PART 2 \u2014 THE CHAMPAGNE TRAP
\nRyan poured champagne before I had even taken off my coat.
\n\u201cThere she is,\u201d he said, smiling like the previous seven days had been nothing more than a disagreement over paint colors. \u201cFinally ready to be reasonable.\u201d
\nDana lifted her glass toward me. \u201cI told you she\u2019d calm down.\u201d
\nI closed the front door behind me.
\nNeither of them noticed that I didn\u2019t lock it.
\nOn the table sat three champagne flutes, a folder, and a silver pen Ryan had given me for our tenth anniversary.
\nMy stomach turned when I saw it.
\nHe had chosen the pen deliberately.
\nThe same pen I had used to sign birthday cards, tax forms, school permission slips, and dozens of documents over the years.
\nThe same signature they had tried to copy.
\n\u201cSit down,\u201d Ryan said.
\nI remained standing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dana\u2019s smile tightened. \u201cClaire, you invited us here.\u201d
\n\u201cI did.\u201d
\n\u201cSo let\u2019s stop making this uglier than it needs to be.\u201d
\nI looked around my dining room.
\nMy grandmother\u2019s china cabinet stood against the wall. Noah\u2019s crayon drawing of our family was still taped crookedly beside the kitchen doorway. In the picture, Ryan was holding my hand.
\nSeven days earlier, I would have cried looking at it.
\nNow I felt nothing.
\nThat frightened me more than anger ever had.
\nRyan pushed the folder toward the empty chair.
\n\u201cWe drafted something simple,\u201d he said. \u201cYou withdraw the fraud allegations, let Dana stay until she gets back on her feet, and we work this out privately.\u201d
\n\u201cWe?\u201d
\n\u201cYou and me.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd the forged deed?\u201d
\nHis jaw tightened.
\nDana answered instead.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep using that word.\u201d
\n\u201cBecause somebody forged my signature.\u201d
\n\u201cIt was a misunderstanding.\u201d
\n\u201cInteresting misunderstanding.\u201d
\nI pulled out the chair and sat.
\nRyan visibly relaxed.
\nThat was exactly what I wanted.
\nHe slid the papers toward me.
\nThe first page was titled MARITAL PROPERTY SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT.
\nI almost laughed.
\n\u201cYou brought divorce papers?\u201d
\n\u201cNot divorce papers,\u201d Ryan said quickly. \u201cProtection.\u201d
\n\u201cFor whom?\u201d
\n\u201cFor everybody.\u201d
\nI flipped to the second page.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Then the third.
\nMy pulse remained steady until I reached paragraph eleven.
\nThere it was.
\nI would acknowledge that Ryan had made \u201csubstantial marital contributions\u201d to the Raleigh property and agree that he possessed a fifty-percent equitable interest in the home.
\nI looked up.
\n\u201cYou want half my house.\u201d
\nRyan spread his hands.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve lived here eleven years.\u201d
\n\u201cSo has the refrigerator.\u201d
\nDana snorted before realizing I wasn\u2019t joking.
\nRyan leaned forward.
\n\u201cI\u2019m your husband.\u201d
\n\u201cNot for much longer.\u201d
\nHis smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dana set down her glass.
\n\u201cClaire, think carefully.\u201d
\n\u201cI have.\u201d
\n\u201cYou have a child.\u201d
\nThe room changed.
\nNot dramatically.
\nNot visibly.
\nBut something inside me sharpened.
\n\u201cWhat does Noah have to do with this?\u201d
\nDana looked toward Ryan.
\nRyan looked at his champagne.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And for the first time since I had entered the room, neither of them seemed confident.
\nI leaned forward.
\n\u201cWhat does my son have to do with this?\u201d
\nRyan sighed.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t turn everything into a threat.\u201d
\n\u201cI asked a question.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve been keeping him from me for a week.\u201d
\n\u201cAfter you shoved his mother into a cabinet in front of him.\u201d
\n\u201cI barely touched you.\u201d
\n\u201cThe camera disagrees.\u201d
\nHis eyes flicked toward the dining-room camera.
\nHe had forgotten about it.
\nAgain.
\nThen Dana said something that made every hair on my arms rise.
\n\u201cYou really think a judge is automatically going to give you Noah?\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cI never said anything about custody.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nDana realized her mistake.
\nRyan shot her a furious look.
\nAnd suddenly I understood why Priya had insisted I keep this meeting going as long as possible.
\nThere was more.
\nA lot more.
\nI folded my hands on the table.
