PART 2 \u2014 THE MILLION-DOLLAR BAIT
\n“The settlement is one million dollars,” I said.
\nFor three full seconds, nobody moved.
\nThen my mother’s entire face changed.
\nNot dramatically.
\nNot enough that someone who didn’t know her would notice.
\nBut I knew Selina.
\nI’d spent my childhood learning the difference between her angry silence, disappointed silence, and calculating silence.
\nThis was calculation.
\nGodfrey recovered first.
\n“One million?” he repeated.
\n“Canadian dollars,” I said.
\nHis eyebrows lifted.
\n“That’s still a fortune.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“It is.”
\nPhedra’s fingers tightened around my shirt.
\nShe was watching me carefully.
\nShe knew me better than anyone standing in that yard, and I could tell she understood something was happening beneath my calm voice.
\nSelina suddenly stepped toward us.
\n“Damian, sweetheart, you’re exhausted. You’ve traveled all this way. We shouldn’t be arguing tonight.”
\nTen seconds earlier, my wife was apparently a thief who deserved to eat scraps.
\nNow I was “sweetheart.”
\nI almost smiled.
\nInstead, I slipped my phone back into my pocket.
\n“You’re right.”
\nGodfrey stared at me.
\nSelina blinked.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“You’re absolutely right,” I continued. “We shouldn’t make decisions while we’re angry.”
\n“Exactly.” Selina nodded quickly. “Family problems should be handled privately.”
\n“Then we’ll handle them privately.”
\nI put one arm around Phedra.
\n“I’m taking my wife to the hospital.”
\nSelina’s smile disappeared.
\n“Tonight?”
\n“Tonight.”
\n“But Damian\u2014”
\n“She can barely stand.”
\nPhedra whispered, “I’m okay.”
\nI looked at her.
\n“No, you’re not.”
\nSomething broke in her expression.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For eleven months, she’d apparently been taught that needing help was selfish.
\nI wasn’t going to let her apologize for surviving.
\nGodfrey cleared his throat.
\n“What about the settlement?”
\nThere it was.
\nNot How sick is Phedra?
\nNot Do you need help getting her to the hospital?
\nNot How can we make this right?
\nThe settlement.
\nI looked at him.
\n“What about it?”
\n“You said it’s a million dollars.”
\n“Yes.”
\n“When do you get it?”
\nSelina shot him a warning glance, but the question was already hanging in the air.
\nI pretended not to notice.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“The attorney said everything should be finalized soon.”
\nThat was true.
\nTechnically.
\nThe part I didn’t tell them was that the settlement wasn’t being deposited into my mother’s account.
\nIt wasn’t even being deposited into my old Canadian checking account.
\nTwo months earlier, after my attorney warned me that a settlement of that size needed proper protection, I’d created a separate account requiring my authorization for every major transfer.
\nNobody could touch it except me.
\nBut Selina and Godfrey didn’t know that.
\nAnd after what I’d seen in the backyard, I wanted to know exactly what they would do if they believed another fortune was within reach.
\nSelina reached for my arm.
\n“You know I’ve always handled the family’s finances.”
\nI looked at her hand.
\nShe slowly pulled it back.
\n“For four years,” I said, “you certainly have.”
\nShe didn’t hear the accusation.
\nShe heard opportunity.
\n“Exactly. And you’ve never had to worry about anything.”
\nBehind her, Phedra made the smallest sound.
\nNot quite a laugh.
\nNot quite a sob.
\nSelina ignored it.
\n“We should sit down tomorrow,” she continued. “You, me, and Godfrey. We can decide how to invest the money.”
\n“We?”
\nSelina hesitated.
\n“I mean as a family.”
\nGodfrey jumped in.
\n“My auto shop is already doing well. With a little capital, we could open another location.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“How much capital?”
\nHe tried to sound casual.
\n“Maybe two hundred thousand.”
\nSelina frowned.
\n“Don’t overwhelm your brother the minute he gets home.”
\nGodfrey lifted his hands.
\n“I’m just saying.”
\nThen Selina turned back to me.
\n“Your first priority should be buying property.”
