\u201cThe proof of who your father really is.\u201d
\nThen the line went dead.
\nI stood in Richard\u2019s kitchen with the phone pressed against my ear, listening to silence.
\nFor one second, I couldn\u2019t move.
\nThen something inside me broke loose.
\nI turned toward Mrs. Patterson.
\n\u201cWHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?\u201d
\nShe flinched.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou were supposed to protect her!\u201d
\n\u201cI tried!\u201d
\n\u201cYou let Charles take her!\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMrs. Patterson\u2019s face crumpled.
\n\u201cHe didn\u2019t come through the house.\u201d
\nDaniel stepped forward.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nMrs. Patterson pointed toward the garden.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily heard someone calling her name from outside. She thought it was one of the police officers coming back. By the time I reached the terrace, Charles already had her.\u201d
\nI grabbed my keys.
\nDaniel blocked the doorway.
\n\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d
\n\u201cTo Box 317.\u201d
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t go alone.\u201d
\n\u201cHe has my daughter.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s exactly why you can\u2019t go alone.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t care what\u2019s in that box.\u201d
\nMy voice cracked.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t care about Richard\u2019s money. I don\u2019t care who my father was. I want Emily.\u201d
\nDaniel stared at me for a moment.
\nThen he nodded.
\n\u201cFine. But we call the police.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMrs. Patterson spoke behind us.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire is right.\u201d
\nI turned.
\nShe was holding the old photograph from Richard\u2019s basement.
\nThe photograph labeled MARGARET HALE.
\nHer younger face stared back at me.
\n\u201cYou owe me an explanation too.\u201d
\nMrs. Patterson closed her eyes.
\n\u201cMy real name is Margaret Hale.\u201d
\n\u201cI figured that part out.\u201d
\n\u201cI changed it after your mother died.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Charles was looking for you.\u201d
\nThe room went quiet.
\nShe looked at me.
\n\u201cYour mother knew she was in danger. Three days before she died, Evelyn brought you to my apartment.\u201d
\nA strange pressure filled my chest.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked you to raise me?\u201d
\nMargaret nodded.
\n\u201cShe made me promise that if anything happened to her, I would take you somewhere Charles could never find you.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why did I end up in foster care?\u201d
\nTears filled her eyes.
\n\u201cBecause I failed.\u201d
\nShe sat down slowly.
\n\u201cThe night Evelyn died, someone broke into my apartment.\u201d
\n\u201cCharles?\u201d
\n\u201cI believed so.\u201d
\n\u201cThey were looking for you?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMargaret looked toward the brass key in my hand.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were looking for what Evelyn had hidden.\u201d
\n\u201cBox 317.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nDaniel frowned.
\n\u201cHow do you know about the box?\u201d
\nMargaret looked at him.
\n\u201cBecause I helped Evelyn rent it.\u201d
\nMy heart started pounding.
\n\u201cYou knew what was inside?\u201d
\n\u201cI knew part of it.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat part?\u201d
\nMargaret swallowed.
\n\u201cEvidence.\u201d
\n\u201cOf what?\u201d
\n\u201cSomething much bigger than Richard ever told you.\u201d
\nI stepped closer.
\n\u201cStop giving me pieces.\u201d
\nMy voice shook.
\n\u201cTell me everything.\u201d
\nMargaret stared at me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother wasn\u2019t investigating Charles because of stolen company money.\u201d
\nDaniel went still.
\n\u201cRichard said she was.\u201d
\n\u201cThat was the story they agreed to tell.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause the truth would have put Claire in danger.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\nMargaret continued.
\n\u201cCharles wasn\u2019t simply stealing from Richard\u2019s company. He was using it to move money through fake businesses. Evelyn discovered records connecting him to people who had been paying him for access to confidential financial information.\u201d
\nDaniel frowned.
\n\u201cRichard\u2019s company handled private investment accounts.\u201d
\nMargaret nodded.
\n\u201cExactly.\u201d
\n\u201cSo Evelyn collected evidence.\u201d
\n\u201cEnough to destroy Charles.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd she put it in Box 317?\u201d
\n\u201cSome of it.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cAnd the rest?\u201d
\nMargaret\u2019s eyes met mine.
\n\u201cWas about you.\u201d
\nA chill moved through me.
\n\u201cWhy would evidence about Charles have anything to do with me?\u201d
\nShe hesitated.
