I carried the landline into the kitchen and pulled the door nearly closed behind me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber, what husband?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her breathing rasped through the receiver.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy ex.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley\u2019s father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis name is Travis Nolan. He isn't Bentley\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked through the narrow opening toward the couch.<\/p>\n
Bentley slept curled on his side with one arm around Maddie. Even unconscious, he was guarding her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSt. Vincent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Muncie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIndianapolis.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the counter.<\/p>\n
That explained why my calls had failed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get sixty miles away?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't remember all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley said you fell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Amber whispered, \u201cThat's what I told him to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chill traveled through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat actually happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
She took several shallow breaths before answering.<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis came to the apartment Monday morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was strained enough that every sentence sounded expensive.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought I had savings. I told him I didn't. He wouldn't leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe shoved me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the bathroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shut my eyes.<\/p>\n
Bentley had not lied completely.<\/p>\n
His mother really had fallen there.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe pushed me backward into the tub. I hit the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber paused, struggling for breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left when Bentley started screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley saw it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe called 911?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you tell him to say you fell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Travis was still out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her answer sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't understand him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp me understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf police started looking for him before I knew the kids were somewhere safe, he might go back for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Bentley?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me. For anything he thinks belongs to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her breathing caught.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he doesn't know about Maddie.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed my fingertips against my forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe's three.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI left him before she was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she his daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber was silent long enough to answer without words.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The kitchen suddenly felt much smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI made sure he didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause leaving him was the only thing I ever did that scared him more than staying scared me.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no drama in the way she said it.<\/p>\n
That made it worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after the ambulance came?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember Bentley holding Maddie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
She coughed.<\/p>\n
A muffled voice spoke near her.<\/p>\n
Amber returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say I had pneumonia already. I didn't know how bad it was. The fall broke ribs. There was bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n
I lowered myself into a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been unconscious?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor nine days?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI woke up properly today.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes burned.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the first thing you did was call home?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get my number?\u201d<\/p>\n
A weak laugh escaped her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe yellow note.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered immediately.<\/p>\n
Months earlier Amber had borrowed my vacuum cleaner while I was visiting Doug. I had written my landline number on a sticky note and put it inside the cabinet above her microwave.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remembered that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remembered seeing it every morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
She began crying again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know if Bentley still had food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe kept Maddie fed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know if the water\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was disconnected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her crying stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoug had it shut off because the account was behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber, don't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn't pay everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I had another week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop explaining bills to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced toward the living room.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour son has spent nine days doing the job of every adult who failed to notice he needed help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber made a sound I will never forget.<\/p>\n
Not quite a sob.<\/p>\n
More like something breaking loose.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him to keep Maddie with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him not to open the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him I'd come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe believed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was when Amber truly cried.<\/p>\n
A nurse eventually came onto the line after Amber gave permission.<\/p>\n
Her name was Denise.<\/p>\n
She explained that Amber had been critically ill when transferred to Indianapolis. The respiratory infection had complicated her injuries, and emergency surgery had been necessary. She had spent days unable to make decisions or contact anyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen can she leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot tonight,\u201d Denise said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnlikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what happens to her children?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat needs to be handled properly.\u201d<\/p>\n
My spine stiffened.<\/p>\n
\u201cProperly has been absent for nine days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand you're upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I'm focused.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denise paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre the children safe with you right now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen keep them close tonight. Amber has already spoken with hospital staff and law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLaw enforcement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Collins will explain what she can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber returned to the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Arlene?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis may know where I live.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the dark kitchen window.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe found me once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Bentley know what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he know Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe remembers him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of Bentley\u2019s terror whenever I asked questions.<\/p>\n
Perhaps he had not merely been afraid of child services.<\/p>\n
Perhaps there had been another fear behind it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber, has anyone been watching the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
A memory surfaced.<\/p>\n
Three days earlier, while bringing groceries in from my Buick, I had noticed an older black pickup parked across Kilgore Avenue.<\/p>\n
I remembered it because one front wheel looked odd.<\/p>\n
Missing hubcap.<\/p>\n
The driver had remained inside.<\/p>\n
At the time I assumed he was waiting for someone.<\/p>\n
Now my skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Travis drive?\u201d<\/p>\n
She went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast I knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA black Ford pickup.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand tightened around the receiver.<\/p>\n
\u201cOld?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMissing a hubcap?\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no answer for several seconds.<\/p>\n
Then, \u201cHow do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood so quickly the chair scraped backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause that truck was across the street three days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber's breath became ragged.<\/p>\n
\u201cLock the doors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey're locked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClose the curtains.\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Arlene, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't let Bentley see you're scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentence stopped me.<\/p>\n
Even now, injured in a hospital sixty miles away, Amber was thinking about what her son could bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPromise me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
I checked every window.<\/p>\n
Front.<\/p>\n
