{"id":14692,"date":"2026-04-22T03:29:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T02:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/?p=14692"},"modified":"2026-04-22T03:29:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T02:29:24","slug":"my-dil-abandoned-her-newborn-twins-15-years-later-she-returned-dressed-like-money-and-declared-ive-come-back-for-my-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/?p=14692","title":{"rendered":"My DIL Abandoned Her Newborn Twins \u2013 15 Years Later, She Returned Dressed Like Money and Declared, \u2018I\u2019ve Come Back for My Children!\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When her daughter-in-law resurfaces 15 years after abandoning her newborn twins, Helen\u2019s quiet life is shattered. But beneath the designer heels and forced smiles lies a motive more shocking than anyone expects. What happens when love, loyalty, and lies collide under one fragile roof?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was folding laundry when the doorbell rang, and I almost didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 68 years old, I\u2019ve earned the right to ignore unexpected guests. But something in the air that afternoon felt off, like the sudden stillness before a summer storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I opened the door, I forgot how to breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019ve earned the right to ignore unexpected guests.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

There, standing on my worn welcome mat in a trench coat and heels sharp enough to cut tile, was Maribelle, my daughter-in-law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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She was the horrible woman who had abandoned her children 15 years ago.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same woman who had left while the funeral casseroles were still warm on the dining table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHelen,\u201d she said, stepping past me like she owned the floor beneath her. \u201cYou\u2019re still<\/em> living in this dump? Honestly, I thought it would\u2019ve collapsed by now. And is that lentil soup I smell? I\u2019ve always hated <\/em>your recipe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou\u2019re still living in this dump?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you doing here, Maribelle?\u201d I asked, closing the door behind her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhere are they?\u201d she asked, taking in the living room with a single sweeping glance, her nose wrinkled in disdain. \u201cI\u2019ve come back for my children!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re in their rooms,\u201d I replied. \u201cAnd they\u2019re 16 now, Maribelle. They\u2019re not children anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPerfect,\u201d she said, lowering herself onto the couch like a queen. \u201cThat gives us a few minutes to talk before I announce something to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAnd they\u2019re 16 now, Maribelle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re not children anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Let me go back for you to understand just how much I despised the woman sitting across from me.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fifteen years ago, my son, David, died in a car accident on a rainy Tuesday night. They told me he tried to swerve to protect a dog, and in doing so, my son hit the road barrier and slammed into a tree. The impact was instant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was only 29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maribelle lasted four more days with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He was only 29.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I found her in the kitchen, staring at the baby bottles drying on a towel. The twins, Lily and Jacob, had just turned six months old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI can\u2019t do this,\u201d Maribelle had said. \u201cI feel like I can\u2019t breathe. And I\u2019m too young and beautiful to be shackled to grief, Helen. You understand, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t, not at all.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she packed her bags and left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI\u2019m too young and beautiful to be shackled to grief, Helen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Relatives whispered about foster care and legal guardianship, but I didn\u2019t give them a chance to finish their sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe babies stay<\/em> with me!\u201d I exclaimed one afternoon while my sisters sat at my kitchen table. \u201cEnd of story. I may be older now, but there\u2019s no way I\u2019ll have anyone else look after David\u2019s children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Since that day, I have been everything the twins needed. I was their mother and their grandmother at the same time. I was the person who held their heads when they were sick and the one who taught them how to tie their shoes, balance equations, and swallow disappointment without choking on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe babies stay with me!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I learned how to calm Lily\u2019s motion sickness with ginger candy tucked into my purse and how to squeeze Jacob\u2019s hand twice in the dark to let him know I was there during every thunderstorm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t like the sound, Gran,\u201d he\u2019d say, as if he needed to explain himself every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I worked two jobs when I had to, gave up vacations, skipped meals, and ignored my own medical needs more than once to make sure they had everything they required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI just don\u2019t like the sound, Gran.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I became an expert in secondhand coats and patched knees. I clipped coupons like a woman planning a battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I gave my grandkids every ounce of love and grit I had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in all those years, not once did Maribelle call. Not for a birthday, not even at Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now here she was, demanding a cup of coffee and examining my home like it was a dated showroom she planned to gut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026 not once did Maribelle call.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy husband and I are looking to expand our family, Helen,\u201d she said, crossing one leg over the other like she was preparing for a press interview. \u201cHe wants children. I want children\u2026 but I don\u2019t want to give birth to them. And naturally, the twins fit the bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou did<\/em> give birth to them,\u201d I said, staring at Maribelle like I was speaking to someone really\u2026 stupid.