\nThen said, \u201cBecause Evelyn discovered Charles wasn\u2019t working alone.\u201d
\n\u201cWho was helping him?\u201d
\nMargaret looked away.
\nI stepped closer.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\n\u201cYour father.\u201d
\nThe words hit me like cold water.
\n\u201cMy father abandoned us before I could remember him.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMargaret shook her head.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what Evelyn wanted everyone to believe.\u201d
\n\u201cThen who was he?\u201d
\n\u201cI never knew his real name.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d
\n\u201cEvelyn refused to tell me.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause she was terrified of him.\u201d
\nI suddenly remembered Richard\u2019s recording.
\nThe red house.
\nMy mother whispering:
\nDon\u2019t tell them your name.
\nI felt sick.
\nDaniel checked his phone.
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t have time. Charles has Emily.\u201d
\nHe was right.
\nWhatever happened thirty years ago could wait.
\nMy daughter couldn\u2019t.
\n\u201cWhere is Box 317?\u201d
\nMargaret looked at me.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll take you there.\u201d
\nForty minutes later, Daniel pulled up in front of an abandoned stone building near the old industrial district.
\nRain poured from the sky.
\nA faded sign hung above the entrance.
\nFIRST MERCHANTS BANK.
\nThe windows were boarded.
\nThe building looked deserted.
\n\u201cYou said this was a storage company,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cIt was,\u201d Daniel replied. \u201cIt shut down eight months ago.\u201d
\nI looked at him.
\n\u201cThen how are we getting inside?\u201d
\nMargaret stepped forward.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s another entrance.\u201d
\nOf course she knew.
\nWe followed her around the building.
\nBehind an overgrown fence was a narrow steel door.
\nMargaret reached beneath a broken drainpipe and pulled out an old key.
\nDaniel stared at her.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve been here recently.\u201d
\nMargaret didn\u2019t answer.
\nThat frightened me.
\nThe door opened.
\nInside, the building smelled like dust and damp concrete.
\nWe descended a staircase.
\nAt the bottom was the old bank vault.
\nHundreds of metal boxes lined the walls.
\nMy heartbeat thundered.
\n\u201c317,\u201d I whispered.
\nWe found it near the back.
\nI inserted Richard\u2019s key card into the mechanical slot beside it.
\nNothing happened.
\nThen Margaret reached into her coat.
\nShe pulled out a tiny brass key.
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cYou had the second key.\u201d
\n\u201cFor thirty years.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Evelyn gave it to me.\u201d
\nShe inserted it.
\nClick.
\nThe box unlocked.
\nI pulled it open.
\nInside were three things.
\nA stack of documents.
\nA small cassette tape.
\nAnd a sealed envelope.
\nMy name was written on it.
\nNot in Richard\u2019s handwriting.
\nIn my mother\u2019s.
\nCLAIRE.
\nI knew because I still had the birthday card she had written me when I turned five.
\nMy hands began shaking.
\nI opened it.
\nMy darling Claire,
\nIf you are reading this, then I wasn\u2019t able to come back for you.
\nI covered my mouth.
\nTears immediately blurred the words.
\nI forced myself to continue.
\nEverything I did was to keep you safe.
\nOne day, people may tell you that your father abandoned us.
\nPlease believe me when I say that I wish that were true.
\nHe did not abandon us.
\nI took you away from him.
\nBecause when I discovered what he was involved in, he told me something no mother should ever hear.
\nHe told me that if I exposed him, he would make sure I never saw you again.
\nI stopped.
\nDaniel stood silently beside me.
\nMargaret was crying.
\nI continued reading.
\nRichard tried to help me.
\nWhatever anyone tells you about him, please know this:
\nRichard did not hurt me.
\nHe risked everything to protect us.
\nMy knees weakened.
\nCharles had lied.
\nOr maybe he only knew part of the truth.
\nThen I reached the next paragraph.
\nThere is one thing Richard does not know.
\nI never told him because I was afraid he would try to confront your father.
\nClaire, the man you were told was your father was not your biological father.
\nI stopped breathing.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nMargaret whispered, \u201cKeep reading.\u201d
\nMy eyes dropped to the page.
\nThe man who raised you during your first years was a good man. He loved you and believed you were his daughter. I allowed him to believe that because it kept you safe.
\nBut your biological father is someone else.
\nSomeone Richard trusted.
\nSomeone who knew every move Richard made.
