{"id":5296,"date":"2026-08-05T20:41:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T20:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/?p=5296"},"modified":"2026-08-05T20:41:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T20:41:12","slug":"part-4-my-husband-drugged-me-nightly-when-i-faked-swallowing-the-pill-his-terrifying-secret-surfaced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/?p=5296","title":{"rendered":"PART 4 \u2013 My husband drugged me nightly. When I faked swallowing the pill, his terrifying secret surfaced."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
\n
PART 4 \u2014 THE BLOODLINE THEY STOLE<\/h5>\n

I woke to the sound of a baby crying.
\nNot my baby.
\nAt least, I prayed it was not mine.
\nThe cry came from somewhere beyond the white walls surrounding me\u2014thin, frightened, and quickly silenced.
\nMy eyes opened.
\nA chandelier hung above the bed, but everything else looked like a private hospital room.
\nA heart monitor blinked beside me.
\nAn IV ran into my left arm.
\nLeather restraints circled both wrists.
\nMy right hand rested over my stomach.
\nMy daughter moved beneath it.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Relief struck me so violently that tears filled my eyes.
\nShe was still inside me.
\nStill alive.
\nI turned my head.
\nRebecca lay unconscious on another bed near the wall.
\nOne of her wrists was handcuffed to the metal frame.
\nA dark bruise covered the side of her face, but her chest rose and fell steadily.
\n\u201cRebecca?\u201d
\nShe did not respond.
\nThe door opened.
\nThe woman from the ambulance entered alone.
\nShe had changed out of her medical uniform.
\nNow she wore a cream-colored suit and a pearl necklace that looked older than I was.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her silver hair was pinned neatly behind her head.
\nShe looked elegant.
\nCalm.
\nAlmost maternal.
\nBut I remembered the way she had touched my stomach.
\nAs if my daughter already belonged to her.
\n\u201cWhere am I?\u201d I demanded.
\n\u201cMercer House.\u201d
\nThe name meant nothing to me.
\n\u201cWhat did you give us?\u201d
\n\u201cA mild sedative.\u201d
\n\u201cYou filled an ambulance with gas.\u201d
\n\u201cRebecca was armed.\u201d
\n\u201cYou kidnapped me.\u201d
\nShe walked toward the window and opened the curtains.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Morning light spilled across the room.
\nBeyond the glass stood acres of dark forest surrounded by stone walls.
\nNo nearby roads.
\nNo neighboring houses.
\nNo visible way out.
\n\u201cYou were brought here for protection,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cFrom whom?\u201d
\n\u201cFrom the people who have been lying to you since birth.\u201d
\nI pulled against the restraints.
\n\u201cRelease me.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen the physicians are certain you will not harm yourself.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cSo this is how it begins.\u201d
\n\u201cHow what begins?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou declare me unstable. You restrain me. Then you use your doctors to prove I\u2019m dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her expression barely changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are angry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was abducted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou activated a corporate protocol without understanding its consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI created Protocol 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Brooke.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned toward me.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou approved the version Lawrence allowed you to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

A contraction tightened through my abdomen.<\/p>\n

I forced myself not to react.<\/p>\n

The woman noticed anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long have they been happening?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy medical condition is none of your business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour child is very much my business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is not Connor\u2019s child,\u201d I said. \u201cThat\u2019s what you told me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman moved closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExplain it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExplain it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time, something emotional passed across her face.<\/p>\n

Not guilt.<\/p>\n

Longing.<\/p>\n

She placed one hand over the pearl necklace at her throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy name is Helena Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n

I searched my memory.<\/p>\n

The name felt familiar.<\/p>\n

Then I remembered the founder portrait hidden in my father\u2019s private vault.<\/p>\n

My father had stood in front of Vale Global\u2019s first factory beside a young woman with dark hair and fierce eyes.<\/p>\n

The plaque beneath the photograph identified only him.<\/p>\n

Adrian Vale, founder and visionary.<\/p>\n

The woman beside him had no name.<\/p>\n

But years ago, I found a handwritten note on the back.<\/p>\n

A.V. and H.M.<\/p>\n

Before everything changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou built Vale Global with my father,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI built the original company,\u201d Helena corrected. \u201cYour father built an empire from its ruins.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said his first partner died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told everyone I died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause dead women cannot challenge forged documents.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart monitor began beeping faster.<\/p>\n

