{"id":4603,"date":"2026-02-06T01:04:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T01:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603"},"modified":"2026-02-06T01:04:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T01:04:51","slug":"the-day-i-buried-my-husband-she-showed-up-in-black-one-hand-on-her-belly-the-other-pointing-at-me-like-a-judge-im-carrying-his-child-she-whispered-loud-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603","title":{"rendered":"The day I buried my husband, she showed up in black\u2014one hand on her belly, the other pointing at me like a judge.  \u201cI\u2019m carrying his child,\u201d she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. \u201cHalf of everything is mine.\u201d  My mother-in-law snapped, \u201cYou\u2019re barren. You get nothing.\u201d My father-in-law grabbed my wrist. \u201cSign. Ninety-five percent. Now.\u201d  I tasted blood and grief at the same time. Then I looked at her bump\u2026 and saw the detail they all missed.  Because that baby wasn\u2019t his. And I had proof\u2014enough to turn the funeral into a war."},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"27\" data-end=\"122\">When the priest said, \u201cLet us pray,\u201d I thought the worst moment of my life had already arrived.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"124\" data-end=\"348\">Then <strong data-start=\"129\" data-end=\"144\">Amanda Reed<\/strong> walked into my husband\u2019s funeral in a tight black dress, her hair perfectly curled, one palm pressed to her stomach like a badge. She didn\u2019t sit. She stood beside the front row and stared straight at me.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"350\" data-end=\"465\">\u201cI\u2019m carrying <strong data-start=\"364\" data-end=\"375\">Derek\u2019s<\/strong> baby,\u201d she said, voice soft but aimed like a knife. \u201cI\u2019m here for what my child is owed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"467\" data-end=\"673\">A ripple went through the chapel. My knees almost gave out. Derek had been gone for nine days\u2014an accident on the interstate, a phone call that still rang in my bones. I clutched the program so hard it tore.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"675\" data-end=\"825\">Before I could speak, my mother-in-law, <strong data-start=\"715\" data-end=\"724\">Diane<\/strong>, snapped her head toward me. \u201cWell? Tell her the truth, <strong data-start=\"781\" data-end=\"791\">Claire<\/strong>. You couldn\u2019t give him a family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"827\" data-end=\"858\">I whispered, \u201cDiane, not here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"860\" data-end=\"1026\">My father-in-law, <strong data-start=\"878\" data-end=\"885\">Ron<\/strong>, leaned in, his breath hot with grief and rage. \u201cYou don\u2019t have kids. You don\u2019t deserve his money. Derek would\u2019ve wanted it to go to blood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1028\" data-end=\"1146\">Amanda lifted her chin. \u201cHalf is mine. And if you fight it, I\u2019ll make sure everyone knows what kind of wife you were.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1148\" data-end=\"1343\">Diane\u2019s hand cracked across my cheek. The sound echoed off stained glass. For a second, the room blurred\u2014faces, lilies, Derek\u2019s casket\u2014until Ron grabbed my wrist and shoved a pen into my fingers.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1345\" data-end=\"1491\">\u201cSign,\u201d he hissed, slamming a paper onto the memorial table. \u201cNinety-five percent to us. Five to you. Do it now or we drag this out and ruin you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1493\" data-end=\"1706\">I tasted blood where my teeth cut my lip. My hands shook so badly I could barely read the page. But my eyes caught something Amanda held out proudly: an ultrasound photo, creased like it had been carried too long.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1708\" data-end=\"1853\">At the bottom, in tiny print, was a date\u2014<strong data-start=\"1749\" data-end=\"1782\">three weeks before Derek died<\/strong>\u2026 when Derek had been sleeping beside me every night after his surgery.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1855\" data-end=\"2010\">My heartbeat steadied, cold and sharp. I looked at Amanda\u2019s belly, then at that ultrasound again, and I heard myself say, loud enough for the whole chapel:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2012\" data-end=\"2051\">\u201cAmanda\u2026 <strong data-start=\"2021\" data-end=\"2050\">whose ultrasound is that?<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"2053\" data-end=\"2056\" \/>\n<h2 data-start=\"2058\" data-end=\"2083\">Part 2<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2085\" data-end=\"2145\">The chapel went so quiet I could hear the candle wicks hiss.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2147\" data-end=\"2220\">Amanda\u2019s eyes narrowed. \u201cIt\u2019s mine,\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t try to twist this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2222\" data-end=\"2454\">\u201cI\u2019m not twisting anything,\u201d I replied, lifting my voice. \u201cDerek had cancer surgery on March 2nd. Testicular cancer. They removed what they had to remove. The doctor told us\u2014clearly\u2014there would be no biological children after that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2456\" data-end=\"2488\">Diane scoffed. \u201cThat\u2019s private!\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2490\" data-end=\"2636\">\u201cIt\u2019s relevant,\u201d I said, holding up Amanda\u2019s ultrasound. \u201cThis photo is stamped February 10th. You\u2019re claiming Derek got you pregnant in January.