{"id":8522,"date":"2026-01-24T18:50:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T18:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/?p=8522"},"modified":"2026-01-24T18:50:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T18:50:24","slug":"i-thought-the-interview-for-my-dream-job-would-be-the-start-of-something-great-until-i-saw-who-was-leading-it-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/?p=8522","title":{"rendered":"I Thought the Interview for My Dream Job Would Be the Start of Something Great, Until I Saw Who Was Leading It"},"content":{"rendered":"

I walked into the interview for my dream job, certain it would be the start of something great. But when I saw who was leading it, my stomach turned. The last person I ever wanted to see again was sitting across from me, turning my dream into a waking nightmare.<\/p>\n

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Didn\u2019t everyone have a dream job when they were kids? I dreamed of becoming an architect, just like my dad. Only my childhood dream job turned into a dream job in adulthood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ever since I was little, my dad taught me how to draw, always giving me advice, then supporting me when I entered university and throughout my studies. But just a few months before my graduation, my dad passed away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And with him, a part of me went too. He never got to see me walk down the path of my dream, never saw me become an architect. But I kept going, for him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I even had to move back to my hometown, the town I grew up in, a place I hadn\u2019t been to in nearly seven years because it brought too many painful memories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I had to move back in order to get a job at the company I\u2019d dreamed of working at since I was a child.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I rented an apartment not far from the company\u2019s office and just hoped they would hire me as I unpacked my things.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I was almost certain I had the job because I had worked hard my entire life preparing for this moment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To work at the place where my dad once worked. I pulled out a framed photo of me with my dad from one of the boxes and placed it on a shelf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By morning, I had to go for the interview, and it would\u2019ve been nice to get some sleep, but with all the nerves, I couldn\u2019t make myself lie down in bed, so I kept unpacking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The next morning, I woke up on the floor. Apparently, I had been so exhausted that I just passed out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I panicked when I looked at the clock and saw that I still had two hours before the interview, so I relaxed a bit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I managed to get ready and have breakfast calmly, then left my new home and drove to the interview.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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My hands and legs were shaking as I entered the building, the building I used to run through when I was a little girl visiting my dad at work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I walked up to the office where I was supposed to have the interview and sat on one of the chairs in the hallway, waiting for my name to be called.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Next to me, there were men, some in suits, some in casual clothes. They all came for the same reason, and watching them only made my panic grow. But then, suddenly, my dad\u2019s words popped into my head.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cRemember, you\u2019re better than anyone who stands in your way. Believe in my belief in you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I took a deep breath and exhaled. A man walked out of the office, apparently one of the candidates, and I heard a voice from the office call my name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A painfully familiar voice, but I thought that with all my nerves, I must\u2019ve imagined it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But no, when I walked into the office, I saw her. She was sitting there, filling out some paperwork, as if she had every right to be there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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My mother. Linda, whom I hadn\u2019t seen since my father\u2019s death and never wanted to see again for the rest of my life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cLinda?! What are you doing here?!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cKassandra\u2026\u201d she said softly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI doubted until the very end, thought it was just someone with the same name,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ll ask again, what. are. you. doing. here?\u201d I said sternly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI work here\u2026\u201d she answered quietly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHow dare you?!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cKassandra, let\u2019s calm down. People are watching, at least close the door,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t want to calm down! Let everyone hear what kind of person works at this company!\u201d I shouted. \u201cHow dare you come here to work! To the building where he once worked!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cLet\u2019s just talk calmly, please,\u201d Linda said. \u201cOr at least let me conduct the interview,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m not discussing anything with you! You\u2019re immoral! You killed my father!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI didn\u2019t kill anyone! Your dad had a heart attack,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBecause of you! His heart stopped because of you! He died alone while you were cheating on him with some other guy!\u201d I screamed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis man is now my husband, so I\u2019d appreciate it if you\u2019d stop,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYou think that makes the situation better?!\u201d I shouted. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you have the audacity to sit here!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cKassandra, it\u2019s just a job,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cA job where your ex-husband worked! The man you killed!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSo why am I not in jail then, if I killed him?\u201d Linda asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYou don\u2019t have an ounce of conscience left,\u201d I said, disappointed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIf you let me explain everything\u2026\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYou don\u2019t deserve the right to explain!\u201d I shouted. \u201cHow dare you come in and sit in the place where he once sat?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m not even an architect! I\u2019m HR!\u201d Linda shouted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat still doesn\u2019t give you the right to be here!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYour father would\u2019ve wanted\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYou don\u2019t know a damn thing about what my father wanted! You destroyed him! You and your betrayals!\u201d I screamed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A man entered the office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cLinda, should I call security?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cDon\u2019t bother, I\u2019ll leave on my own,\u201d I said and walked out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As soon as I left the building, tears started streaming down my face. I couldn\u2019t hold it in, no matter how hard I tried. When I sat in my car, I started crying even harder.