Helena glanced toward it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father and I created Mercer-Vale Laboratories when we were twenty-six years old. I designed the first patents. He found investors. We were partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted complete control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t sound like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou knew Adrian as a father. I knew him as a man who would destroy anyone standing between him and power.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father had flaws, but he wasn\u2019t a murderer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena\u2019s face became cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour confidence would be comforting if I hadn\u2019t watched him arrange my death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence settled between us.<\/p>\n

I looked toward Rebecca.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is she unconscious?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe attempted to shoot the driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSmart woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena ignored the comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe will wake soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat depends on whether she cooperates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you hurt her\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are in no position to threaten anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

I pulled harder against the restraints.<\/p>\n

The leather cut into my wrists.<\/p>\n

Helena leaned down.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father used to make that same mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat mistake?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBelieving ownership and control were the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before I could answer, the door opened again.<\/p>\n

Lawrence entered.<\/p>\n

He wore a fresh navy suit.<\/p>\n

No tie.<\/p>\n

No glasses.<\/p>\n

He looked exactly as he had during hundreds of meetings in my office.<\/p>\n

For one irrational second, I expected him to apologize.<\/p>\n

Instead, he checked the monitor beside my bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

My anger came so quickly that the machine began sounding an alarm.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou betrayed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence silenced the monitor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI protected the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy kidnapping its owner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy preventing an unstable controlling shareholder from destroying it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou created the emergency declaration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou activated Protocol 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou modified it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter your father\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout board approval.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father gave me authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father trusted you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence looked toward Helena.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. He feared me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou stood beside me at his funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI arranged the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou told me he died from a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why did you say you arranged it like that meant something else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence did not answer.<\/p>\n

Helena moved toward the window.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell her about the covenant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe deserves to understand why her child matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

My daughter kicked.<\/p>\n

I looked between them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat covenant?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence walked to the cabinet and removed a thick black folder.<\/p>\n

He placed it on the table but kept it beyond my reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Mercer-Vale Laboratories was founded, Adrian and Helena created a private succession agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father never mentioned it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he spent thirty years trying to destroy every copy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena faced me again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe agreement protected both family lines. Neither founder could permanently transfer controlling authority away from the other founder\u2019s descendants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes no sense. I inherited my father\u2019s shares.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou inherited temporary control,\u201d Lawrence said.<\/p>\n

I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n

\u201cTemporary? I have controlled Vale Global for nine years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou controlled it because there was no qualifying Mercer heir.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at Helena.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was legally dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen challenge the inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes lowered.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the covenant does not pass through the founders alone. It passes through their children.\u201d<\/p>\n

A terrible realization began forming.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father had me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Helena said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you had a child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her expression changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe died.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at Lawrence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen there is no Mercer heir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no living Mercer descendant,\u201d Lawrence said, \u201cuntil your pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The room seemed to tilt.<\/p>\n

I pressed my hand against my stomach.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said my daughter is not Connor\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena moved closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never been with another man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one said you had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nausea rose in my throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you do to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence opened the black folder.<\/p>\n

Inside were medical documents.<\/p>\n

Fertility reports.<\/p>\n

Laboratory results.<\/p>\n

Consent forms carrying my signature.<\/p>\n

I recognized the clinic.<\/p>\n

Eight months earlier, I had been admitted after experiencing severe bleeding.<\/p>\n

My obstetrician told me I had a threatened miscarriage.<\/p>\n

They performed what they called a minor corrective procedure.<\/p>\n

I remembered the anesthesia.<\/p>\n

The recovery room.<\/p>\n

Connor arriving three hours late because Vanessa had scheduled an \u201cimportant meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

I remembered waking with pain.<\/p>\n

I remembered Lawrence sitting beside my bed.<\/p>\n

He had held my hand.<\/p>\n

He had promised everything would be fine.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou used the hospital,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n

Lawrence\u2019s silence confirmed it.<\/p>\n

Helena removed one document from the folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pregnancy you believed was endangered had already ended.\u201d<\/p>\n

My breath caught.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe embryo did not survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctors told you the bleeding had stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey showed me an ultrasound.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey showed you a successful implantation.\u201d<\/p>\n