\nMy heart pounded harder.
\nI looked toward Daniel.
\nHe looked equally confused.
\nThen I read the final lines.
\nI have placed proof inside this box.
\nDo not trust anyone until you see it.
\nNot Charles.
\nNot Richard.
\nNot even Margaret.
\nI slowly looked up.
\nMargaret\u2019s face changed.
\n\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d
\nI folded the letter.
\n\u201cYou tell me.\u201d
\n\u201cClaire\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cMy mother said not to trust you.\u201d
\nMargaret stepped backward.
\n\u201cI can explain.\u201d
\n\u201cThen explain.\u201d
\nBefore she could answer, we heard footsteps.
\nSlow.
\nDeliberate.
\nComing down the stairs.
\nDaniel moved in front of me.
\nA shadow appeared across the floor.
\nThen Charles Vance stepped into the vault.
\nAlone.
\nMy heart stopped.
\n\u201cWhere is Emily?\u201d
\nCharles looked at the open box.
\n\u201cYou found it.\u201d
\n\u201cWHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?\u201d
\n\u201cShe\u2019s safe.\u201d
\n\u201cI want to see her.\u201d
\n\u201cYou will.\u201d
\nHe held out his hand.
\n\u201cGive me the documents.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHis expression hardened.
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\n\u201cI said no.\u201d
\nHe took another step.
\nDaniel moved between us.
\n\u201cStay back.\u201d
\nCharles smiled.
\n\u201cYou still think I\u2019m the villain, Mercer?\u201d
\n\u201cYou kidnapped a six-year-old.\u201d
\n\u201cI took the only leverage I had.\u201d
\n\u201cYou touched my daughter,\u201d I said, \u201cand I swear\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cShe\u2019s safer with me than she was in that house.\u201d
\nI froze.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nCharles pointed at Margaret.
\n\u201cAsk her.\u201d
\nMargaret\u2019s face went white.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t listen to him.\u201d
\nCharles laughed.
\n\u201cThere it is.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d
\nHe looked at me.
\n\u201cAsk Margaret why she moved two houses away from Richard.\u201d
\nMargaret said nothing.
\n\u201cAsk her why she watched you for five years without telling you who she was.\u201d
\n\u201cShe was protecting me.\u201d
\nCharles smiled.
\n\u201cWas she?\u201d
\nI looked at Margaret.
\n\u201cAnswer him.\u201d
\nShe began crying.
\n\u201cI wanted to tell you.\u201d
\n\u201cThat wasn\u2019t my question.\u201d
\nCharles stepped closer.
\n\u201cYour mother trusted Margaret with two things. You and the second key.\u201d
\nHe pointed toward the open box.
\n\u201cBut when Evelyn died, Margaret disappeared.\u201d
\nMargaret shook her head.
\n\u201cI was afraid.\u201d
\n\u201cOf me?\u201d
\n\u201cYes!\u201d
\nCharles laughed bitterly.
\n\u201cYou blamed me because it was easier.\u201d
\n\u201cCharles, stop.\u201d
\n\u201cNo. She deserves the truth.\u201d
\nHe looked at me.
\n\u201cI never broke into Margaret\u2019s apartment.\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cI never knew where you were after Evelyn died.\u201d
\nMargaret whispered, \u201cHe\u2019s lying.\u201d
\nCharles reached into his jacket.
\nDaniel tensed.
\nBut Charles pulled out an old photograph.
\nHe tossed it onto the table.
\nIt showed my mother standing outside the red house.
\nBeside her was Margaret.
\nAnd beside Margaret was a man whose face had been partially torn away.
\nOn the back was a date.
\nTwo days before my mother died.
\nCharles said, \u201cMargaret met your father after Evelyn decided to expose him.\u201d
\nI turned slowly toward her.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMargaret shook her head desperately.
\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like that.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what was it like?\u201d
\n\u201cI was trying to help Evelyn.\u201d
\n\u201cBy meeting the man threatening her?\u201d
\n\u201cHe contacted me!\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nMargaret covered her face.
\n\u201cI made a mistake.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\n\u201cWhat mistake?\u201d
\n\u201cI told him where Evelyn was going.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nEven Charles stopped smiling.
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cYou betrayed my mother.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cYou told him where she was.\u201d
\n\u201cI thought he only wanted to talk!\u201d
\nMy voice rose.
\n\u201cAnd she died!\u201d
\nMargaret sobbed.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know!\u201d
\nI backed away from her.