\nPhedra was trembling beside me.
\nI could feel it.
\nShe wasn’t trembling from anger.
\nShe was weak.
\nI picked up my suitcase with one hand and guided her toward the gate.
\n“Tomorrow,” I said.
\nSelina followed us.
\n“Tomorrow what?”
\n“We’ll discuss the money tomorrow.”
\nHer expression brightened.
\n“All of it?”
\nI paused.
\nThen I gave her exactly what greed wanted to hear.
\n“All of it.”
\nGodfrey smiled.
\nSelina smiled.
\nAnd Phedra looked at me.
\nI gave my wife the slightest nod.
\nTrust me.
\nShe understood.
\nWe left.
\nTwenty minutes later, Phedra was sitting in the passenger seat of a taxi with her head against my shoulder.
\nEvery few minutes, I looked at her just to make sure she was still awake.
\n“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
\n“For what?”
\n“You came home and found all this.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“Phedra, look at me.”
\nShe did.
\nHer eyes seemed enormous in her thin face.
\n“You will never apologize to me for being sick.”
\nHer lips trembled.
\n“I tried to tell you.”
\n“I know.”
\n“No, Damian. I really tried.”
\nShe reached into the pocket of her faded blouse and pulled out an old phone.
\nThe screen was cracked.
\n“They controlled the internet at the house. Your mother said international calls were too expensive. When I tried to message you about the diagnosis, she took my phone for almost two weeks.”
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n“Why didn’t you tell me afterward?”
\n“Because she showed me messages.”
\n“What messages?”
\nPhedra looked down.
\n“From you.”
\nMy blood went cold.
\n“What did they say?”
\n“That you were struggling financially. That your job might disappear. That you were already borrowing money just to send what you sent.”
\n“I never wrote that.”
\n“I know that now.”
\nShe swallowed.
\n“But at the time, I thought…”
\nHer voice cracked.
\n“I thought if I told you I had cancer, you’d come home, lose your job, and everything you’d sacrificed would be for nothing.”
\nI closed my eyes.
\nSomeone had been messaging my wife pretending to be me.
\n“Do you still have them?”
\n“A few.”
\n“Don’t delete anything.”
\nShe looked frightened.
\n“Why?”
\n“Because this stopped being a family argument the moment someone impersonated me.”
\nAt the hospital, the doctors admitted Phedra almost immediately.
\nTests.
\nBloodwork.
\nScans.
\nQuestions.
\nSo many questions.
\nI sat beside her bed until nearly dawn.
\nWhen the doctor finally came in, his expression was serious.
\n“Mr. Vale?”
\nI stood.
\n“Yes.”
\n“Your wife is severely malnourished and dehydrated. We need to stabilize her before we make decisions about the next stage of treatment.”
\n“Can she recover?”
\nHe paused.
\n“We need updated scans before I answer that.”
\nPhedra looked away.
\nI reached for her hand.
\nThe doctor continued carefully.
\n“She also told us she had previously been prescribed medication.”
\n“Yes.”
\n“Do you know why she stopped taking it?”
\nI looked at Phedra.
\nShe whispered, “I didn’t stop.”
\nThe doctor frowned.
\n“What do you mean?”
\n“I wasn’t given it.”
\nMy chest tightened.
\n“Who had it?”
\nPhedra stared at the blanket.
\n“Your mother kept the medication locked in her bedroom.”
\nI felt something inside me turn cold.
\n“Why?”
\n“She said I was wasting it because treatment wasn’t working fast enough.”
\nThe doctor exchanged a glance with the nurse.
\nThat glance told me everything.
\nThis wasn’t merely cruelty anymore.
\nThis needed documentation.
\nI stepped into the hallway and called my attorney in Canada.
\nIt was the middle of the night for me, but morning there.
\nHe answered on the second ring.
\n“Damian? We’ve been trying to reach you.”
\n“I saw the calls.”
\n“We need your signature on the final settlement documents.”
\n“I’ll handle it.”
\n“There’s something else.”
\n“What?”
\n“The company increased the offer.”
\nI leaned against the hospital wall.
\n“How much?”