My body began trembling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhose embryo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was created using your genetic material,\u201d Helena said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd whose?\u201d<\/p>\n

She closed her eyes briefly.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour son is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis genetic material was preserved before his death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou put a dead man\u2019s child inside me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were already pregnant. The procedure was medically compatible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou violated my body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena\u2019s voice softened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI preserved both families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou raped me through a laboratory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence stepped forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat language is unnecessarily emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned on him with such hatred that he stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou drugged me. You replaced my pregnancy. You forged my consent. Then you spent months preparing to take my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe original embryo was lost,\u201d he said. \u201cWe gave you another chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gave yourselves an heir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither of them denied it.<\/p>\n

My daughter moved again.<\/p>\n

She was innocent.<\/p>\n

Whatever they had done, she was mine.<\/p>\n

Not because of blood.<\/p>\n

Not because of contracts.<\/p>\n

Because she had grown beneath my heart.<\/p>\n

Because I had spoken to her every night.<\/p>\n

Because I had imagined her face before I knew the color of her eyes.<\/p>\n

Connor might not be her biological father.<\/p>\n

But Helena and Lawrence would never be her family.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou needed a child descended from both founders,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

Lawrence nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour daughter will carry Adrian Vale\u2019s line through you and Helena Mercer\u2019s line through Alexander.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlexander,\u201d I repeated.<\/p>\n

The name of Helena\u2019s dead son.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe covenant will recognize her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment she is born alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena looked toward Lawrence.<\/p>\n

He answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cPermanent control of Vale Global transfers to a trust established for her benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith you as trustee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil she reaches thirty years old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would control the company for three decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would preserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would own it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, ownership and control are not the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are when the owner is a newborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another contraction seized me.<\/p>\n

This one was stronger than the others.<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes and breathed through it.<\/p>\n

Lawrence watched the monitor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe contractions are becoming more regular.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will not deliver here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may not have a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen take me to a real hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis facility is better equipped than most hospitals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor childbirth?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor discretion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The word chilled me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happens to me after she is born?\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena looked away.<\/p>\n

Lawrence answered calmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will receive treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPostpartum psychosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have postpartum psychosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will.\u201d<\/p>\n

A cold silence followed.<\/p>\n

He was not planning to wait for symptoms.<\/p>\n

He intended to create them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll drug me,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will be placed under medical observation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil everyone believes I\u2019m insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil you stop presenting a danger to your daughter\u2019s inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked toward Helena.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re allowing this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes met mine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent thirty years waiting for the Mercer name to return.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019ll imprison your own granddaughter\u2019s mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will protect my granddaughter from Adrian Vale\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

I almost laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou claim my father destroyed your life, yet you became exactly like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words hit her.<\/p>\n

Her face tightened.<\/p>\n

Lawrence stepped between us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

I pulled against the restraints again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou manipulated Connor into filing for divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou planted Vanessa in his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou encouraged Evelyn\u2019s hatred.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe required little encouragement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVanessa suggested that Evelyn invite you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dirty water?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was Evelyn\u2019s improvisation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wanted me angry enough to activate Protocol 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence nodded once.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtocol 7 was the only mechanism capable of suspending your authority without notifying the full board.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou turned my emergency protection system against me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou made it easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at the man I once trusted more than anyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you ever care about me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated.<\/p>\n

That hesitation hurt more than an immediate no.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cared for the child Adrian left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat isn\u2019t an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the only answer you will receive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behind him, Rebecca\u2019s fingers moved.<\/p>\n

Only slightly.<\/p>\n

But I saw them.<\/p>\n

She was awake.<\/p>\n

Her eyes remained closed.<\/p>\n

Her breathing stayed slow.<\/p>\n

She had heard everything.<\/p>\n

I forced myself not to look at her again.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did Vanessa escape the mansion?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

Lawrence\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are determining that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you don\u2019t control everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI control enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t control Dr. Hale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHale misunderstood his role.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe tried to kidnap my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was supposed to transport you safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe threatened to kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHale became ambitious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now he\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence looked surprised.<\/p>\n

Rebecca had shot Hale before we were taken.<\/p>\n

Apparently, Lawrence had not been told.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Hale was shot in the garage,\u201d I said. \u201cRebecca killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena turned sharply toward Lawrence.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said Hale had secured the mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said there were no complications.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were none that affected the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena\u2019s fear told me something important.<\/p>\n