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I couldn\u2019t believe this woman was ruining my life again. My mind began to flash back to when my mom called me while I was in the dorm, preparing for exams, and told me that my dad had died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How I came home and learned that while my dad was dying at home, mom was having fun with some man in a hotel. How I screamed at her, telling her it was her fault.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How I never returned to my parent\u2019s house after his funeral and never spoke to her again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I hated her for that. For taking away my ability to come back to the house full of memories of my dad, for not being there when he had his heart attack, for sleeping with another man while he suffered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She didn\u2019t deserve forgiveness after all that, and I wasn\u2019t going to give it to her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I returned to my apartment on autopilot, it was a miracle I even managed to drive there calmly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I walked back and forth around the apartment, aimlessly. It seemed I\u2019d have to pack my things again and move, because I wasn\u2019t going to work in the same building as her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As it started to get dark, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it without thinking, and when I saw Linda standing there, I slammed the door right in her face.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cKassandra, let\u2019s talk, please,\u201d Linda begged through the door.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI have nothing to talk to you about,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHow did you even find where I live?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m HR, it wasn\u2019t that hard,\u201d Linda said. \u201cBy the way, you\u2019ve been accepted,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHow can you hire me when I haven\u2019t even had an interview?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI know what you\u2019re capable of, no one else will be better than you,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t need your charity!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cJust take the job offer,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m not going to work there, you can take your offer and leave,\u201d I said. I was about to step away from the door, but then I heard Linda\u2019s words.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAre you really going to give up the job you\u2019ve been dreaming of your whole life?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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With fury, I opened the door. \u201cWhat do you know about what I want?!\u201d I shouted in her face.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m still your mother, and I\u2019m still the one who raised you. I\u2019m your family,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you think about your family when you slept with that man while dad was dying?!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBecause we were getting a divorce!\u201d Linda yelled.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I scoffed. \u201cNow you\u2019re making up lies to make yourself seem better than you really are,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBut it\u2019s the truth!\u201d Linda shouted. \u201cWhen your dad died, we hadn\u2019t been living together for three months. I only came to the house when you visited,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhy am I hearing this for the first time now?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYour dad and I were really scared of your reaction, so we dragged it out as long as we could\u2026 until it was too late,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s nonsense, why did you even need to get divorced, you had a perfect relationship,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYour dad cheated on me, with some young colleague of his, but the relationship had been falling apart long before that, that was the last straw,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cNow you\u2019re making him the guilty one?!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m not blaming anyone. That\u2019s why I didn\u2019t tell you anything, I didn\u2019t want to ruin your image of your dad in your mind, but I can\u2019t keep this to myself anymore,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYou\u2019re lying!\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Linda silently pulled documents from her bag and handed them to me. They were divorce papers, dated four months before my dad\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cNo, this isn\u2019t true,\u201d I said quietly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe were protecting you until the end, but you\u2019re old enough now to understand,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I silently collapsed onto the floor, still holding the divorce papers in my hands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBut I want your dad to still be your dad, the way you remember him. He loved you so much, just like I did. I\u2019m just tired of being the only one blamed for everything,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI just\u2026 I don\u2019t understand,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cYou should\u2019ve told me this earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cParents always protect their children, no matter how old they are,\u201d Linda said. \u201cAnd you didn\u2019t exactly want to listen,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Linda replied, sitting down next to me on the floor. \u201cThe offer is still on the table if you really want the job.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t I want it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI noticed you never stayed at any job for more than four months,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI just didn\u2019t like the conditions,\u201d I said, shrugging.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYou know, I always thought this was more his dream than yours,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cNo\u2026 I\u2019ve been drawing since I was a kid,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYeah, because he wanted you to, he always taught you,\u201d Linda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And I thought about it, there was some truth in her words, Dad always told me I should grow up and become an architect, and I never argued because I liked spending time with him, and he spent almost all his time working.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSo, what, should I wait for the signed offer?\u201d Linda asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cActually\u2026 maybe I should think about it,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOkay,\u201d Linda said, standing up from the floor. \u201cThen, goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThank you\u2026 Mom,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tell us what you think about this story and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I walked into the interview for my dream job, certain it would be the start of something great. But when I saw who was leading it, my stomach turned. The … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8522","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=8522"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8527,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8522\/revisions\/8527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}