<\/em> \u201cYou can\u2019t<\/em> be serious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBen doesn\u2019t know that they\u2019re biologically mine, of course,\u201d she continued, casually. \u201cI told him that I wanted to adopt a pair of orphaned teens. He thought it was noble. <\/em>I told him that it was better, you know? We could miss the messy stages of childhood and just have two preppy kids to show off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHe wants children. I want children\u2026 but I don\u2019t want to give birth to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I set my mug down. My hands were shaking uncontrollably at this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, you lied to your husband?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI prefer to think of it as strategic framing<\/em>, Helen,\u201d she said, pouting. \u201cYou know me, always thinking out of the box.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAnd now you want to uproot two teenagers, lie to your husband, and erase the only family they\u2019ve ever known?\u201d I asked, almost lost for words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou lied to your husband?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. That\u2019s exactly<\/em> what I want, Helen,\u201d she said, not even blinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you think that they\u2019ll just come with you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course! They\u2019ll live with us. They\u2019ll go to private school and have access to the world. We\u2019ll travel every summer. The twins will have unlimited resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I didn\u2019t say anything for a moment. I could barely breathe. <\/em>I couldn\u2019t believe that Maribelle had it all thought out, that she\u2019d had a plan. A plan that involved ripping my babies away from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe twins will have unlimited resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re 16,\u201d Maribelle added, casually flicking invisible lint from her sleeve. \u201cThey\u2019ll want more than this shack, Helen. Trust me. They\u2019ll be thrilled. And after all\u2026 I\u2019m their mother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd what about me<\/em>?\u201d I asked, keeping my eyes on her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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She waved a hand as though brushing away dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, you won\u2019t be part of it. My husband can\u2019t know there\u2019s a grandmother in the picture, especially not one with your\u2026 limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAfter all\u2026 I\u2019m their mother.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

She looked me up and down, slowly and deliberately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd let\u2019s be honest,\u201d she said, the venom behind her smile barely hidden. \u201cHow much longer do you plan to be around anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t have a chance to respond before she stood abruptly and raised her voice toward the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cJacob! Lily! Come out here, please!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026 the venom behind her smile barely hidden.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I froze. My chest tightened. For a moment, I had forgotten that they were home, busy in their own bubbles in their bedrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Footsteps creaked on the stairs, and within moments, Lily appeared first, followed closely by Jacob. They both paused in the doorway when they saw her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDarlings!\u201d Maribelle opened her arms as if she expected a dramatic reunion. \u201cMy Goodness, look at you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Neither of them moved. Lily\u2019s expression stiffened, and Jacob frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou remember me, don\u2019t you?\u201d she asked brightly. \u201cI\u2019m your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d His eyes flicked to me and then back at her. \u201cWhy do you think we\u2019d remember you? You left us when we were babies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI came to take you home,\u201d she said, ignoring Jacob\u2019s questions. \u201cMy husband and I have decided to adopt. I chose you both, of course. You\u2019ll come and live with us, my darlings. It\u2019s a much better life, I promise you \u2014 private schools, new clothes, and real opportunities at life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou left us when we were babies.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAdopt?\u201d Lily\u2019s voice was sharp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Maribelle nodded. \u201cI allowed your grandmother to adopt you as your legal guardian back then. But my husband doesn\u2019t know that you\u2019re my children. I told him that you were orphans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou lied to him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that moment, I couldn\u2019t have been prouder of the twins. There they were, standing their ground.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI told him that you were orphans.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLet\u2019s not get caught up in technicalities,\u201d she said. \u201cAll that matters is you\u2019ll have better than this. You can\u2019t possibly want to stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou mean with the woman who raised us?\u201d Lily asked, stepping closer to me. \u201cOur grandmother<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maribelle\u2019s smile faltered, and for the first time, her confidence dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou left,\u201d Lily said. \u201cYou disappeared. But she stayed<\/em>. And she loved us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou mean with the woman who raised us?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou don\u2019t understand\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, we understand perfectly,\u201d Jacob said. \u201cYou\u2019re not coming in here like you didn\u2019t miss 15 years of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll regret this when she\u2019s gone and you\u2019re stuck in this rundown dump,\u201d their mother spat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not yours to take!\u201d Jacob shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe never<\/em> were,\u201d Lily added, holding onto my arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maribelle\u2019s face twisted, then she turned and stormed out without another word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re not yours to take!