Hale had known more than Lawrence wanted him to know.<\/p>\n

Perhaps he had prepared evidence.<\/p>\n

Perhaps he had intended to betray them.<\/p>\n

Rebecca opened her eyes.<\/p>\n

She moved fast.<\/p>\n

Her free hand reached beneath the thin mattress.<\/p>\n

She pulled out a narrow metal spring and drove it into the lock around her wrist.<\/p>\n

Lawrence turned.<\/p>\n

The handcuff opened.<\/p>\n

Rebecca swung her legs off the bed.<\/p>\n

Helena shouted.<\/p>\n

Lawrence reached inside his jacket.<\/p>\n

Rebecca crossed the room before he could draw his weapon.<\/p>\n

She struck his wrist.<\/p>\n

The gun fell.<\/p>\n

I kicked it beneath my bed.<\/p>\n

Helena ran toward the door.<\/p>\n

Rebecca grabbed her and forced her against the wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelease Brooke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence clutched his injured wrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will not leave this estate alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca smiled without humor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard that before.\u201d<\/p>\n

She searched Helena\u2019s pockets and found a key card.<\/p>\n

Then she unlocked my restraints.<\/p>\n

The moment I sat up, the room spun.<\/p>\n

Rebecca steadied me.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you walk?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to move now.\u201d<\/p>\n

An alarm began ringing through the estate.<\/p>\n

Lawrence stood between us and the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cRebecca, think carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are employed by Vale Global.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am employed to protect the controlling shareholder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe no longer controls the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe controls my decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then she struck Lawrence across the face with the metal handcuff.<\/p>\n

He collapsed against the cabinet.<\/p>\n

We ran.<\/p>\n

The hallway outside resembled a luxury hotel.<\/p>\n

Soft carpeting.<\/p>\n

Gold-framed paintings.<\/p>\n

No windows.<\/p>\n

Doors lined both sides.<\/p>\n

Behind one of them, a baby cried again.<\/p>\n

I stopped.<\/p>\n

Rebecca grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrooke, we cannot search every room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are children here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another cry came from behind the nearest door.<\/p>\n

Then another.<\/p>\n

Two different voices.<\/p>\n

Rebecca swore under her breath.<\/p>\n

She used Helena\u2019s key card.<\/p>\n

The door unlocked.<\/p>\n

Inside was a nursery.<\/p>\n

Six white bassinets stood beneath warm lights.<\/p>\n

Five were empty.<\/p>\n

One held a newborn boy.<\/p>\n

A nurse in pale blue scrubs stood beside him.<\/p>\n

She reached for an alarm button.<\/p>\n

Rebecca slammed the door behind us and aimed Lawrence\u2019s gun at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cStep away from the child.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse raised her hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe needs medical supervision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhose baby is he?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re caring for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use identification numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed toward the bassinet.<\/p>\n

A card read:<\/p>\n

GC-19. MALE. TRANSFER PENDING.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is his mother?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

The nurse looked down.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnswer her,\u201d Rebecca ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas he born here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is his mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse began crying.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe didn\u2019t survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words filled the nursery.<\/p>\n

I looked at the tiny boy.<\/p>\n

He slept peacefully, unaware that the people responsible for protecting him had reduced him to a transfer number.<\/p>\n

Golden Cradle was larger than my daughter.<\/p>\n

Larger than Vale Global.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many?\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n

The nurse did not respond.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many babies have passed through this place?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca pressed the gun closer.<\/p>\n

The nurse finally answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cForty-seven since I started working here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen did you start?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFour years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

My stomach turned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere were they sent?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat families?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPolitical families. Corporate families. Royal families. Anyone approved by the committee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey stole children from their mothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes the mothers agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the others?\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse began trembling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were declared unfit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exactly as Lawrence intended to declare me.<\/p>\n

A contraction tightened through me again.<\/p>\n

I leaned against the bassinet.<\/p>\n

Rebecca watched my face.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow close?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCloser.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need medical help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot from anyone here.\u201d<\/p>\n

A red light flashed above the nursery door.<\/p>\n

Security had reached the hallway.<\/p>\n

The nurse looked toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will lock down this wing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there another exit?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca grabbed the nurse by the collar.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a records room at the back. It connects to the service elevator.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShow us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse led us through a second door.<\/p>\n