\n“With the additional damages and confidentiality provision, the final figure is approximately 1.34 million Canadian.”
\nI stared through the window at Phedra.
\n“Can anyone access it besides me?”
\n“No.”
\n“Good.”
\nMy attorney paused.
\n“Is something wrong?”
\n“Yes.”
\nI lowered my voice.
\n“I need another attorney.”
\n“What kind?”
\n“Financial fraud. Possibly identity theft.”
\nThere was silence.
\nThen his voice changed.
\n“Tell me what happened.”
\nI gave him the short version.
\nMoney sent home.
\nWife sick.
\nFamily spending it.
\nMessages sent under my name.
\nHe didn’t interrupt once.
\nWhen I finished, he said, “Do not confront them about the financial records yet.”
\n“I wasn’t planning to.”
\n“Good. Preserve everything. Bank statements, messages, transfer receipts. Don’t accuse anyone until you know exactly where the money went.”
\n“I understand.”
\n“And Damian?”
\n“Yes?”
\n“If your mother had access to the account where you sent those transfers, request the complete transaction history immediately.”
\nI already knew what I was going to find.
\nI just didn’t know how bad it would be.
\nBy seven that morning, Phedra was asleep.
\nI sat beside her with my laptop open.
\nFour years of transfers.
\nI downloaded every statement.
\nThen I began adding.
\nAt first, the numbers looked ordinary.
\nGroceries.
\nUtilities.
\nConstruction materials.
\nRepairs.
\nThen the withdrawals started getting larger.
\nEight thousand.
\nTwelve thousand.
\nFive thousand.
\nAnother ten.
\nPayments to a dealership.
\nPayments to a construction company.
\nLarge transfers to an account with Godfrey’s name.
\nThen something caught my attention.
\nFor the past eleven months\u2014the exact period Phedra had been sick\u2014my transfers had increased because Selina repeatedly told me expenses were rising.
\nShe’d told me Phedra needed better food.
\nShe’d told me the roof needed repairs.
\nShe’d told me medical expenses were becoming difficult.
\nI had sent an additional $18,000.
\nAlmost none of it had gone to medical care.
\nI found two hospital payments.
\nExactly as Phedra had said.
\nTwo.
\nThen I saw a transfer that made me sit upright.
\n$14,500.
\nRecipient:
\nGODFREY VALE AUTO SERVICES.
\nDate:
\nThree days after Phedra’s cancer diagnosis.
\nI stared at it.
\nThen another.
\n$9,000.
\nAnother.
\n$6,500.
\nMy wife’s treatment money had helped build my brother’s business.
\nMy phone buzzed.
\nMOTHER.
\nI watched it ring.
\nThen stop.
\nImmediately, a message appeared.
\n“Good morning, sweetheart. I hope Phedra is feeling better. Come home when you can. I’ve made your favorite breakfast. We need to discuss your future.”
\nI read it twice.
\nThen another message came.
\n“And bring the settlement documents if you have them. Godfrey knows someone at the bank who can help us invest quickly.”
\nI actually smiled.
\nThey couldn’t even wait until noon.
\nI looked through the hospital room window.
\nPhedra was still sleeping.
\nI typed back.
\n“I’ll be there at ten.”
\nThree dots appeared immediately.
\n“Wonderful. Come alone so we can speak freely.”
\nThat sentence told me everything.
\nI called a taxi.
\nBut before leaving the hospital, I stopped at the nurses’ station.
\n“No one except me is allowed to remove my wife from this hospital.”
\nThe nurse nodded.
\n“We can note that.”
\n“And if Selina Vale or Godfrey Vale comes asking questions?”
\n“We won’t disclose patient information without authorization.”
\n“Thank you.”
\nThen I went home.
\nWhen I entered the house at exactly ten, the dining table looked like a business meeting.
\nCoffee.
\nBreakfast.
\nNotebooks.
\nA calculator.
\nGodfrey was wearing a button-down shirt.
\nSelina had changed into one of her best dresses.
\nAnd sitting beside them was a man I’d never seen before.
\nHe stood when I entered.
\n“Damian! Congratulations.”