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2638\" data-end=\"2702\">Ron shoved closer, jaw clenched. \u201cStop embarrassing the family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2704\" data-end=\"2903\">\u201cIn January,\u201d I continued, \u201cDerek was in chemo and sleeping on my shoulder every night, too weak to climb the stairs. And even if he had wanted to\u2014\u201d I tapped the date again\u2014\u201cyour timeline collapses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2905\" data-end=\"3016\">A murmur swept the rows. Someone whispered, \u201cShe\u2019s right.\u201d Amanda\u2019s lips parted, then pressed into a thin line.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3018\" data-end=\"3242\">I reached into my purse and pulled out a folded medical summary I\u2019d kept since Derek\u2019s follow-up appointment. \u201cThis is his post-surgery report,\u201d I said. \u201cSigned and dated. If you want to keep pushing, we can do it in court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3244\" data-end=\"3388\">Amanda\u2019s face flashed with something sharp\u2014panic. \u201cYou\u2019re lying to keep his money,\u201d she snapped, turning to the crowd. \u201cHe promised me a house!\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3390\" data-end=\"3461\">The funeral director finally stepped between us. \u201cNot here,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3463\" data-end=\"3667\">I left the chapel shaking, not just from grief but from the ugliness of it all. In my car, I called the first estate attorney who answered. Her name was <strong data-start=\"3616\" data-end=\"3633\">Julia Bennett<\/strong>, and she didn\u2019t waste a syllable.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3669\" data-end=\"3746\">\u201cDo not sign anything,\u201d Julia said. \u201cAnd if anyone touched you, document it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3748\" data-end=\"3772\">\u201cThey did,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3774\" data-end=\"3931\">\u201cGood. Photos. Witness names. We freeze the estate until any claim is verified. A girlfriend has no standing unless there\u2019s a child and paternity is proven.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3933\" data-end=\"4097\">When I got home, I opened Derek\u2019s locked desk drawer with the key I\u2019d worn for years. Inside was a thin folder labeled in his handwriting: <strong data-start=\"4072\" data-end=\"4097\">IF ANYONE TRIES THIS.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4099\" data-end=\"4138\">My throat tightened. On top was a note.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4140\" data-end=\"4369\"><strong data-start=\"4140\" data-end=\"4369\">Claire\u2014if you\u2019re reading this, I\u2019m gone. I\u2019m sorry.<br data-start=\"4193\" data-end=\"4196\" \/>Amanda has been threatening me. She claims she\u2019s pregnant. She\u2019s not. The ultrasound she\u2019s using belongs to her sister. Call Julia Bennett. Don\u2019t let my parents bully you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4371\" data-end=\"4451\">I stared at his signature until my eyes burned. Derek had known this was coming.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4453\" data-end=\"4573\">Then my phone buzzed. An unknown number sent a photo of my front door\u2014taken from the street\u2014with three words underneath:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4575\" data-end=\"4598\">\u201c<strong data-start=\"4576\" data-end=\"4597\">Still want proof?<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"4600\" data-end=\"4603\" \/>\n<h2 data-start=\"4605\" data-end=\"4630\">Part 3<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4632\" data-end=\"4721\">I didn\u2019t sleep. I kept the porch light on, curtains closed, jumping at every passing car.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4723\" data-end=\"4944\">By morning, Julia had me in her office. She read Derek\u2019s note, the medical summary, and the threatening text, then slid papers toward me. \u201cRestraining order,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we report the assault. Your cheek is evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4946\" data-end=\"4989\">\u201cWhat about Amanda\u2019s \u2018pregnancy\u2019?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4991\" data-end=\"5054\">\u201cWe force her to prove it,\u201d Julia said. \u201cIn court, under oath.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5056\" data-end=\"5267\">Julia filed to halt any distribution of Derek\u2019s estate until claims were verified. She also moved to invalidate the document Ron tried to make me sign at the funeral\u2014duress, witnesses, photos of my swollen face.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5269\" data-end=\"5381\">Amanda doubled down online with vague threats and bump pictures. Diane and Ron shared everything like a crusade.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5383\" data-end=\"5514\">Two weeks later, we stood in a courtroom that smelled like old paper. Diane and Ron sat behind Amanda, arms crossed, glaring at me.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5516\" data-end=\"5632\">The judge\u2014an older woman with glasses on a chain\u2014looked straight at Amanda. \u201cMs. Reed, are you pregnant, yes or no?\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5634\" data-end=\"5674\">\u201cYes,\u201d Amanda said, hand on her stomach.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5676\" data-end=\"5819\">\u201cThen submit prenatal records within ten days,\u201d the judge replied. \u201cAnd provide documentation supporting a paternity claim against the estate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5821\" data-end=\"6086\">Amanda\u2019s attorney mumbled about needing time. Julia stood. \u201cYour Honor, my client has medical documentation showing the decedent was surgically incapable of fathering a child as of March 2nd. We also have evidence the ultrasound Ms. Reed displayed may not be hers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6088\" data-end=\"6155\">The judge\u2019s voice went cold. \u201cMs. Reed, this is perjury territory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6157\" data-end=\"6254\">Amanda\u2019s hand slipped from her belly. She swallowed, eyes flicking to Ron like she wanted backup.