\u201cYour husband is already dead, Audrey. Stop playing the grieving widow and give the keys to your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey Vance felt those words sting worse than the freezing rain running down her neck.<\/p>\n
Three hours earlier, she had buried David, her husband of eight years, in a cemetery just outside Columbus, Ohio. A semi-truck had lost control on Interstate 71, jackknifing directly into David\u2019s sedan. David, a regional logistics director, died before first responders could even pry open the wreckage.<\/p>\n
At the chapel service, Audrey had sat alone in the front row.<\/p>\n
Her father, Richard, never showed up. Her mother, Teresa, didn\u2019t bother either. Ethan, her younger brother, refused to answer her calls. Claudia, the younger sister whose college tuition Audrey had paid out of her own pocket, sent a cold text:\u00a0Can\u2019t make it. I have plans.<\/i><\/p>\n
Her family hated David for one reason: he was the first person who ever told them that Audrey was not a human ATM.<\/p>\n
Ever since she was twenty-two, Audrey had bankrolled their mistakes. She took out a personal loan to rescue Ethan\u2019s failed food truck business, paid Claudia\u2019s tuition fees, and settled Richard\u2019s business debts.<\/p>\n
Whenever Audrey tried to say no, Teresa would start weeping on the phone:\u00a0\u201cFamily helps family, Audrey. Or have you forgotten who raised you?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Then David came into her life.<\/p>\n
When Richard demanded another $15,000 to buy Ethan a new pickup truck, David had stepped in firmly:\u00a0\u201cAudrey isn\u2019t paying another cent for your son\u2019s entitlement.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
From that day on, her family branded David as controlling, arrogant, and toxic.<\/p>\n
Audrey and David married four years ago in a quiet courthouse ceremony. Her family boycotted the wedding. Despite their absence, Audrey and David built a peaceful, comfortable life together: a four-bedroom house, healthy savings, and a dark blue Mercedes-Benz sedan that David had purchased outright with cash after years of saving.<\/p>\n
That car was David\u2019s pride and joy. And Ethan\u2019s deep-seated obsession.<\/p>\n
Which was why, when Audrey pulled into her driveway after the burial and found Richard\u2019s truck parked across the garage doors, she knew they hadn\u2019t come to offer condolences.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to settle David\u2019s affairs,\u201d her father demanded, stepping out into the rain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just put my husband in the ground, Dad. Get off my property.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan walked over to the Mercedes, stroking his hand along the hood. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t need it anymore. I do. My truck\u2019s engine is dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teresa chimed in, crossing her arms: \u201cDavid\u2019s gone, Audrey. Give Ethan the keys.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not giving you anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also want his financial statements and the house deed,\u201d Richard added, stepping closer.<\/p>\n
Audrey took a step back toward her porch. \u201cGet off my property before I call the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard\u2019s expression darkened instantly. His hand snapped across her face.<\/p>\n
The force of the strike knocked Audrey against the brick wall, splitting her lip.<\/p>\n
While Teresa watched passively and Claudia turned her head away, Ethan snatched Audrey\u2019s purse, dumped its contents onto the wet concrete, and grabbed the Mercedes key fob.<\/p>\n
Audrey tried to scramble to her feet, but Richard grabbed her coat collar, dragged her across the patio, and shoved her down onto the soaked lawn.<\/p>\n
Ethan started up the Mercedes engine. His wife, Karla, whipped out her phone, filming the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be back on Friday for the deed,\u201d Richard warned, looming over her. \u201cYou\u2019re all alone now, Audrey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once their tail lights disappeared down the street, Audrey picked herself up, walked inside, and went straight to David\u2019s home office.<\/p>\n
She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a encrypted hard drive.<\/p>\n
Four high-definition security cameras had recorded every single second.<\/p>\n
And her family had no idea what Audrey was about to do next.<\/p>\n
Audrey played the footage three times.<\/p>\n
The first time, she sobbed into her hands. The second time, she trembled with pure rage. The third time, she took detailed notes.<\/p>\n
One camera angle caught her father striking her face. Another recorded him dragging her across the patio. A third captured Ethan dumping her purse, stealing the car keys, and speeding off in the Mercedes while Karla filmed and Teresa stood watching.<\/p>\n
The high-clarity audio recorded Richard\u2019s final threat loud and clear:\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll be back on Friday for the deed. You\u2019re all alone now, Audrey.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
David had installed the security system six months prior, with cloud backups updating automatically.<\/p>\n
