{"id":36,"date":"2026-01-21T12:45:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T12:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/?p=36"},"modified":"2026-01-21T12:45:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T12:45:38","slug":"how-i-fell-in-love-with-my-step-mother-episode-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/how-i-fell-in-love-with-my-step-mother-episode-9\/","title":{"rendered":"HOW I FELL IN LOVE WITH MY STEP MOTHER Episode 9"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
EPISODE 9<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I stood there on the empty street, phone glowing in my palm, her message burning into my mind.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI watched you leave. I wish I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Cars passed. A bus blared its horn. Somewhere, a street vendor laughed loudly. Life moved around me like I wasn\u2019t part of it.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But I couldn\u2019t move.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I looked up at her window again.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The silhouette was still there.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She hadn\u2019t moved.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I typed\u2026 then deleted. Typed again\u2026 then stopped.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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What do you say to a woman who once destroyed your life and healed it in the same breath?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
My phone vibrated again.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Another message.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Amara: \u201cYou don\u2019t have to reply.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
My chest tightened.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I slipped the phone into my pocket and began walking, fast at first, then slower. Every step felt heavier than the last. Memories flooded me\u2014rain-soaked nights, my father\u2019s broken face, the cutlass, the banishment, the lonely years that followed.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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By the time I reached my small apartment, my body felt exhausted, but my mind refused to rest.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I showered, lay on my bed, stared at the ceiling.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Her face hovered in the darkness.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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At some point, sleep claimed me.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2014<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Morning came harshly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My phone buzzed repeatedly on the table. Groggy, I picked it up.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Missed calls.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Three of them.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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All from the same number.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Amara.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Before I could decide what to do, the phone rang again in my hand.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I stared at it, heart racing.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Finally, I answered.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cHello?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Silence. Then her voice\u2014shaky, tight, desperate in a way I had never heard before.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cChinedu\u2026 please come.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My stomach dropped. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s Kamsi,\u201d she whispered. \u201cHe collapsed this morning.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Panic exploded through me.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m on my way,\u201d I said immediately.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I didn\u2019t think. I didn\u2019t hesitate. I grabbed my keys and ran.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2014<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The hospital smelled of antiseptic and fear.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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White walls. Fluorescent lights. The low hum of machines that kept people alive or reminded them of death.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I found her in a small waiting area, sitting alone on a plastic chair, her head buried in her hands.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She looked smaller.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Broken.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The strong woman I saw the night before had disappeared.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I stopped a few feet away, unsure if I should touch her.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She looked up.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Her eyes were red, swollen, filled with terror.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cChinedu,\u201d she whispered, her voice cracking.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I moved without thinking then\u2014sat beside her, my presence close but careful.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat happened?\u201d I asked softly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThey said\u2026 he fainted,\u201d she replied, her hands trembling. \u201cHe complained of dizziness last night. I thought it was nothing.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Her voice broke.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m a terrible guardian.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cNo,\u201d I said immediately. \u201cDon\u2019t say that.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She looked at me, tears sliding down her face. \u201cIf something happens to him\u2026 I don\u2019t know what I\u2019ll do.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Before I could stop myself, my hand rested gently over hers.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She didn\u2019t pull away.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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At that moment, a doctor walked toward us.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Both of us stood instantly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cMrs. Amara?\u201d he asked.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYes,\u201d she said quickly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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He removed his glasses slowly. \u201cYour son is stable now. But we need to run further tests.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Relief rushed through her like a storm breaking.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cCan I see him?\u201d she asked.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cNot yet,\u201d the doctor replied gently. \u201cGive us some time.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She sank back into her seat, sobbing quietly\u2014this time in relief.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I stayed beside her.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For a long while, we said nothing.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Finally, she spoke.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThank you for coming.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI had to,\u201d I said honestly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She studied my face. \u201cYou didn\u2019t owe me that.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cMaybe not,\u201d I replied. \u201cBut I would have come anyway.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Silence again.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Then she whispered, \u201cLast night\u2026 when you left\u2026 I hated myself.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My chest tightened. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cBecause part of me wished you had stayed,\u201d she admitted.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I swallowed. \u201cI wish I had too.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Her breath trembled.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Before anything more could be said, a nurse came to call her. \u201cYou can see him now.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Amara stood instantly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She turned to me. \u201cWill you wait?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I nodded. \u201cI\u2019ll be here.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She disappeared down the corridor.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I sat alone in that sterile waiting room, my thoughts loud.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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This was no longer just about us.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A child\u2019s life now sat between our past and our future.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Minutes later\u2014maybe longer\u2014Amara returned.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Her face had changed.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Still worried\u2026 but calmer.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cHe\u2019s awake,\u201d she said softly. \u201cHe asked for water. And\u2026 for you.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My heart stilled. \u201cMe?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She nodded slowly. \u201cHe said, \u2018Where is the man who came with Aunty?\u2019\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A strange warmth spread through my chest.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWill you see him?\u201d she asked.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I hesitated only a second.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYes.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She led me down the corridor.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When we reached the door, she stopped.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cChinedu,\u201d she said quietly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I turned.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Her eyes searched mine.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis changes things.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI know.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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She opened the door.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Kamsi lay on a hospital bed, small, pale, but alive. His eyes lit up when he saw me.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou came,\u201d he said weakly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I smiled softly and stepped closer. \u201cOf course I did.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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He looked at Amara, then back at me. \u201cAre you my uncle?\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Amara froze.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I crouched beside his bed slowly. \u201cYou can call me\u2026 your friend.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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He smiled.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A real, innocent smile.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In that moment, something shifted inside me\u2014something deep, powerful, undeniable.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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As I glanced up, Amara was watching me, tears in her eyes again\u2014but different this time.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Not just fear.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Not just pain.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Something like hope\u2026 mixed with terror.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Later that evening, after Kamsi fell asleep, Amara and I stood outside the hospital beneath a fading sky.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cYou saved me today,\u201d she said quietly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t do anything,\u201d I replied.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou showed up,\u201d she said. \u201cThat matters.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I looked at her, my heart aching in a way I didn\u2019t understand anymore.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cAmara,\u201d I said slowly, \u201clast night I left because I thought it was the right thing.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cAnd now?\u201d she asked.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I stared at the hospital building, then at her.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cNow I don\u2019t know what\u2019s right anymore.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Her lips trembled.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
A breeze swept between us.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Somewhere, a nurse laughed. A car horn blared. Life moved on.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
But between us, something dangerous was awakening again.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Not just love.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Not just desire.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But responsibility.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Connection.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Fate.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Amara took a slow breath. \u201cIf we walk this road again, Chinedu\u2026 it will not be like before.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I met her gaze steadily.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI know.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Silence stretched between us\u2014heavy, alive, full of unspoken decisions.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Then she spoke the words that made my heart pound harder than ever.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cThen maybe\u2026 we stop running.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The night swallowed us slowly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
And for the first time in years, I realized something both beautiful and terrifying:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Our story was no longer about the past.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
It was about the choice we were about to make.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
TO BE CONTINUED…<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 9 I stood there on the empty street, phone glowing in my palm, her message burning into my mind. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-i-fell-in-love-with-my-step-mother"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}