The records room contained rows of locked cabinets and several computer terminals.<\/p>\n

Photographs covered one wall.<\/p>\n

Women.<\/p>\n

Babies.<\/p>\n

Medical files.<\/p>\n

New identities.<\/p>\n

My eyes moved from face to face.<\/p>\n

Some women smiled in pregnancy photos.<\/p>\n

Others appeared unconscious in hospital beds.<\/p>\n

A few had the word\u00a0DECEASED<\/strong>\u00a0stamped across their pictures.<\/p>\n

Rebecca stared at the wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy God.\u201d<\/p>\n

I reached for the nearest file.<\/p>\n

The name on the cover was Sarah Bellamy.<\/p>\n

Inside was a photograph of a young woman with red hair.<\/p>\n

A psychiatric report declared her delusional and dangerous.<\/p>\n

A death certificate claimed she died from complications after childbirth.<\/p>\n

The final page contained a transfer authorization for her daughter.<\/p>\n

Signed by Lawrence Whitmore.<\/p>\n

I opened another.<\/p>\n

And another.<\/p>\n

His signature appeared in every file.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need proof,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

Rebecca moved toward the computer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe system may be isolated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a founder key.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey froze your accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

My father had created an emergency access code that did not belong to Vale Global\u2019s modern network.<\/p>\n

He called it the Ghost Key.<\/p>\n

Only he and I knew it existed.<\/p>\n

I entered twelve characters.<\/p>\n

The screen went black.<\/p>\n

Then a simple message appeared.<\/p>\n

VALE LEGACY ACCESS RECOGNIZED.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rebecca looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can it do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCopy everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

I inserted the small encrypted drive hidden inside the clasp of my bracelet.<\/p>\n

The bracelet had been a gift from my father on my eighteenth birthday.<\/p>\n

He told me never to remove it.<\/p>\n

I had believed it was sentimental.<\/p>\n

Years later, I discovered its true purpose.<\/p>\n

The download began.<\/p>\n

Golden Cradle files.<\/p>\n

Medical reports.<\/p>\n

Financial transfers.<\/p>\n

Names of judges.<\/p>\n

Doctors.<\/p>\n

Politicians.<\/p>\n

Corporate executives.<\/p>\n

The progress bar reached twelve percent.<\/p>\n

Footsteps thundered outside.<\/p>\n

Rebecca dragged a cabinet in front of the door.<\/p>\n

The nurse stood frozen beside the service elevator.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have three minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

A heavy object struck the door.<\/p>\n

The cabinet shook.<\/p>\n

The baby cried in the next room.<\/p>\n

The nurse covered her mouth.<\/p>\n

The progress bar reached twenty-nine percent.<\/p>\n

Another impact hit the door.<\/p>\n

Wood splintered around the lock.<\/p>\n

Rebecca aimed her gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked toward the service elevator.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere does it go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe surgical level,\u201d the nurse said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we reach the garage from there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Only the operating rooms and the underground tunnels.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat tunnels?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOld utility passages beneath the estate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere do they lead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

The progress bar reached forty-six percent.<\/p>\n

My phone was gone.<\/p>\n

Rebecca\u2019s had been taken.<\/p>\n

Even with the evidence, we needed to escape or send it beyond the estate.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan the Ghost Key transmit?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly through a Vale satellite relay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need authorization from a second founder-level account.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLawrence\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

We both looked toward the door.<\/p>\n

He was on the other side.<\/p>\n

The progress bar reached sixty-one percent.<\/p>\n

Then the computer displayed a new notification.<\/p>\n

SECONDARY FOUNDER SIGNATURE DETECTED.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I stared.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it mean?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone else with founder authority is connected to this network.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelena?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. She was legally removed before the modern system was created.\u201d<\/p>\n

The screen displayed a request.<\/p>\n

TRANSMISSION AUTHORIZATION AVAILABLE. ACCEPT?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I clicked yes.<\/p>\n