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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A week later, everything caught up to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I answered my phone while I was stirring a green curry on the stove. The voice on the other end belonged to a man I had never met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHelen,\u201d he said softly. \u201cMy name is Thomas, and I\u2019m legal counsel for Mr. Dean. I believe you might want to hear what I\u2019ve discovered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My heart stopped as I listened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A week later, everything caught up to her.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Thomas told me that his team had found no adoption paperwork. There was no orphan registry matching Lily and Jacob. Instead, they discovered two birth certificates bearing Maribelle\u2019s own name, filed at the county courthouse 15 years earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I stopped stirring the curry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Dean was shocked,\u201d he went on. \u201cHe never realized these children were his wife\u2019s biological children. That she had\u2026 abandoned them without a second thought.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMr. Dean was shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t respond. I barely breathed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within 48 hours, Maribelle was served divorce papers. Her access to their joint accounts was instantly frozen. And one after another, public records clearly showed the truth: she had abandoned her own children.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I opened a local tabloid one morning while drinking weak coffee. The headline jumped out at me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMother Who Dumped Babies Faces Public Shame.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her photo was glossy and unforgiving. I closed the newspaper quickly. I didn\u2019t want Lily or Jacob to see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMother Who Dumped Babies Faces Public Shame.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But my phone rang later that afternoon. It was Mr. Dean.<\/em> His voice was calm, measured, but his apology carried weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHelen, I cannot undo the past, ma\u2019am. But I want to do right by Lily and Jacob. Maribelle said that she promised them a good life\u2026 I hate everything she did. But I want to honor those words in my own way. I want to offer them security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What could I say? Thank him for promising to provide for my dead son\u2019s children? And that all of this was happening because their mother had abandoned them and had the audacity to lie about their existence years later?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBut I want to do right by Lily and Jacob.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIf you accept,\u201d he continued, \u201cI will set up a trust for the twins\u2019 education, housing, and medical care. And a monthly stipend to help you after all you\u2019ve done for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy are you<\/em> doing this?\u201d I managed to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause\u2026 I\u2019ve always wanted to be a father, Helen. But now that my wife has betrayed me in such a horrible way\u2026 it\u2019s going to take me a long time to overcome those feelings. But the twins can\u2019t wait.<\/em> Their lives are unfolding right now<\/em>. And your son can\u2019t give them a safety net\u2026 so let me do it. For you. For them. For David<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhy are you doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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I dropped the phone onto the kitchen counter. Tears came before I could think to stop them. I had buried my son, and I had adopted his children. And now, a stranger was offering us comfort and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few days later, I sat at the kitchen table with Lily and Jacob. I placed the letter from Mr. Dean in front of them \u2014 it was a repeat of everything he\u2019d told me over the phone, just in writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre we really allowed to accept this, Gran?\u201d Jacob asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tears came before I could think to stop them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYes, my sweetheart,\u201d I said. \u201cBecause you both deserve it. And you\u2019ve earned every bit of it. Honestly\u2026 I think we<\/em> deserve the help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some afternoons, I drive past the townhouse where Maribelle now lives, a cramped rental on the outskirts of town. I slow down in front of it and let my foot rest on the gas pedal a moment longer. I don\u2019t stare. I don\u2019t linger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just remember that we\u2019re safe now\u2026 and although I want nothing to do with Maribelle, at least I know<\/em> where she is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAnd you\u2019ve earned every bit of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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At night, our home is warm and fueled by the twins\u2019 laughter and antics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am not only their grandmother; I am their home. And nothing Maribelle throws at us \u2014 no lies, no money, and no arrogance<\/em> \u2014 can ever change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And every month, just as promised, Mr. Dean\u2019s check arrives without fail. The twins\u2019 college funds sit untouched but waiting, ready for whatever dreams Lily and Jacob decide to chase, whenever they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After everything, we don\u2019t just have a roof over our heads. We have a future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I am not only their grandmother; I am their home.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Did this story remind you of something from your own life? Feel free to share it in the Facebook comments.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you enjoyed this story, here\u2019s another one<\/a> for you: After years of infertility, Megan and Alex finally adopt a silent six-year-old girl. Just as their new life begins to settle, a single sentence from their daughter unravels everything they thought they knew\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When her daughter-in-law resurfaces 15 years after abandoning her newborn twins, Helen\u2019s quiet life is shattered. But beneath the designer heels and forced smiles lies […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14692"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14694,"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14692\/revisions\/14694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news5.chainityai.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}