\nI didn’t shake his hand.
\n“Who are you?”
\nGodfrey laughed nervously.
\n“This is Mr. Rolan. He works in finance.”
\nThe stranger smiled.
\n“I help families structure investments.”
\nInteresting.
\nMy mother had arranged an “investment meeting” less than twelve hours after learning I had money.
\nI sat down.
\n“So what are we discussing?”
\nSelina pushed a notebook toward me.
\n“We’ve been thinking.”
\n“I’m sure you have.”
\nGodfrey ignored my tone.
\n“We shouldn’t let a million dollars sit around doing nothing.”
\nHe turned the notebook.
\nThere were numbers written across the page.
\n$250,000 \u2014 AUTO SHOP EXPANSION
\n$300,000 \u2014 PROPERTY
\n$100,000 \u2014 HOUSE IMPROVEMENTS
\n$75,000 \u2014 FAMILY RESERVE
\nI looked at the list.
\nThat totaled $725,000.
\n“And the rest?”
\nSelina smiled.
\n“Your personal savings.”
\nHow generous.
\n“And Phedra?”
\nSilence.
\nGodfrey leaned back.
\n“What about her?”
\n“Her treatment.”
\nSelina sighed.
\n“Damian, we discussed this last night.”
\n“No. You talked. I listened.”
\nHer jaw tightened.
\nI tapped the notebook.
\n“How much did you budget for my wife’s cancer treatment?”
\nNobody answered.
\nMr. Rolan suddenly looked uncomfortable.
\n“Perhaps I should step outside.”
\n“No,” I said.
\nEveryone looked at me.
\n“Stay.”
\nSelina forced a laugh.
\n“Of course we’ll help Phedra. But you can’t destroy your future pouring money into doctors.”
\nI nodded slowly.
\n“I understand.”
\nHer face relaxed again.
\n“So you’ll consider the plan?”
\n“I’ll consider something better.”
\nGodfrey leaned forward.
\n“What?”
\nI took an envelope from my jacket.
\nTheir eyes followed it.
\nInside were several pages.
\nI placed them facedown on the table.
\n“I’ve decided that before I receive the settlement, I want to know who I can trust.”
\nSelina’s smile faded slightly.
\n“What does that mean?”
\n“It means I’m thinking about putting the entire settlement under someone else’s management.”
\nGodfrey’s eyes widened.
\n“Someone else’s?”
\n“Someone in the family.”
\nSilence.
\nBeautiful silence.
\nI continued.
\n“I’ll choose one person. That person will control the investment account and oversee how the money is distributed.”
\nGodfrey immediately sat straighter.
\nSelina stared at me.
\nI could practically hear both of them thinking.
\nOne million dollars.
\nControl.
\nAccess.
\nPower.
\nExactly what I needed.
\n“How will you choose?” Godfrey asked.
\n“Simple.”
\nI leaned back.
\n“I want complete honesty about the money I’ve already sent home.”
\nSelina went still.
\n“Of course.”
\n“Every dollar.”
\n“Certainly.”
\n“No lies.”
\n“Damian, we’re family.”
\nI almost laughed at that.
\nInstead, I slid two blank sheets across the table.
\n“I want both of you to write down what you remember. Major expenses. Business investments. Renovations. Medical costs. Everything.”
\nGodfrey frowned.
\n“Why separately?”
\n“So nobody influences anyone else’s memory.”
\nMr. Rolan looked at me.
\nThen he slowly understood.
\nSelina didn’t.
\nNot yet.
\nI stood.
\n“You have until tonight.”
\n“Damian,” Selina said sharply, “this is insulting.”
\n“Then it should be easy.”
\nGodfrey stared at the blank sheet.
\n“What happens after?”
\n“Tomorrow, I choose who controls the settlement.”
\nThat did it.
\nHis irritation disappeared.
\nMy mother’s did too.
\nGreed defeated pride in less than five seconds.
\n“I’ll do it,” Godfrey said.
\nSelina grabbed the other sheet.
\n“So will I.”
\nI walked toward the door.
\nBehind me, Godfrey called, “Where are you going?”
\n“Back to my wife.”