\n\u201cTell me.\u201d
\nRyan stood.
\n\u201cThis conversation is over.\u201d
\n\u201cNo,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cI think it\u2019s finally beginning.\u201d
\nHe grabbed the settlement papers.
\nI placed my phone on the table.
\n\u201cSit down, Ryan.\u201d
\nHe stared at it.
\n\u201cAre you recording me?\u201d
\n\u201cI told you last week to preserve your messages and devices. You should have listened.\u201d
\nDana stood too.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re leaving.\u201d
\nI looked toward the front door.
\n\u201cYou probably should.\u201d
\nShe took two steps.
\nThen someone knocked.
\nThree slow knocks.
\nRyan froze.
\nDana looked at me.
\n\u201cWho is that?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not expecting anyone.\u201d
\nThat was technically true.
\nI knew they were coming.
\nI just didn\u2019t know exactly when.
\nRyan walked toward the front window.
\nI watched his face change when he saw the vehicles.
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\nI said nothing.
\n\u201cWho did you call?\u201d
\nAnother knock.
\nThis time a voice followed.
\n\u201cMr. Whitmore? Ms. Whitmore? We need to speak with you.\u201d
\nDana backed away from the hallway.
\nRyan turned toward me.
\n\u201cYou set us up.\u201d
\n\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cYou set yourselves up. I just saved the receipts.\u201d
\nThe front door opened.
\nPriya entered first.
\nBehind her came a postal inspector and two investigators whose credentials I didn\u2019t recognize.
\nOne was from the lender\u2019s fraud unit.
\nThe other introduced herself as Detective Marisol Vega with the financial crimes division.
\nDana\u2019s champagne glass slipped from her fingers.
\nIt shattered against my grandmother\u2019s hardwood floor.
\nNobody moved.
\nDetective Vega looked at the broken glass, then at Dana.
\n\u201cDana Whitmore?\u201d
\nDana swallowed.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWe have some questions concerning mail theft, identity fraud, falsified loan documents, and a recorded impersonation related to a real estate transaction.\u201d
\nRyan stepped forward.
\n\u201cMy sister doesn\u2019t answer anything without an attorney.\u201d
\nPriya gave me the smallest glance.
\nThere it was.
\nRyan protecting Dana before protecting himself.
\nDetective Vega nodded calmly.
\n\u201cThat is her right.\u201d
\nRyan pointed at me.
\n\u201cMy wife manipulated this entire situation.\u201d
\n\u201cThen you\u2019ll have an opportunity to explain.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not speaking either.\u201d
\n\u201cThat may be wise.\u201d
\nRyan seemed almost disappointed that she didn\u2019t argue.
\nThen the postal inspector spoke.
\n\u201cWe also have a preservation request concerning electronic communications associated with Whitmore Family Holdings LLC.\u201d
\nDana\u2019s knees seemed to weaken.
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t just take our phones.\u201d
\n\u201cNobody said we were taking anything right now.\u201d
\nThe inspector\u2019s eyes dropped to the purse hanging from Dana\u2019s shoulder.
\n\u201cBut deleting evidence after receiving notice to preserve it can create additional problems.\u201d
\nDana slowly removed her hand from her purse.
\nRyan looked at me with pure hatred.
\n\u201cYou destroyed this family.\u201d
\nI looked directly at him.
\n\u201cNoah didn\u2019t forge my signature.\u201d
\nHis face hardened.
\n\u201cDana didn\u2019t make those decisions alone.\u201d
\nHe said nothing.
\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t know the equity in this house.\u201d
\nNothing.
\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t know my bank.\u201d
\nNothing.
\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t know which county alerts I had activated.\u201d
\nHis nostrils flared.
\n\u201cAnd she certainly didn\u2019t know when I would be away from home long enough for someone to intercept my mail.\u201d
\nDana whispered, \u201cRyan.\u201d
\nHe turned toward her.
\nThat single word changed everything.
\nBecause it wasn\u2019t defensive.
\nIt was frightened.
\nDetective Vega noticed too.
\n\u201cMs. Whitmore,\u201d she said, \u201cis there something you\u2019d like to clarify?\u201d
\nDana shook her head quickly.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nRyan walked toward her.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t say another word.\u201d
\n\u201cRyan,\u201d Dana repeated.
\n\u201cI said don\u2019t.\u201d
\nAnd suddenly I saw it.
\nThe alliance between them was cracking.
\nPriya had predicted this.
\n\u201cPeople committing fraud together trust each other,\u201d she had told me the previous night, \u201cright until they realize one person may receive a better deal for talking first.\u201d
\nDana looked at the investigators.