Audrey picked up her phone and called Stephen Vance\u2014no relation to David, but a trusted estate attorney David had saved in her emergency contacts.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family assaulted me and stole my late husband\u2019s car,\u201d she said, her voice eerily calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you somewhere safe right now?\u201d Stephen asked immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. And I have every second of it on security footage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t delete anything. Don\u2019t answer their calls or texts. Send the raw video files directly to my encrypted server.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephen instructed her to go straight to an urgent care clinic. The medical report documented facial swelling, deep abrasions on her knees, and contusions matching the assault shown on camera. Audrey preserved her torn coat, took close-up photos of her injuries, and backed up the video files onto two separate external drives. This time, she would not allow anyone to brush this off as a \u201cfamily squabble.\u201d<\/p>\n
That evening, Stephen uncovered a crucial detail.<\/p>\n
The house, the Mercedes, and their primary liquid assets were fully protected by a revocable living trust and estate documents that designated Audrey as the sole surviving beneficiary and executor.<\/p>\n
But there was more.<\/p>\n
While searching through old financial files, Audrey found a copy of a $50,000 commercial line of credit taken out years ago by Richard to save his failing hardware business.<\/p>\n
On the application, Audrey\u2019s signature appeared as a co-signer.<\/p>\n
She had never signed that document.<\/p>\n
She had always suspected her father had misused her personal information, but she had been too terrified of family conflict to investigate.<\/p>\n
Not anymore.<\/p>\n
The following morning, she handed the video footage over to the police and filed formal criminal charges for physical assault, grand theft auto, and identity fraud.<\/p>\n
Then, Stephen uncovered another document.<\/p>\n
Five years ago, when Richard and Teresa were facing foreclosure on their home, David had wired $80,000 to clear their mortgage arrears. Richard had told the rest of the family that the money was a \u201cgenerous gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
David had insisted on a notarized promissory note secured by a lien on Richard and Teresa\u2019s property. They hadn\u2019t made a single monthly payment in three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want to enforce the default terms?\u201d Stephen asked.<\/p>\n
Audrey stared at a framed photograph of David sitting on her desk. \u201cI want every single document executed exactly as written.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ethan and Karla were busy boasting on social media. Karla posted a video showing Ethan grinning behind the wheel of the dark blue Mercedes:\u00a0\u201cUpgrading our lifestyle. Hard work pays off! Cut out toxic family who don\u2019t want to see you win!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Stephen saved every single post and comment.<\/p>\n
Two days later, two police cruisers pulled up to Ethan\u2019s rented duplex. Officers recovered the Mercedes and informed Ethan he was being charged with felony grand theft auto.<\/p>\n
Simultaneously, a judge issued an emergency temporary restraining order barring Richard from coming within five hundred feet of Audrey.<\/p>\n
Teresa called Audrey\u2019s phone seventeen times.<\/p>\n
Claudia sent a frantic text:\u00a0\u201cDad made a mistake, but you are literally destroying this family!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Audrey didn\u2019t reply.<\/p>\n
Then Stephen called her with an updated forensic report. \u201cWe reviewed the digital audit trail for that fraudulent commercial line of credit.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were IP addresses, email transmissions, and scanned attachments used to secure the loan.<\/p>\n
Richard hadn\u2019t acted alone. Someone else in the family had actively participated in forging Audrey\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n
When Audrey read the name on the forensic report, the very last piece of her past life shattered into dust.<\/p>\n
The name on the report was Claudia Salgado.<\/p>\n
Audrey read the letters over and over, hoping her eyes were playing tricks on her.<\/p>\n
Claudia. The younger sister whose college tuition Audrey had paid for four full semesters. The sister who called her whenever she needed rent money, textbooks, or a new laptop. The sister who hadn\u2019t even shown up to David\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n
Stephen laid several printed documents on the desk between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IP logs show the loan application was submitted from Claudia\u2019s email account,\u201d Stephen explained. \u201cThe attachments included scans of your driver\u2019s license, and there are saved email exchanges where Claudia sent your father a high-resolution sample of your signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nausea hit Audrey in heavy waves. \u201cWhy would she do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was working as an administrative assistant at a title company back then. She had access to high-end scanners and document editing software. We don\u2019t know if she originated the idea, but she prepared the fraudulent application package.\u201d<\/p>\n
A memory surfaced in Audrey\u2019s mind. Three years ago, Claudia had asked her to text a photo of her state ID, claiming it was for a family health insurance policy update.<\/p>\n