\nSelina’s voice hardened.
\n“You shouldn’t tell Phedra about this arrangement yet.”
\nI stopped.
\n“Why?”
\n“She’s emotional. She might misunderstand.”
\nI turned around.
\n“You’re probably right.”
\nSelina smiled.
\nThat smile followed me all the way outside.
\nBecause she thought she’d won.
\nWhat she didn’t know was that I had already downloaded four years of bank statements.
\nI wasn’t asking them where my money went because I needed answers.
\nI was asking because I needed their lies.
\nAnd by promising control of a million-dollar settlement to whoever appeared most “trustworthy,” I had just given my mother and brother a reason to betray each other.
\nBy evening, it had already begun.
\nGodfrey called me first.
\n“Damian, can we talk privately?”
\n“I’m at the hospital.”
\n“Not over the phone.”
\n“Then tomorrow.”
\n“No. Tonight.”
\nSomething in his voice made me pause.
\n“Why?”
\nHe lowered his voice.
\n“Because Mom is going to lie on that paper.”
\nI looked through the glass at Phedra sleeping.
\n“What is she going to lie about?”
\n“Everything.”
\nI said nothing.
\nGodfrey continued.
\n“She’ll blame the spending on me.”
\n“Should she?”
\n“No!”
\nHe hesitated.
\n“Not all of it.”
\nThere it was.
\nThe first crack.
\n“How much did you take, Godfrey?”
\n“I didn’t take anything. Mom gave it to me.”
\n“How much?”
\nSilence.
\n“Maybe thirty thousand.”
\nMy records already showed more than that.
\n“Maybe?”
\n“Okay. Forty.”
\nStill lying.
\n“What was it for?”
\n“The shop.”
\n“Did you know that money was supposed to support Phedra?”
\n“I thought there was plenty.”
\n“Did you know she had cancer?”
\nSilence.
\n“Godfrey.”
\n“Yes.”
\nMy hand tightened around the phone.
\n“And you still accepted the money?”
\n“Mom said Phedra probably wasn’t going to make it anyway.”
\nFor a moment, I couldn’t speak.
\nThen I heard Godfrey breathe nervously.
\n“Damian?”
\n“I’m here.”
\n“Look, I’m telling you the truth because I want you to know I’m not the one who started this.”
\n“Then who did?”
\n“Mom.”
\n“Explain.”
\n“Not on the phone.”
\n“Why?”
\nAnother silence.
\nThen Godfrey said something I hadn’t expected.
\n“Because the money isn’t the worst thing she did.”
\nMy body went rigid.
\n“What does that mean?”
\n“Meet me at the auto shop tonight at nine. Come alone.”
\nHe hung up.
\nI stared at the phone.
\nAt 8:57 p.m., I arrived at Godfrey’s shop.
\nThe front lights were off.
\nHis SUV was parked behind the building.
\nI entered through the side door.
\n“Godfrey?”
\nNothing.
\nThen I heard movement in the office.
\nI walked toward it.
\nThe door was open.
\nGodfrey stood beside his desk with a small cardboard box.
\nHe looked terrified.
\n“You came.”
\n“What did you want to show me?”
\nHe locked the office door.
\nThen he placed the box on the desk.
\n“I kept these because I knew someday Mom might blame everything on me.”
\nHe opened it.
\nInside were receipts.
\nBank slips.
\nCopies of transfers.
\nAnd several envelopes with my name written across them.
\nI picked one up.
\nThe handwriting wasn’t mine.
\n“What are these?”
\nGodfrey swallowed.
\n“Letters.”
\n“From who?”
\n“Phedra.”
\nMy heart stopped.
\n“She wrote to you almost every month after she got sick.”
\nI looked at him.
\n“Why do you have them?”
\n“Because Mom never mailed them.”
\nThe room seemed to tilt.
\nI opened the first envelope.
\nInside was a handwritten letter.
\nDamian,
\nI don’t know if my messages are reaching you anymore. I’m trying not to scare you, but I need you to know I’m sick. The doctor says we still have options if I continue treatment. Please don’t worry about the money. I only want to hear your voice…
\nI couldn’t keep reading.