The files began uploading.<\/p>\n

Someone on the estate was helping us.<\/p>\n

The door cracked open.<\/p>\n

A gloved hand reached through.<\/p>\n

Rebecca fired once.<\/p>\n

The hand disappeared.<\/p>\n

The nurse screamed.<\/p>\n

The upload reached seventy-eight percent.<\/p>\n

Then the room lights went out.<\/p>\n

The computer remained powered by emergency backup.<\/p>\n

The service elevator opened behind us.<\/p>\n

No one stood inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cMove,\u201d Rebecca ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the baby?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot carry him through a gunfight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot leave him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse ran into the nursery.<\/p>\n

She returned carrying the newborn against her chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m coming with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca looked at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou help us, and you testify.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse nodded through her tears.<\/p>\n

The upload reached ninety-four percent.<\/p>\n

The door burst inward.<\/p>\n

Two armed guards entered.<\/p>\n

Rebecca fired.<\/p>\n

One guard dropped.<\/p>\n

The second returned fire.<\/p>\n

A bullet shattered the computer monitor.<\/p>\n

I screamed.<\/p>\n

The screen went black before I saw whether the upload completed.<\/p>\n

Rebecca shoved me into the elevator.<\/p>\n

The nurse followed with the baby.<\/p>\n

Rebecca fired twice more, then jumped inside.<\/p>\n

The doors closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid it send?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elevator descended.<\/p>\n

My knees weakened.<\/p>\n

Warm liquid ran down my legs.<\/p>\n

I looked down.<\/p>\n

My water had broken.<\/p>\n

Rebecca saw it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are out of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elevator doors opened onto a surgical corridor.<\/p>\n

Three operating rooms stood ahead.<\/p>\n

Every door was locked except one.<\/p>\n

Light spilled through its small window.<\/p>\n

The nurse shifted the baby in her arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are doctors inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGolden Cradle doctors?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we keep moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another contraction struck.<\/p>\n

I cried out and grabbed the wall.<\/p>\n

This one did not fade quickly.<\/p>\n

Pressure pushed downward through my body.<\/p>\n

The nurse looked terrified.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe may deliver within minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca searched the corridor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are the tunnels?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough the sterilization room.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sound of the elevator moving again came from behind us.<\/p>\n

Security was following.<\/p>\n

Rebecca supported me with one arm.<\/p>\n

We hurried toward the end of the hall.<\/p>\n

The sterilization-room door required a key code.<\/p>\n

The nurse entered it.<\/p>\n

Red light.<\/p>\n

She tried again.<\/p>\n

Red.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey changed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elevator climbed closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cUse the key card,\u201d Rebecca said.<\/p>\n

The nurse scanned Helena\u2019s card.<\/p>\n

Access denied.<\/p>\n

My vision blurred.<\/p>\n

The pain was becoming constant.<\/p>\n

Rebecca looked toward the unlocked operating room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBrooke, you cannot run through underground tunnels in active labor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will take her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t let them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot promise that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca gripped my shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at me. I would die before I let Lawrence touch your daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elevator chimed.<\/p>\n

The doors began opening at the far end of the corridor.<\/p>\n

Rebecca pushed me into the operating room.<\/p>\n

The nurse followed.<\/p>\n

Inside, a surgical team waited around an empty table.<\/p>\n

They wore masks and gowns.<\/p>\n

One doctor moved toward me.<\/p>\n

Rebecca raised her gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack away.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were told the patient might arrive under distress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho told you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Whitmore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca aimed at his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will treat her, but no one removes that child from this room.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor looked at the blood on my dress.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe needs immediate examination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not getting on that table,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

A contraction forced me to bend forward.<\/p>\n

The nurse placed the newborn in a heated bassinet and came to my side.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrooke, listen to me. The baby may be premature. Refusing treatment could endanger both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hated that she was right.<\/p>\n

Rebecca searched each member of the surgical team.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo weapons. No phones. No syringes unless I approve them.\u201d<\/p>\n

She locked the operating-room door.<\/p>\n

Security began pounding from outside.<\/p>\n

The lead surgeon guided me toward the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to examine you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I grabbed his wrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemove your mask.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slowly, he pulled the mask down.<\/p>\n

I did not recognize him.<\/p>\n

Rebecca checked his badge.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Samuel Cross.\u201d<\/p>\n

The name meant nothing to me.<\/p>\n

He helped me onto the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour baby\u2019s heartbeat is dropping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fear cut through every other emotion.<\/p>\n

