone here is shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI disappeared because I thought if there was no public connection between us, Dad would lose interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left me pregnant and alone because you thought silence was protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat may be the most cowardly thing you\u2019ve ever said.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
For once, he did not defend himself.<\/p>\n
Daniel tapped the Samuel letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Thomas after he sent this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked to meet me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA parking garage downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel\u2019s file.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he know about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked at his sister.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone told him you found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark\u2019s phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
He looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
Whatever he saw changed him instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n
He turned the screen toward us.<\/p>\n
A text from Gregory.<\/p>\n
Bring Rachel to the lake house. Come alone. You have two hours.<\/p>\n
Below it was a photograph.<\/p>\n
Not of Rachel.<\/p>\n
Not of us.<\/p>\n
A man sat tied to a chair in what looked like an old boathouse.<\/p>\n
His hair was gray.<\/p>\n
His right leg appeared rigid beneath him.<\/p>\n
Daniel made a sound that barely seemed human.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Gregory left, no one spoke for nearly a minute. We heard the sedan pull away. Only when the sound disappeared did Rachel lower herself into a chair. Her hands … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6226","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\/6226","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=6226"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6246,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6226\/revisions\/6246"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}