\nThen at Ryan.
\nThen at me.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t come up with the loan.\u201d
\nRyan went pale.
\n\u201cDana.\u201d
\n\u201cI said I didn\u2019t come up with it.\u201d
\n\u201cShut up.\u201d
\nDetective Vega raised one hand.
\n\u201cMr. Whitmore, do not intimidate her.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m talking to my sister.\u201d
\nDana\u2019s voice rose.
\n\u201cYou told me it was legal!\u201d
\nMy heart began pounding.
\nRyan stepped toward her.
\n\u201cYou knew exactly what we were doing.\u201d
\n\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t!\u201d
\n\u201cYou formed the company!\u201d
\n\u201cBecause you told me to!\u201d
\n\u201cStop talking!\u201d
\n\u201cYou said spouses sign for each other all the time!\u201d
\nThe room went completely still.
\nRyan realized what had happened.
\nHe turned slowly toward me.
\nI didn\u2019t smile.
\nI didn\u2019t need to.
\nDana had just done more damage in twenty seconds than my attorney could have done in twenty hours.
\nDetective Vega asked, \u201cMs. Whitmore, did your brother instruct you to impersonate Claire Whitmore during communications with the lender?\u201d
\nDana covered her mouth.
\nRyan pointed toward the door.
\n\u201cThis interview is over. Everybody out of my house.\u201d
\nI stood.
\n\u201cMy house.\u201d
\nHe looked at me.
\nAnd something in him snapped.
\n\u201cYou want your house?\u201d
\nHe grabbed the settlement folder and threw it across the room.
\n\u201cTake it! Take everything! You\u2019ve always made sure everybody knew it belonged to you!\u201d
\nNoah\u2019s drawing fluttered from the wall when the folder struck it.
\nI watched the paper fall.
\nRyan continued.
\n\u201cI gave eleven years to you.\u201d
\n\u201cYou lived eleven years without paying the mortgage.\u201d
\n\u201cI was your husband!\u201d
\n\u201cAnd I was your wife. Not your bank.\u201d
\nDana began crying.
\n\u201cRyan, tell them about Marcus.\u201d
\nRyan stopped.
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cWho is Marcus?\u201d
\nRyan\u2019s face changed so completely that even Detective Vega noticed.
\n\u201cDana,\u201d he whispered.
\nBut Dana was past listening.
\n\u201cYou said Marcus had already done this before. You said he knew how to make the paperwork look real.\u201d
\nPriya immediately opened her notebook.
\n\u201cFull name?\u201d
\nDana wiped her face.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nRyan lunged toward her.
\nThe investigator stepped between them.
\n\u201cBack up.\u201d
\nRyan stopped.
\nDana began talking faster.
\n\u201cHe met Ryan at a bar or a golf thing\u2014I don\u2019t know. Ryan said Marcus could arrange the notary and the loan.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s a lie!\u201d
\nDana screamed, \u201cThen why did you pay him eighteen thousand dollars?\u201d
\nI felt the floor disappear beneath me.
\nPriya turned toward me.
\n\u201cClaire?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know anything about eighteen thousand dollars.\u201d
\nRyan\u2019s eyes closed.
\nAnd that was when I understood.
\nThe stolen mail had only exposed the last stage of the scheme.
\nThere had been money moving before the loan.
\n\u201cFrom where?\u201d I asked.
\nNobody answered.
\nI walked closer to Ryan.
\n\u201cWhere did eighteen thousand dollars come from?\u201d
\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t yours.\u201d
\nThat answer was worse.
\n\u201cThen whose was it?\u201d
\nHe looked away.
\nDana whispered, \u201cThe college account.\u201d
\nMy lungs stopped working.
\nNoah\u2019s college account.
\nMy grandmother had left him money when she died.
\nNot a fortune.
\nBut enough that, invested carefully, it could someday cover a meaningful part of his education.
\nThe account was supposed to require both parents for major withdrawals.
\nI looked at Ryan.
\n\u201cYou touched Noah\u2019s money?\u201d
\n\u201cIt was temporary.\u201d
\nI could barely hear him.
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cWe were putting it back after the loan funded.\u201d
\n\u201cYou stole from your five-year-old son to pay someone to forge documents so you could borrow against my house?\u201d
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t understand.\u201d
\n\u201cThen explain it.\u201d
\n\u201cI was trying to build something!\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cA future!\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cWith stolen money?\u201d
\n\u201cFor once I wanted something that was mine!\u201d
\nThere it was.