\u201cSave her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may need to perform an emergency cesarean section.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo anesthesia that makes me unconscious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can use a spinal block.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca stood beside my head with the gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me every medication before you administer it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pounding outside grew louder.<\/p>\n

The door began bending beneath the force.<\/p>\n

Dr. Cross opened a sterile package.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to remain calm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to remain awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse attached a fetal monitor.<\/p>\n

A rapid heartbeat filled the room.<\/p>\n

Then it slowed.<\/p>\n

The sound became uneven.<\/p>\n

Dr. Cross\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to deliver now.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at Rebecca.<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The surgical team moved quickly.<\/p>\n

A curtain was raised across my chest.<\/p>\n

Cold antiseptic spread over my skin.<\/p>\n

The newborn boy cried from the bassinet.<\/p>\n

Security struck the door again.<\/p>\n

Metal cracked.<\/p>\n

The spinal medication entered my back.<\/p>\n

Numbness spread through my legs.<\/p>\n

I stared at the ceiling.<\/p>\n

My daughter\u2019s heartbeat continued slowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease,\u201d I whispered. \u201cPlease save her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Cross lifted the scalpel.<\/p>\n

Then every light in the operating room went dark.<\/p>\n

The fetal monitor stopped.<\/p>\n

The pounding outside ceased.<\/p>\n

For several seconds, there was nothing but silence.<\/p>\n

A backup lamp switched on above the table.<\/p>\n

One of the masked surgeons moved behind Dr. Cross.<\/p>\n

Rebecca raised the gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdentify yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The surgeon removed his cap.<\/p>\n

Then his mask.<\/p>\n

My breath disappeared.<\/p>\n

I knew that face.<\/p>\n

Older.<\/p>\n

Thinner.<\/p>\n

Marked by a scar that ran from his temple to his jaw.<\/p>\n

But unmistakable.<\/p>\n

I had kissed that face goodbye inside a coffin nine years earlier.<\/p>\n

I had scattered his ashes beside my mother\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n

My father stood beneath the surgical light.<\/p>\n

Alive.<\/p>\n

Adrian Vale looked down at me with tears in his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n

I could not speak.<\/p>\n

Rebecca\u2019s weapon shook slightly.<\/p>\n

Dr. Cross stepped back.<\/p>\n

My father placed one hand over mine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you have no reason to trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re dead,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the only way to hide from Lawrence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou left me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo keep him from finding what I had stolen back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another alarm sounded from the fetal monitor as power returned.<\/p>\n

My daughter\u2019s heartbeat dropped even lower.<\/p>\n

My father looked toward Dr. Cross.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeliver the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he leaned close enough that only I could hear him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the moment she is born, do not let Helena see the mark beneath her left shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat mark?\u201d<\/p>\n

His face filled with terror.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mark proving Helena lied.\u201d<\/p>\n

The operating-room door exploded inward.<\/p>\n

Lawrence entered with three armed guards.<\/p>\n

Helena stood behind him.<\/p>\n

She looked at my father and went completely pale.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdrian?\u201d<\/p>\n

My father turned toward her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should have stayed dead, Helena.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo should you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Cross lifted my daughter from my body.<\/p>\n

A tiny cry filled the operating room.<\/p>\n

My heart shattered open with love.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s alive,\u201d the doctor announced.<\/p>\n

Helena rushed forward.<\/p>\n

Rebecca aimed her weapon.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop!\u201d<\/p>\n

My father pulled back the surgical cloth covering my baby\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

Everyone froze.<\/p>\n

Beneath her left shoulder blade was a dark, crescent-shaped birthmark.<\/p>\n

Helena stared at it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n

For the first time, he looked afraid.<\/p>\n

My father looked directly at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrooke, Connor is not her father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is not what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

The armed guards closed around the operating table.<\/p>\n

My father\u2019s next words silenced the entire room.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlexander Mercer is not her father either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena staggered backward.<\/p>\n

I stared at my newborn daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen who is?\u201d<\/p>\n

My father looked toward Lawrence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man who has been standing beside you since the night I supposedly died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence slowly raised his gun.<\/p>\n

And aimed it at my baby\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n

TO BE CONTINUED IN LAST PART\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART 4 \u2014 THE BLOODLINE THEY STOLE I woke to the sound of a baby crying. Not my baby. At least, I prayed it was not mine. The cry came … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5296"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5297,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5296\/revisions\/5297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}