Kitchen.<\/p>\n
Back.<\/p>\n
Then I checked them again.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber, listen to me. Those children are not spending another night alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey'll stay with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley may fight you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thinks protecting Maddie is his job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn't anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber became quiet.<\/p>\n
Then she said, \u201cTell him I'm alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thinks you may be dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
A broken sound came through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I would think the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Bentley.<\/p>\n
He shifted in his sleep but did not wake.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll tell him in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell him I didn't leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd tell him\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice failed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell him he did enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended after midnight.<\/p>\n
I did not sleep.<\/p>\n
I sat in Ray\u2019s old chair facing the front windows, listening to the furnace click on and off.<\/p>\n
At dawn Bentley appeared in the kitchen doorway wearing his backpack.<\/p>\n
For one absurd moment I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
After everything, he was still performing the routine.<\/p>\n
\u201cBus comes soon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou aren't pretending today.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople will notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should have noticed sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes went toward Maddie.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe stays safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith people who care about both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou called them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou promised.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI promised nothing except that I would help.\u201d<\/p>\n
His breathing quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can't take her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not taking anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand more than I did yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked ready to run.<\/p>\n
So I gave him the one thing that could stop him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The backpack slid from his shoulder.<\/p>\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber called last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not move.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s in a hospital in Indianapolis.\u201d<\/p>\n
His lips parted.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe's alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talked to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows where we are?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows Maddie's okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face folded.<\/p>\n
But he did not cry.<\/p>\n
Not immediately.<\/p>\n
His whole body began trembling first.<\/p>\n
I crossed the kitchen.<\/p>\n
He threw both arms around my waist with enough force to hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words came against my sweater.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought she died and if I told somebody, they'd take Maddie and then she'd come home and I wouldn't know where Maddie was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI made food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave Maddie more because she's little.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't drink much when the bottles got low.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally the tears came.<\/p>\n
I held him until his breathing slowed.<\/p>\n
When he stepped back, I wiped his face with the corner of a dish towel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother wants you to hear something.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sniffed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said you've done enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward his sleeping sister.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough, Bentley.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word seemed foreign to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou go back to being ten.\u201d<\/p>\n
He almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I still take care of Maddie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can be her brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
He considered that distinction.<\/p>\n
Then nodded.<\/p>\n
Later that morning I took him to school myself.<\/p>\n
Principal Ellison met us near the office.<\/p>\n
She did not interrogate him.<\/p>\n
She crouched and said simply, \u201cWe missed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Alvarez came down the hallway holding a familiar book.<\/p>\n
Charlotte\u2019s Web.<\/p>\n
\u201cI renewed this,\u201d she told him.<\/p>\n
Bentley looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then at her.<\/p>\n
A small smile appeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watching him walk into that classroom was the first time I understood how much childhood he had lost in nine days.<\/p>\n
At noon a police cruiser pulled into our driveway.<\/p>\n
Officer Reynolds approached my porch with two detectives.<\/p>\n
Maddie sat on my living-room rug coloring circles that were supposed to be flowers.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Whitaker?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're following up regarding Amber Collins.\u201d<\/p>\n
I let them inside.<\/p>\n
For the next twenty minutes I told them everything.<\/p>\n
Bentley\u2019s bathroom visits.<\/p>\n
The dry pipes.<\/p>\n
The school-bus performance.<\/p>\n
The empty refrigerator.<\/p>\n
Amber\u2019s call.<\/p>\n
The black pickup.<\/p>\n
At that last detail, Detective Harris stopped writing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDescribe it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOlder Ford.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cColor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlack.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything distinctive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne front hubcap missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detectives exchanged a look.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris closed his notebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you see that vehicle again, don't approach it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think it's Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective chose his words carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to speak with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was enough.<\/p>\n
Doug arrived that evening carrying grocery bags.<\/p>\n
He entered my kitchen without his usual speech about boundaries and began putting food away.<\/p>\n
Milk.<\/p>\n
Fruit.<\/p>\n
Chicken.<\/p>\n
Bread.<\/p>\n
Diapers.<\/p>\n
Juice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI canceled the eviction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I continued peeling carrots.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe water is back on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
I put the peeler down.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn apology.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the living room, where Bentley was helping Maddie build a tower from wooden blocks.<\/p>\n
Doug swallowed.<\/p>\n
The next afternoon he returned with a toolbox.<\/p>\n
Bentley froze when he saw him.<\/p>\n
Doug knelt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made decisions about your house without thinking about who was inside it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still nothing.<\/p>\n
Doug opened his toolbox.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour kitchen cabinet still falling off?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThink you could show me?\u201d<\/p>\n
After a long hesitation, Bentley nodded.<\/p>\n
They spent the next hour repairing hinges, replacing outlet covers, and fixing the loose towel rack Ray had installed decades earlier.<\/p>\n
It was not forgiveness.<\/p>\n
But it was the first honest thing I had seen between them.<\/p>\n
Saturday morning brought warm sunlight.<\/p>\n
Maddie chased soap bubbles across the backyard while Bentley helped me pull weeds from Ray\u2019s old tomato bed.<\/p>\n
For almost an hour, life felt ordinary.<\/p>\n
Then every dog on Kilgore Avenue began barking.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the street.<\/p>\n
A black Ford pickup rolled past the duplex.<\/p>\n
Slowly.<\/p>\n
One front hubcap was missing.<\/p>\n
It continued to the corner.<\/p>\n
Turned.<\/p>\n
Came back.<\/p>\n
Then stopped across from our house.<\/p>\n
The driver remained behind the wheel.<\/p>\n
Watching.<\/p>\n
My hand found Bentley\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n
His body went rigid before I said a word.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake Maddie inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at the truck.<\/p>\n
His face drained of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He knew I was lying.<\/p>\n
He scooped up his sister and ran.<\/p>\n
I pulled out my phone and called Detective Harris.<\/p>\n
He answered almost immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truck is here.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo inside now. Officers are looking for Nolan. Do not approach him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The driver's door opened.<\/p>\n
A tall man in a gray sweatshirt stepped onto the pavement.<\/p>\n
He looked first at Amber\u2019s half of the duplex.<\/p>\n
Then at mine.<\/p>\n
Across the street, our eyes met.<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
And before I could reach my front door, Travis Nolan started walking straight toward my porch.<\/p>\n
I carried the landline into the kitchen and pulled the door nearly closed behind me. \u201cAmber, what husband?\u201d Her breathing rasped through the receiver. \u201cMy ex.\u201d \u201cYou said husband.\u201d \u201cI … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7646","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\/7646","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=7646"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7666,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7646\/revisions\/7666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}