\nNot desperation.
\nNot family.
\nNot Dana losing her rental.
\nResentment.
\nEleven years of resentment wearing the costume of entitlement.
\nRyan had not tried to steal my house because Dana needed help.
\nHe had tried to steal against it because he believed my ownership humiliated him.
\nDetective Vega quietly asked Priya something.
\nPriya nodded.
\nThen Priya walked toward me.
\n\u201cClaire, we need to talk privately.\u201d
\nI followed her into the kitchen.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe kept her voice low.
\n\u201cIf what Dana just said is accurate, we need to check Noah\u2019s custodial account immediately.\u201d
\n\u201cI thought Ryan couldn\u2019t withdraw without me.\u201d
\n\u201cSo did I.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m saying we shouldn\u2019t assume the forged signature was used only once.\u201d
\nI pulled out my phone.
\nThe banking app loaded.
\nI opened Noah\u2019s account.
\nFor a moment, I thought I had selected the wrong account.
\nThen I saw the balance.
\n$614.28.
\nI stared at it.
\nThere had been $31,806.44 three months earlier.
\nI opened the transaction history.
\nThree withdrawals.
\n$9,800.
\n$8,500.
\n$12,700.
\nMy hands began shaking.
\nPriya took a screenshot with my permission.
\nThen I noticed the dates.
\nThe first withdrawal had happened eleven weeks ago.
\nThree weeks before Dana supposedly \u201clost her rental.\u201d
\nThe second happened two weeks later.
\nThe third happened four days before Whitmore Family Holdings LLC was formed.
\nDana moving into my house had never been the beginning.
\nIt had been part of the plan.
\nI walked back into the dining room.
\nRyan was seated now.
\nHis face looked gray.
\nI placed my phone in front of him.
\n\u201cThirty-one thousand dollars.\u201d
\nHe said nothing.
\n\u201cFrom Noah.\u201d
\nStill nothing.
\nDana looked at the screen.
\nHer expression changed.
\n\u201cYou told me it was your investment account.\u201d
\nRyan glared at her.
\nDana backed away.
\n\u201cYou told me Claire froze your business money.\u201d
\n\u201cI said stop talking.\u201d
\n\u201cYou stole from Noah?\u201d
\n\u201cYou helped!\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know that was his money!\u201d
\nTheir conspiracy was collapsing in front of me.
\nBut I no longer cared which one betrayed the other first.
\nI cared about my son.
\nI picked up Noah\u2019s drawing from the floor.
\nThe four stick figures were still smiling beneath a yellow sun.
\nMommy.
\nDaddy.
\nNoah.
\nAunt Dana.
\nHe had drawn Dana because she had been living with us long enough to become part of his idea of home.
\nThat hurt more than the missing money.
\nRyan looked at me.
\n\u201cClaire, listen.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cWe can fix the account.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cI can repay it.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cStop saying no!\u201d
\nI looked at him.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve mistaken my patience for permission for eleven years.\u201d
\nHis mouth closed.
\n\u201cYou used my home, my identity, my money, and finally our child.\u201d
\n\u201cThat money was for his future.\u201d
\n\u201cExactly.\u201d
\n\u201cI was going to replace it.\u201d
\n\u201cThieves always have plans for tomorrow.\u201d
\nDana started crying harder.
\nThe investigators asked both of them to remain available for formal interviews and explained that additional legal process was underway. Nobody was handcuffed in my dining room that morning.
\nThat almost seemed to disappoint Ryan.
\nHe had prepared himself to play the victim of a dramatic arrest.
\nInstead, he received something quieter.
\nPaperwork.
\nEvidence preservation.
\nAccount freezes.
\nAttorney calls.
\nAnd the realization that the consequences had only begun.
\nBy noon, Priya had arranged emergency filings concerning the house, Noah\u2019s account, and temporary custody.
\nBy two, my bank\u2019s fraud department had opened an investigation into the withdrawals.
\nBy four, the online notary platform confirmed that the identification used for \u201cmy\u201d notarization did not match the device history connected to my actual accounts.
\nAt 6:17 that evening, Dana called me.
\nI almost ignored it.
\nThen I remembered Priya\u2019s instructions.
\nDocument everything.
\nI answered.
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\nDana sounded different.
\nNo arrogance.
\nNo sarcasm.
\nJust fear.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI need to tell you something.\u201d
\n\u201cTell your lawyer.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Ryan doesn\u2019t know I know.\u201d
\nMy fingers tightened around the phone.
