The argument began with a grocery receipt Grant had no business holding like evidence against me.<\/p>\n
I had just carried the last bag into the kitchen when I saw him standing at the counter, one hand braced beside my purse, the other pinching the narrow strip of paper between two fingers. His work shirt was still tucked neatly into his trousers. He had loosened his tie but not removed it, which usually meant he had come home irritated and intended to stay that way. The refrigerator hummed behind him. Rain tapped softly against the window above the sink.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did groceries cost this much?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
I set a bag containing milk and eggs on the counter. \u201cBecause groceries cost that much.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo hundred and twelve dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor more than a week of food, cleaning supplies, coffee, and the ingredients I need for Saturday\u2019s orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes returned to the receipt. \u201cYou bought salmon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOrganic vegetables.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were on sale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this cheese was eleven dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him for a second. \u201cGrant, are you seriously auditing the cheese?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t smile.<\/p>\n
That should have warned me that the conversation was not really about eleven-dollar cheese.<\/p>\n
For seven years, I had learned the weather patterns of my husband\u2019s moods. Grant could be charming when other people were around, quick with a joke and generous with invitations. He liked being the person who said, \u201cCome over Sunday,\u201d before checking whether Sunday worked for me. He liked a crowded dining room, a full refrigerator, and relatives praising the meal. What he rarely seemed to notice was the person shopping, chopping, baking, scrubbing, and paying for much of what made those gatherings possible.<\/p>\n
I ran a small baking business from home. Calling it small was accurate in the formal sense, but misleading in every practical one. Some weeks I filled ten orders. Busy weeks could bring fifteen or more. Wedding cupcakes covered the dining table. Birthday cakes occupied half the refrigerator. Before holidays, butter came into the house by the case.<\/p>\n
The income was inconsistent, but it was real. I paid the electric bill. I bought most of our groceries. I covered household supplies and plenty of repairs that seemed too minor for Grant to notice until they were done.<\/p>\n
Grant earned more than I did at his salaried job, and over the years that fact had somehow grown into a larger belief: his paycheck represented our financial foundation, while mine was merely helpful.<\/p>\n
I began unpacking the groceries.<\/p>\n
He remained where he was.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to start watching what you spend,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I put a carton of strawberries into the refrigerator and closed the door carefully. \u201cI do watch what I spend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t look like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in his tone made me turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly are you trying to say?\u201d<\/p>\n
He dropped the receipt onto the counter. \u201cI\u2019m saying I work hard for my money.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence was ordinary enough. The implication was not.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t need to.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled through his nose, already impatient. \u201cLaurel, please don\u2019t turn this into something.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed. \u201cYou picked up my receipt and started questioning individual groceries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause somebody has to think about the bills.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think about the bills every month.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou bake cakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to shrink.<\/p>\n
I looked at him without speaking.<\/p>\n
Grant must have heard himself, because his expression shifted for half a second. Then pride closed over whatever hesitation had appeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said. \u201cI bake cakes. And pastries. And dessert tables. And custom orders. People pay me for those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He rubbed the back of his neck. \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced toward the hallway as if an explanation might be waiting there. \u201cMy salary covers the serious expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe serious expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mortgage. Insurance. Things that actually keep a roof over us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd electricity doesn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I said.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFood doesn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLaurel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRepairs don\u2019t? Cleaning supplies? The plumber last month?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked annoyed rather than surprised, and that hurt more than I expected. \u201cWhy are you keeping score?\u201d<\/p>\n
That phrase had ended more than one financial conversation in our marriage.<\/p>\n
If I mentioned what a family gathering cost, I was keeping score. If I pointed out that my business paid several bills, I was keeping score. If I asked Grant to split an unexpected household expense, marriage suddenly became a sacred institution in which accounting was offensive.<\/p>\n
Strangely, he had no objection to counting when the numbers supported him.<\/p>\n
I leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not keeping score. You started this conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause spending has gotten ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen show me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShow me where.\u201d<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cSit down with me,\u201d I said. \u201cWe\u2019ll open the accounts. We\u2019ll list what you pay, what I pay, and where the money goes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression hardened almost immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The speed of the answer caught me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m not doing some forensic investigation into our marriage over groceries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were doing one into my receipt thirty seconds ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
He picked up his keys from the counter, then put them down again. It was a small, restless movement, but I noticed it because Grant was usually composed when money came up. That evening he seemed unusually raw.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m asking you to be responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019m asking you to show me what irresponsible thing I\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
I turned back to the grocery bags.<\/p>\n
That should have ended it.<\/p>\n
Instead, Grant said, \u201cYou know what? Maybe this would be easier if we just separated food expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped with a loaf of bread in my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou buy whatever you want. I buy whatever I want.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him over my shoulder. \u201cWe\u2019re married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we eat together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot every meal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t the point.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gave a short shrug. \u201cMaybe it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n