\nAll these years.
\nAll those casseroles.
\nAll those afternoons with Emily.
\nAll those smiles.
\nAnd this woman had been carrying that secret the entire time.
\nCharles pointed toward the documents.
\n\u201cThe proof is there.\u201d
\nI turned back to Box 317.
\nI lifted the stack.
\nBank records.
\nPhotographs.
\nLetters.
\nThen I found a sealed laboratory envelope.
\nInside was an old paternity report.
\nMy name appeared near the top.
\nCLAIRE EVELYN HART.
\nI looked lower.
\nMOTHER: EVELYN HART.
\nThen:
\nBIOLOGICAL FATHER.
\nThe name had been blacked out.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI held it toward Charles.
\n\u201cThe name is gone.\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Evelyn was afraid someone would find it.\u201d
\n\u201cThen how am I supposed to know?\u201d
\nCharles pointed at the cassette.
\n\u201cShe recorded everything.\u201d
\nI grabbed the tape.
\nAn old player sat on a shelf beside the vault office.
\nDaniel checked it.
\n\u201cIt still has power.\u201d
\nI inserted the cassette.
\nPressed play.
\nStatic filled the room.
\nThen my mother\u2019s voice spoke.
\nI hadn\u2019t heard that voice in twenty-nine years.
\nYet I recognized it instantly.
\n\u201cMy name is Evelyn Hart.\u201d
\nMy legs almost collapsed.
\n\u201cIf anyone finds this recording, I need you to know what happened.\u201d
\nI started crying silently.
\n\u201cCharles Vance committed crimes. He deserves to answer for them.\u201d
\nCharles lowered his eyes.
\n\u201cBut Charles is not the man I\u2019m afraid of.\u201d
\nCharles looked at me.
\nMy mother continued.
\n\u201cThe man I\u2019m afraid of is Claire\u2019s biological father.\u201d
\nStatic crackled.
\n\u201cHe used Richard\u2019s company.\u201d
\nI leaned closer.
\n\u201cHe used Charles.\u201d
\nAnother burst of static.
\n\u201cAnd when I discovered the truth, he threatened Claire.\u201d
\nI whispered, \u201cSay his name.\u201d
\nMy mother seemed to hesitate on the recording.
\nThen:
\n\u201cHis name is\u2014\u201d
\nThe tape distorted.
\n\u201cNo!\u201d
\nI slapped the recorder.
\nStatic.
\n\u201cCome on!\u201d
\nThen her voice returned.
\n\u201c\u2014and Richard can never know.\u201d
\nThe name was gone.
\nI wanted to scream.
\nCharles suddenly grabbed the documents.
\nDaniel lunged toward him.
\nThey collided against the table.
\n\u201cStop!\u201d
\nA folder fell open.
\nPapers scattered across the floor.
\nAnd something slid beneath my shoe.
\nA photograph.
\nI picked it up.
\nMy mother stood beside a younger Richard.
\nThere was another man beside them.
\nThis photograph wasn\u2019t torn.
\nI stared at his face.
\nI knew him.
\nNot from childhood.
\nFrom Richard\u2019s funeral.
\nHe had stood in the back.
\nWatching me.
\nHe had approached me afterward.
\nHe told me he was an old business associate of Richard\u2019s.
\nHe hugged me.
\nAnd before leaving, he whispered:
\n\u201cYou have Evelyn\u2019s eyes.\u201d
\nAt the time, I thought nothing of it.
\nNow my hands shook so badly I nearly dropped the photograph.
\nDaniel saw my face.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI met him.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\n\u201cThis man.\u201d
\nCharles stopped struggling.
\nHe looked at the photograph.
\nHis face changed.
\n\u201cOh, God.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nCharles whispered, \u201cThat shouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d
\nI turned the photograph over.
\nMy mother had written three names.
\nEVELYN.
\nRICHARD.
\nTHOMAS.
\nThomas.
\nI remembered the man introducing himself at the funeral.
\nThomas Bell.
\nDaniel suddenly went pale.
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s something you need to know about Thomas Bell.\u201d
\nMy phone rang.
\nI jumped.
\nUnknown number.
\nI answered immediately.
\n\u201cEmily?\u201d
\n\u201cMommy?\u201d
\nMy knees nearly gave out.