That was all it had taken.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she profit from it?\u201d Audrey asked, her voice dropping.<\/p>\n
Stephen pointed to a line item on a bank statement. \u201cA $10,000 transfer directly to Claudia\u2019s account two days after the loan was disbursed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey closed her eyes tightly.<\/p>\n
Her father had forged her signature. Her sister had supplied the stolen credentials. And both of them had looked her in the eye for years as if nothing had ever happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cFile charges against everyone involved,\u201d Audrey said softly.<\/p>\n
There was no yelling, no rage\u2014just an absolute, unyielding coldness.<\/p>\n
For years, Audrey had confused forgiveness with allowing people to abuse her without consequences. If Richard yelled, she caved. If Teresa cried, she wrote a check. If Ethan got into legal trouble, she bailed him out. If Claudia needed anything, Audrey sacrificed her own plans.<\/p>\n
David had told her countless times:\u00a0\u201cTrue love shouldn\u2019t require you to destroy yourself to prove it.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
She finally understood what he meant.<\/p>\n
The next afternoon, Teresa showed up at the front door.<\/p>\n
Audrey watched her through the security camera monitor in the kitchen. Her mother wore a beige trench coat, her eyes swollen from crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cAudrey, open the door!\u201d Teresa called out toward the video doorbell. \u201cWe need to talk like a family!\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey didn\u2019t open the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father is beside himself with stress! Ethan is facing a criminal record! Claudia says the detectives want to question her! Is this what you wanted?! To watch your own family be destroyed?!\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey activated the intercom speaker. \u201cYou stood on my driveway and watched Dad punch me in the face the day I buried my husband. You watched him drag me across the lawn while Ethan stole David\u2019s car. You were right there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teresa bit her lip nervously. \u201cYour father was upset, Audrey! He lost his temper!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t lay a hand on you!\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey stood completely still in her foyer.<\/p>\n
No\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0No\u00a0\u201cI should have protected you.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0Just:\u00a0\u201cI didn\u2019t lay a hand on you.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cClaudia forged my signature on a $50,000 loan,\u201d Audrey said into the microphone. \u201cDid you know about that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Teresa averted her eyes from the camera lens.<\/p>\n
That subtle pause gave Audrey her answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew your father needed capital to save his business,\u201d Teresa stammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know they stole my identity?\u201d<\/p>\n
Teresa took far too long to answer. \u201cIt was for the family, Audrey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey\u2019s entire childhood was wrapped up in those six words.<\/p>\n
It was for the family.<\/i><\/p>\n
The debts\u2014for the family. The lies\u2014for the family. The sacrifices\u2014for the family. The physical violence\u2014for the family.<\/p>\n
Yet somehow, \u201cthe family\u201d always meant Audrey lost everything while everyone else took what they wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave my property, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid changed you,\u201d Teresa spat bitterly toward the camera. \u201cHe turned you into a heartless monster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey looked down at the console table in the hallway. David\u2019s silver wristwatch still sat where he had placed it the morning of the accident.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Audrey replied softly. \u201cHe taught me that I have a right to say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
She cut the intercom connection.<\/p>\n
Over the next few weeks, the legal consequences unfolded rapidly.<\/p>\n
The grand theft auto case against Ethan moved forward because the security footage definitively proved Audrey had refused to hand over the keys. Ethan tried to claim it was an \u201cinformal family arrangement,\u201d but his own social media posts destroyed his defense. In his comment sections, he had bragged that the Mercedes was \u201cfinally his\u201d and taunted his sister for being \u201ctoo weak to stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The police returned the Mercedes to Audrey.<\/p>\n
When the tow truck dropped the car off in her driveway, Audrey stood on the curb, watching the sunlight bounce off the dark blue paint. Inside, hanging from the rearview mirror, was a small wooden compass keychain David had bought during their anniversary trip to Maine.<\/p>\n
Audrey opened the driver\u2019s side door and sat inside.<\/p>\n
A faint trace of his cologne still lingered in the leather seats.<\/p>\n
For the first time since the accident, she cried without anger.<\/p>\n