I put the bread down.<\/p>\n
There was something almost adolescent about the stubborn set of his jaw, except we were not arguing over whose turn it was to wash dishes. We were two adults who had been married seven years, standing in a kitchen we had renovated together.<\/p>\n
At least, I had always thought of it as together.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant, where is this coming from?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s obviously not true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired of feeling like everything lands on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked.<\/p>\n
For a moment, I genuinely wondered whether I had misunderstood him.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancially.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked around the kitchen.<\/p>\n
The curtains had been bought with money from a wedding order. The new faucet had come from three birthday cakes. The stand mixer on the counter had paid for itself dozens of times over. The electricity keeping the refrigerator running was in my name. So was the internet bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly do you think I contribute?\u201d<\/p>\n
His mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Answer me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know how.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked away.<\/p>\n
That was the first moment I felt something colder than anger.<\/p>\n
Not suspicion exactly.<\/p>\n
More like the sensation of stepping onto a stair in the dark and discovering it was lower than expected.<\/p>\n
Grant knew what I paid. He had to. We had discussed the electric bill. He had watched me buy groceries. He knew I had paid the plumber because he had been at work when the pipe under the kitchen sink burst.<\/p>\n
So why was he suddenly talking as though none of it existed?<\/p>\n
I tried once more.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs something wrong with money?\u201d<\/p>\n
His head turned sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came too quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you\u2019re acting like we\u2019re in some financial crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why this?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face reddened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m tired, Laurel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI go to work every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou work from home.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed between us.<\/p>\n
I folded my arms.<\/p>\n
Grant shook his head. \u201cForget it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Finish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
He grabbed his keys.<\/p>\n
Then he looked at the groceries spread across the counter and said the sentence that changed the rules of our marriage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to eat, pay for your own food.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
For a moment, neither of us moved.<\/p>\n
The rain kept ticking against the window. Somewhere inside the refrigerator, the compressor clicked off, and the sudden quiet made his words seem even clearer.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay that again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
That was his chance.<\/p>\n
He could have apologized. He could have admitted he was angry. He could have explained what was actually frightening him.<\/p>\n
Instead, he lifted his chin.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou heard me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
Perfectly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
His eyebrows drew together. \u201cAll right what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll pay for my own food.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gave an irritated little laugh. \u201cDon\u2019t be childish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just proposed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m making a point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLaurel.\u201d<\/p>\n
I picked up the salmon and put it into the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy groceries. My meals. My money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re seriously going to do this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked me to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
I waited for him to finish.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
That unfinished sentence stayed with me long after he left the kitchen.<\/p>\n
That night, Grant ate the pasta I had already made before the argument. I sat across from him and watched him sprinkle Parmesan over his plate as though nothing significant had happened.<\/p>\n
He talked about work.<\/p>\n
I answered when necessary.<\/p>\n
After dinner, he left his plate in the sink.<\/p>\n
Normally I would have rinsed it automatically.<\/p>\n
Instead, I washed mine.<\/p>\n
Then I walked upstairs.<\/p>\n
The next morning I woke before six and went downstairs to prepare a dozen lemon cupcakes and a chocolate layer cake for customers. The house was quiet except for the mixer and the soft scrape of my offset spatula against frosting.<\/p>\n
Grant appeared around seven.<\/p>\n
He opened the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are the eggs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond shelf.\u201d<\/p>\n
He found the carton.<\/p>\n
Then he noticed a small label I had placed on it.<\/p>\n
LAUREL \u2014 BUSINESS.<\/p>\n
He turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously?\u201d<\/p>\n
I continued piping buttercream.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are for orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat am I supposed to eat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever you bought.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
I had never realized how much of our marriage operated through invisible expectations until I stopped fulfilling one.<\/p>\n
Grant stared into the refrigerator again.<\/p>\n
There was food inside. Condiments. A few leftovers. Ingredients.<\/p>\n
But there was no breakfast prepared for him.<\/p>\n
He shut the door harder than necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted separate food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven\u2019t apologized.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened a cabinet.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know I didn\u2019t literally mean you should label everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to avoid confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n
He found a granola bar and tore open the wrapper.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
He left for work without kissing me goodbye.<\/p>\n
For the next several days, I did exactly what he had told me to do.<\/p>\n
I bought my groceries separately. I kept receipts. I prepared my meals in portions that belonged to me. If I cooked chicken, I cooked one serving. If I made soup, I stored it in containers marked with my name.<\/p>\n
Grant initially treated it as a temporary performance.<\/p>\n
On the second evening he came home carrying takeout.<\/p>\n
On the third, he made eggs.<\/p>\n
On the fourth, he asked whether I had enough soup for two.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
His face brightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the second portion is tomorrow\u2019s lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven\u2019t changed the arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you\u2019d get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not that he regretted what he had said.<\/p>\n
He had simply expected my resistance to expire.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not angry anymore,\u201d I told him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are different things.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned against the refrigerator. \u201cWhat do you want, Laurel?\u201d<\/p>\n