\nThere were eleven envelopes.
\nEleven.
\nOne for every month she’d been sick.
\nI looked at Godfrey.
\n“You knew?”
\nHe lowered his head.
\n“I knew about some of them.”
\n“And you said nothing.”
\n“I’m sorry.”
\nI stepped toward him.
\nHe backed into the desk.
\n“I’m sorry, Damian. I was scared of Mom.”
\n“You were scared?”
\nMy voice stayed quiet.
\n“My wife was starving in a shed.”
\n“I know.”
\n“You drove a new SUV.”
\n“I know.”
\n“You opened this shop with money I earned while she begged for medicine.”
\nHis eyes filled with panic.
\n“I’ll give it back.”
\n“This isn’t about the money anymore.”
\nGodfrey looked toward the door.
\nThen he whispered, “There’s something else.”
\nHe reached into the box and pulled out a small pharmacy bag.
\nInside were several unopened prescription bottles.
\nPhedra’s name was printed across every label.
\nMy hands began shaking.
\n“Where did you get these?”
\n“Mom’s bedroom.”
\n“Why are they unopened?”
\n“I don’t know.”
\n“Don’t lie to me.”
\n“I swear.”
\nI turned the bottle over.
\nThe prescription date was eight months earlier.
\nMedicine my wife had told the doctor she’d never received.
\nI stared at my brother.
\n“Why would Mom keep these?”
\nGodfrey’s face had gone pale.
\n“I don’t know.”
\nThen headlights swept across the office window.
\nGodfrey froze.
\nA car had pulled into the parking lot.
\n“Are you expecting someone?”
\n“No.”
\nThe engine shut off.
\nA door slammed.
\nThen another.
\nGodfrey rushed toward the blinds and peeked through.
\nHis face drained of color.
\n“What?”
\nHe turned toward me.
\n“It’s Mom.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“How does she know I’m here?”
\n“I didn’t tell her.”
\nFootsteps approached the side entrance.
\nGodfrey suddenly grabbed the cardboard box.
\n“We need to hide this.”
\n“Why?”
\n“Because she cannot know I showed you.”
\nThe door handle rattled.
\nThen Selina’s voice came from outside.
\n“Godfrey?”
\nHe looked at me.
\nShe knocked harder.
\n“I know you’re in there.”
\nThen she said something that made both of us stop breathing.
\n“And I know Damian is with you.”
\nGodfrey whispered, “How?”
\nI didn’t answer.
\nBecause my phone vibrated at that exact moment.
\nA message from Phedra.
\nDamian, where are you?
\nYour mother came to the hospital.
\nMy blood went cold.
\nAnother message appeared.
\nShe told the nurses she’s my emergency contact.
\nThen a third.
\nPlease come back.
\nShe’s trying to make them discharge me.
\nI grabbed the box.
\nGodfrey blocked me.
\n“Wait.”
\n“Move.”
\n“You don’t understand.”
\n“What?”
\nHis face was white.
\n“Mom isn’t trying to get Phedra out of that hospital because she’s worried about the settlement.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“Then why?”
\nGodfrey looked at the unopened medicine in my hand.
\nAnd when he spoke, his voice was barely audible.
\n“Because if the doctors examine Phedra closely enough, they’re going to discover why she became so sick.”
\nOutside, Selina pounded on the door.
\n“OPEN THIS DOOR!”
\nI looked from my brother to the medicine.
\n“What are you saying?”
\nGodfrey swallowed.
\n“I’m saying Phedra didn’t bring this punishment on herself.”
\nHe pointed toward the prescription bottle.
\n“Mom made sure the treatment failed.”
\nAnd suddenly the missing money wasn’t the most frightening thing my family had stolen from my wife.
\nIt was only the beginning………………..<\/p>\n
PART 2 \u2014 THE MILLION-DOLLAR BAIT “The settlement is one million dollars,” I said. For three full seconds, nobody moved. Then my mother’s entire face changed. Not dramatically. Not enough … <\/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-6617","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\/6617","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=6617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6624,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6617\/revisions\/6624"}],"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=6617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}