\n\u201cEmily! Where are you?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m scared.\u201d
\n\u201cI know, baby. Mommy\u2019s coming.\u201d
\n\u201cMommy, there\u2019s a man here.\u201d
\nI looked at Charles.
\nHe was standing directly in front of me.
\nIf Charles was here…
\nThen who was with Emily?
\n\u201cWhat man, sweetheart?\u201d
\nEmily sniffled.
\n\u201cThe old man from Grandpa\u2019s funeral.\u201d
\nEvery person in the vault went silent.
\nMy blood turned to ice.
\nThen another voice came through the phone.
\nCalm.
\nOlder.
\nFamiliar.
\n\u201cHello, Claire.\u201d
\nI couldn\u2019t breathe.
\n\u201cThomas?\u201d
\nA soft laugh.
\n\u201cI wondered how long it would take you.\u201d
\nMy hand tightened around the phone.
\n\u201cWhere is my daughter?\u201d
\n\u201cShe\u2019s perfectly safe.\u201d
\n\u201cIf you hurt her\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cI would never hurt my granddaughter.\u201d
\nThe entire world stopped.
\nI looked down at the photograph.
\nThomas Bell.
\nMy mother\u2019s warning.
\nMy biological father.
\n\u201cGranddaughter?\u201d
\nThomas sighed.
\n\u201cI suppose Evelyn finally told you.\u201d
\nMy voice trembled.
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cSomewhere you\u2019ve been before.\u201d
\nMy childhood memory flashed again.
\nRain.
\nScreaming.
\nA suitcase.
\nA red front door.
\nThomas continued.
\n\u201cBring everything from Box 317.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd if I don\u2019t?\u201d
\nFor several seconds, there was silence.
\nThen I heard Emily crying.
\nThomas\u2019s voice became cold.
\n\u201cThen history repeats itself.\u201d
\nThe line went dead.
\nI stood frozen.
\nCharles stared at me.
\nDaniel stared at me.
\nMargaret was crying.
\nBut suddenly I understood something.
\nCharles hadn\u2019t kidnapped Emily.
\nThomas had.
\nAnd somehow, he had known we would come here.
\nI looked toward Margaret.
\nShe wouldn\u2019t meet my eyes.
\nThen I noticed her phone lying on the table.
\nThe screen was still lit.
\nThere was a message.
\nSent twenty minutes earlier.
\nWE FOUND THE BOX. SHE KNOWS ABOUT THOMAS.
\nMy heart stopped.
\nI picked up the phone.
\n\u201cWho did you send this to?\u201d
\nMargaret looked up.
\nHer face collapsed.
\n\u201cClaire…\u201d
\n\u201cWHO?\u201d
\nShe began sobbing.
\nAnd then she whispered the answer.
\n\u201cThomas.\u201d
\nDaniel stepped backward in disbelief.
\nCharles cursed under his breath.
\nI stared at the woman my mother had trusted with my life.
\nThe woman I had trusted with Emily.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve been working for him.\u201d
\nMargaret shook her head.
\n\u201cNo. Claire, please. You don\u2019t understand.\u201d
\n\u201cThen make me understand.\u201d
\nShe looked toward the photograph in my hand.
\nAnd what she said next changed everything.
\n\u201cThomas didn\u2019t come back because of the documents.\u201d
\nHer voice trembled.
\n\u201cHe came back because Richard discovered the one secret Thomas has spent thirty years protecting.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat secret?\u201d
\nMargaret looked directly at me.
\n\u201cYour mother didn\u2019t die in that car.\u201d
\nI stopped breathing.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d
\nMargaret shook her head.
\n\u201cI saw Evelyn after the crash.\u201d
\nMy knees weakened.
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cThree days later.\u201d
\nNobody moved.
\nI could hear my heartbeat.
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\nMargaret looked toward the phone in my hand.
\n\u201cAt the red house.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d
\nShe swallowed.
\n\u201cI\u2019m saying Richard spent the last five years preparing you for the truth because he finally found her.\u201d
\nMy lips parted.
\n\u201cFound who?\u201d
\nMargaret\u2019s answer came in a whisper.
\n\u201cYour mother.\u201d
\nTO BE CONTINUED………………………<\/p>\n
\u201cThe proof of who your father really is.\u201d Then the line went dead. I stood in Richard\u2019s kitchen with the phone pressed against my ear, listening to silence. For one … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aita","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7396","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=7396"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7399,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7396\/revisions\/7399"}],"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=7396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}