I considered the question.<\/p>\n
An apology would have been easy.<\/p>\n
What I wanted was harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you to understand why what you said was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s an apology with homework.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. It\u2019s accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes narrowed. \u201cYou\u2019ve been reading too much stuff online.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Grant had a remarkable talent for locating every possible explanation except his own behavior.<\/p>\n
The following week, his brother Miles stopped by.<\/p>\n
Miles was younger than Grant by three years and possessed the kind of quiet observational habit that made people forget he was listening. He came to borrow a ladder and found us in the kitchen while Grant was making a sandwich.<\/p>\n
Grant opened the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you buy turkey?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI bought turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I have some?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
Miles looked from Grant to me.<\/p>\n
Grant\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing,\u201d Miles said.<\/p>\n
Grant pulled out his own package of sliced ham.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what my life is now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miles leaned against the doorway. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk Laurel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cAsk Grant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miles did.<\/p>\n
Grant spread mustard on his bread with unnecessary force.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had an argument about groceries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of argument?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe spends too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my laptop at the table.<\/p>\n
Miles glanced at me. \u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. Grant refused to look at the accounts with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant dropped the knife.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not refuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you weren\u2019t conducting a forensic investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miles\u2019s eyebrows lifted.<\/p>\n
Grant gave him a warning look.<\/p>\n
I continued working.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d Miles asked.<\/p>\n
Grant said nothing.<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me if I wanted to eat, I should buy my own food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miles became very still.<\/p>\n
Grant immediately said, \u201cThat isn\u2019t exactly what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exactly what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was frustrated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miles looked at his brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou actually said that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant\u2019s face darkened. \u201cStay out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miles raised both hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cGladly.\u201d<\/p>\n
But when Grant turned toward the sink, Miles looked at me.<\/p>\n
His expression held something I couldn\u2019t identify.<\/p>\n
Concern, certainly.<\/p>\n
But also recognition.<\/p>\n
As though Grant\u2019s behavior reminded him of something.<\/p>\n
Before leaving, Miles found me near the front door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Grant starts acting weird about money, pay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMiles.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Grant was out of sight.<\/p>\n
Then Miles shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust make sure you know what\u2019s in your accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could question him, Grant appeared carrying the ladder.<\/p>\n
Miles changed the subject.<\/p>\n
That night, I opened our joint account.<\/p>\n
Nothing jumped out at me.<\/p>\n
The balance was lower than I expected, but Grant had always handled several major expenses from that account. There were transfers I didn\u2019t recognize, though none seemed enormous individually.<\/p>\n
I told myself Miles had made me nervous.<\/p>\n
Still, I downloaded the statement.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
And another.<\/p>\n
I created a folder on my laptop.<\/p>\n
I did not know yet that this small act would become one of the most important decisions I made during my marriage.<\/p>\n
Three weeks after the grocery argument, Grant came home in an unusually good mood.<\/p>\n
His birthday was Saturday.<\/p>\n
I had not mentioned it.<\/p>\n
Usually, his birthday involved days of preparation. His mother Denise came. Miles came. His sister Tessa brought her husband and children. Cousins drifted through. Sometimes neighbors joined us.<\/p>\n
I cooked.<\/p>\n
I baked.<\/p>\n
I cleaned.<\/p>\n
Grant enjoyed being celebrated.<\/p>\n
That year, I had assumed he would make his own arrangements.<\/p>\n
He walked into the kitchen while I was boxing a customer\u2019s cake.<\/p>\n
\u201cSaturday\u2019s going to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kept smoothing the ribbon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s Saturday?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know when your birthday is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I don\u2019t know what you\u2019ve planned.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile faded slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI invited everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom. Miles. Tessa and the kids. A few others.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFourteen, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou invited fourteen people here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled again, but now I could see uncertainty underneath it.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd who is making dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me as though the question itself were absurd.<\/p>\n
That was when I understood.<\/p>\n
Grant had spent three weeks waiting for me to surrender.<\/p>\n
He had not changed his mind.<\/p>\n
He had simply created a situation where he believed I would have no choice.<\/p>\n
I set the finished cake inside its box.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell them we were having?\u201d<\/p>\n
His silence answered before he did.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrisket,\u201d he said finally. \u201cMac and cheese. Your roasted vegetables. And probably that chocolate cake Mom likes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at my husband.<\/p>\n
He had promised fourteen people my money, my labor, and my time without asking me.<\/p>\n
Then he smiled as though the matter were settled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll be here at six.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed the cake box.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Grant relaxed.<\/p>\n
He thought he had won.<\/p>\n
What he didn\u2019t understand was that I had just decided Saturday would be the first family dinner I would not save.<\/p>\n
The argument began with a grocery receipt Grant had no business holding like evidence against me. I had just carried the last bag into the kitchen when I saw him … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7456","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\/7456","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=7456"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7495,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7456\/revisions\/7495"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}