She wept for David. For the quiet Sunday mornings when he made coffee while humming off-key. For his silly text messages checking if she had eaten lunch. For his habit of checking the deadbolts twice before coming to bed. For all the decades they were supposed to have together.<\/p>\n
She rested her forehead against the leather steering wheel. \u201cI\u2019m trying, sweetie. I\u2019m really trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she started the engine and parked the car safely inside the garage.<\/p>\n
The case against her father took a sharp turn when the lending institution initiated a formal fraud investigation into the co-signed line of credit. The bank uncovered digital records and email attachments directly linking Claudia to the fraudulent application.<\/p>\n
Richard tried to schedule a meeting to \u201csettle this like adults.\u201d Audrey refused to see him.<\/p>\n
Soon, guilt-tripping text messages flooded in from distant relatives:<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father\u2019s health is failing from the stress.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u201cYour mother can\u2019t sleep at night.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u201cEthan just wanted a reliable car for work.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u201cClaudia was young and impressionable.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Everyone had an excuse for the abusers. Not a single person asked about the woman who had been beaten and robbed on the day she buried her husband.<\/p>\n
Audrey compiled every bank statement, wire transfer, contract, and text message into a single digital folder titled\u00a0The Truth<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Whenever she felt a pang of lingering guilt, she opened that folder.<\/p>\n
There was the $15,000 loan for Ethan\u2019s business that she had spent four years paying off. There were the tuition wire transfers to Claudia. There were the bail payments for Richard. There was the fraudulent loan document. There was the video of Richard striking her face.<\/p>\n
And there was the audio of her mother saying,\u00a0\u201cIt was for the family.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
The guilt evaporated in the face of cold facts.<\/p>\n
Two months later, the defaulted promissory note on Richard and Teresa\u2019s house became legally enforceable. Stephen sent a formal demand letter requiring them to cure the default according to the contract terms David had drafted.<\/p>\n
Teresa reacted with rage, calling Audrey\u2019s lawyer to scream that David was a \u201cpredator who tried to steal their home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey searched through David\u2019s personal files and found a handwritten note clipped to the original loan agreement:<\/p>\n
If they honor their word, the lien is never enforced. But if they fail and something ever happens to me, no one will be able to take away what belongs to Audrey.<\/i><\/p>\n
Audrey stared at those words for a long time.<\/p>\n
David hadn\u2019t anticipated his own death. He had simply anticipated the ruthless nature of her family.<\/p>\n
Through legal representatives, a settlement was negotiated. Unable to cure the default, Richard and Teresa were forced to sell their house before foreclosure proceedings began. After satisfying the debt owed to David\u2019s estate, they used the remaining equity to move into a modest two-bedroom apartment.<\/p>\n
Teresa told everyone willing to listen that Audrey had \u201cthrown her elderly parents out onto the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
The truth was far less dramatic: they had been forced to settle an overdue debt they had ignored for years.<\/p>\n
Ethan fared no better. Facing felony grand theft auto charges, he entered a pre-trial intervention program that required him to complete community service, pay restitution for damages to the vehicle, and maintain a clean record. The public nature of the arrest ruined his reputation, and several job opportunities vanished.<\/p>\n
Karla, who had initially posted angry videos defending him, deleted her social media accounts and packed her bags when she realized the legal trouble was real. Their marriage collapsed shortly after\u2014not because Audrey had set out to ruin them, but because once the illusion of easy money vanished, their relationship had nothing left to stand on.<\/p>\n
Claudia was the last person to reach out.<\/p>\n
She showed up at Audrey\u2019s front porch one afternoon, carrying a manila envelope.<\/p>\n
Audrey kept the security chain latch engaged when she opened the door two inches. \u201cWhat do you want, Claudia?\u201d<\/p>\n
Claudia swallowed hard, her eyes red. \u201cTo tell you the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad asked for your driver\u2019s license scan three years ago. He said it was just to update a family trust document. Then he asked me to use my office scanner to edit your signature onto the loan forms. I knew it was wrong, Audrey, but Dad told me that if the business failed, we\u2019d lose everything. Mom knew about it, too. They made me feel like if I didn\u2019t help, the family\u2019s ruin would be my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the $10,000 transfer to your account?\u201d Audrey asked quietly.<\/p>\n