\n\u201cKnow what?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThen I heard a door close on her end.
\nDana lowered her voice.
\n\u201cThe house wasn\u2019t the only thing.\u201d
\nI stopped breathing.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cAfter the loan funded, Ryan wasn\u2019t planning to stay married to you.\u201d
\n\u201cThat isn\u2019t exactly surprising.\u201d
\n\u201cNo. You don\u2019t understand.\u201d
\nHer voice cracked.
\n\u201cHe needed you out before the lender discovered the house wasn\u2019t an investment property.\u201d
\nI stood slowly.
\n\u201cOut how?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d
\n\u201cDana.\u201d
\n\u201cI swear.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why are you calling?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause I found a folder in his car.\u201d
\nMy heart began pounding.
\n\u201cWhat folder?\u201d
\n\u201cCustody papers.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nThat explained her comment at the table.
\nBut then she whispered something worse.
\n\u201cAnd medical records.\u201d
\nMy eyes opened.
\n\u201cWhat medical records?\u201d
\n\u201cYours.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t have any medical records with Ryan.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nThe silence stretched.
\n\u201cDana, what are you saying?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m saying they aren\u2019t real.\u201d
\nA cold sensation moved through my chest.
\nShe continued.
\n\u201cThey say you\u2019ve been receiving treatment for severe psychiatric episodes. They say you stopped taking medication. There\u2019s a letter claiming you\u2019re unstable around Noah.\u201d
\nI gripped the kitchen counter.
\nFor six days Dana had been telling relatives I was having a breakdown.
\nNot because she was angry.
\nBecause they were building witnesses.
\nBuilding a story.
\nBuilding a mother who could be removed from her own home and separated from her own child.
\n\u201cSend me photographs.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cRyan has the folder.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why should I believe you?\u201d
\nDana began crying.
\n\u201cBecause there\u2019s something else in it.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cA life insurance policy.\u201d
\nI couldn\u2019t speak.
\nDana whispered my name.
\n\u201cClaire?\u201d
\n\u201cHow much?\u201d
\n\u201cI only saw the first page.\u201d
\n\u201cHow much, Dana?\u201d
\nHer answer came so quietly I almost missed it.
\n\u201cOne million dollars.\u201d
\nThe kitchen seemed to tilt.
\n\u201cAnd Ryan is the beneficiary?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nThen Dana said, \u201cBut that\u2019s not why I\u2019m scared.\u201d
\nI opened them again.
\n\u201cWhy are you scared?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause the policy is dated four months ago.\u201d
\n\u201cSo?\u201d
\n\u201cSo Ryan told me he didn\u2019t start planning any of this until I lost my apartment.\u201d
\nI looked toward the dining room where seven days earlier my son had exposed everything with one innocent question.
\nDana hadn\u2019t lost her apartment until six weeks ago.
\nThe insurance policy had been taken out months before that.
\nMeaning Ryan\u2019s plan had begun long before Dana moved into my house.
\nLong before the forged deed.
\nLong before the stolen mail.
\nMaybe even long before I had noticed anything was wrong.
\n\u201cClaire,\u201d Dana whispered, \u201cthere was one handwritten page inside the folder.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d
\n\u201cI only remember one line.\u201d
\nMy throat tightened.
\n\u201cTell me.\u201d
\nDana inhaled shakily.
\nThen she read the words that changed the entire investigation.
\n\u201cAfter Claire is declared unfit, everything becomes easier.\u201d
\nThe call ended.
\nI stood alone in my kitchen staring at Noah\u2019s drawing.
\nFor the first time, I understood that Ryan had never been trying merely to take my house.
\nHe had been constructing a version of my life in which I lost my money, my credibility, my child, and possibly much more.
\nBut he had forgotten one thing.
\nThe five-year-old boy he considered too young to understand anything had already destroyed the first lie.
\nAnd now his mother knew where to start looking for the rest………………………..<\/p>\n
PART 2 \u2014 THE CHAMPAGNE TRAP Ryan poured champagne before I had even taken off my coat. \u201cThere she is,\u201d he said, smiling like the previous seven days had been … <\/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":[5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18],"class_list":["post-6389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story","tag-aita","tag-diamond-ring","tag-diamonds","tag-engagement","tag-engagement-ring","tag-fiance","tag-fiancee","tag-lab-grown-diamonds","tag-photo","tag-picture","tag-reddit","tag-relationships","tag-top","tag-wedding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6389","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=6389"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6398,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6389\/revisions\/6398"}],"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=6389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}