Claudia lowered her gaze. \u201cDad gave it to me to pay off my credit cards and finish my last semester.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you took it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you kept quiet for three years while I paid off your debts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t even come to David\u2019s funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claudia began to cry. \u201cI was too ashamed to face David\u2026 especially after everything Dad said about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least that sounded like honest remorse.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to the detective,\u201d Claudia sobbed. \u201cI handed over the original emails. I\u2019m going to accept whatever legal penalty comes. I just want to fix what I broke.\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey looked at her sister through the narrow opening of the door. Years ago, she would have unlatched the chain, pulled Claudia inside, and taken on her pain.<\/p>\n
But forgiving someone didn\u2019t mean putting yourself back in harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo the right thing because it\u2019s right,\u201d Audrey said evenly. \u201cNot because you expect me to rescue you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claudia nodded through her tears. \u201cWill you ever forgive me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Audrey took a slow, deep breath. \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time in her life, she felt no obligation to give a comforting answer just to make someone else feel better.<\/p>\n
Seven months passed.<\/p>\n
Audrey began grief counseling, returned to her executive role at an asset management firm, and learned to navigate the profound silence of a house built for two.<\/p>\n
She kept the dark blue Mercedes.<\/p>\n
On clear Sunday mornings, she drove out to the scenic overlooks in the Hocking Hills, bought a hot coffee, and sat watching the sunrise over the cliffs where she and David had celebrated their anniversaries.<\/p>\n
During one of those visits, she brought a small porcelain urn containing a portion of his ashes, scattering them gently into the mountain breeze.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were right,\u201d she whispered into the wind. \u201cSetting boundaries didn\u2019t leave me without a family. It just showed me who actually cared about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice broke. \u201cAnd I miss you every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were no sudden miracles. Richard remained bitter and unrepentant. Teresa continued to play the victim to anyone who would listen. Ethan blamed Audrey for his financial struggles. Claudia completed probation, community service, and began rebuilding her life away from her parents.<\/p>\n
On Christmas Eve, a delivery package arrived at Audrey\u2019s doorstep without a return address. Inside were a few old childhood photographs, a silver bracelet Audrey had worn in high school, and a brief note from Teresa:\u00a0When you get over your pride, your family will be waiting.<\/i><\/p>\n
Audrey read the note twice. Then she kept the photographs she actually wanted, threw the note into the recycling bin, and donated the bracelet. She didn\u2019t call. She didn\u2019t write. She had learned that some battles don\u2019t end when the other person realizes the harm they caused\u2014they end when you simply stop participating in the cycle.<\/p>\n
Justice didn\u2019t bring David back. It didn\u2019t erase the years Audrey had spent allowing herself to be exploited.<\/p>\n
But it gave her back something she hadn\u2019t possessed in a very long time: absolute ownership over her own life.<\/p>\n
Late one afternoon, she parked the dark blue Mercedes in her driveway.<\/p>\n
The sky above Columbus was clear and bright.<\/p>\n
She ran her hand along the polished hood, catching her reflection in the paint. She was no longer the bruised woman standing in the freezing rain while her family drove off in her husband\u2019s car. She was no longer the daughter begging for her family\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n
She was a grieving widow, yes\u2014a woman who still cried in the grocery aisle whenever she saw David\u2019s favorite cereal.<\/p>\n
But she was also, finally, free.<\/p>\n
She walked inside, locked the deadbolt, and set her keys on the console table beside her wedding photo.<\/p>\n
David was smiling back at her from the frame.<\/p>\n
Audrey touched the glass softly. \u201cThank you for teaching me to never abandon myself again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside, the Mercedes rested under the driveway light.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t a symbol of wealth or status. It was proof of a far more vital truth: that sometimes the worst betrayal doesn\u2019t come from strangers, but from those who use the word \u201cfamily\u201d to justify taking everything you have.<\/p>\n
And that setting a boundary might feel like a heartbreaking goodbye\u2014but continuing to allow abuse will cost you your very soul.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Part 1 \u201cYour husband is already dead, Audrey. Stop playing the grieving widow and give the keys to your brother.\u201d Audrey Vance felt those words sting worse than the freezing … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26573,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,24,22,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-encourages","category-family","category-inspiration","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36926"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36928,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36926\/revisions\/36928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}