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6256\" data-end=\"6373\">\u201cI\u2026 I\u2019m not pregnant,\u201d she blurted. \u201cIt was a fake bump. I thought if I looked real enough, they\u2019d force her to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6375\" data-end=\"6462\">Diane let out a strangled sound. Ron half-stood, furious, until the bailiff stepped in.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6464\" data-end=\"6639\">The gavel came down. \u201cClaim dismissed,\u201d the judge said. \u201cThis court will refer the fraudulent filing to the district attorney. Assault allegations will be handled separately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6641\" data-end=\"6916\">Outside, the winter air felt sharp and clean. I didn\u2019t feel victorious\u2014just done. Derek\u2019s parents never apologized. I blocked them, changed my locks, and kept the one lesson Derek left me: when people come for your dignity, your best weapon isn\u2019t yelling. It\u2019s documentation.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6918\" data-end=\"7183\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Now tell me\u2014what would you do? Confront her at the funeral like I did, or stay silent and fight later? Drop your answer in the comments, and if you want more real-life stories like this, follow and share\u2014someone out there needs the reminder: <strong data-start=\"7160\" data-end=\"7183\" data-is-last-node=\"\">keep your receipts.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the priest said, \u201cLet us pray,\u201d I thought the worst moment of my life had already arrived. Then Amanda Reed walked into my husband\u2019s funeral in a tight black dress, her hair perfectly curled, one palm pressed to her stomach like a badge. She didn\u2019t sit. She stood beside the front row and stared [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-life-new"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The day I buried my husband, she showed up in black\u2014one hand on her belly, the other pointing at me like a judge. \u201cI\u2019m carrying his child,\u201d she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. \u201cHalf of everything is mine.\u201d My mother-in-law snapped, \u201cYou\u2019re barren. You get nothing.\u201d My father-in-law grabbed my wrist. \u201cSign. Ninety-five percent. Now.\u201d I tasted blood and grief at the same time. Then I looked at her bump\u2026 and saw the detail they all missed. Because that baby wasn\u2019t his. And I had proof\u2014enough to turn the funeral into a war. - True Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The day I buried my husband, she showed up in black\u2014one hand on her belly, the other pointing at me like a judge. \u201cI\u2019m carrying his child,\u201d she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. \u201cHalf of everything is mine.\u201d My mother-in-law snapped, \u201cYou\u2019re barren. You get nothing.\u201d My father-in-law grabbed my wrist. \u201cSign. Ninety-five percent. Now.\u201d I tasted blood and grief at the same time. Then I looked at her bump\u2026 and saw the detail they all missed. Because that baby wasn\u2019t his. And I had proof\u2014enough to turn the funeral into a war. - True Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the priest said, \u201cLet us pray,\u201d I thought the worst moment of my life had already arrived. Then Amanda Reed walked into my husband\u2019s funeral in a tight black dress, her hair perfectly curled, one palm pressed to her stomach like a badge. She didn\u2019t sit. 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You get nothing.\u201d My father-in-law grabbed my wrist. \u201cSign. Ninety-five percent. Now.\u201d I tasted blood and grief at the same time. Then I looked at her bump\u2026 and saw the detail they all missed. Because that baby wasn\u2019t his. And I had proof\u2014enough to turn the funeral into a war. - True Stories","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The day I buried my husband, she showed up in black\u2014one hand on her belly, the other pointing at me like a judge. \u201cI\u2019m carrying his child,\u201d she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. \u201cHalf of everything is mine.\u201d My mother-in-law snapped, \u201cYou\u2019re barren. You get nothing.\u201d My father-in-law grabbed my wrist. \u201cSign. Ninety-five percent. 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She stood beside the front row and stared [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603","og_site_name":"True Stories","article_published_time":"2026-02-06T01:04:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":558,"height":1000,"url":"http:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Highresolution_ultrarealistic_american_2k_.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"true love","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"true love","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603","url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603","name":"The day I buried my husband, she showed up in black\u2014one hand on her belly, the other pointing at me like a judge. \u201cI\u2019m carrying his child,\u201d she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. \u201cHalf of everything is mine.\u201d My mother-in-law snapped, \u201cYou\u2019re barren. You get nothing.\u201d My father-in-law grabbed my wrist. \u201cSign. Ninety-five percent. Now.\u201d I tasted blood and grief at the same time. Then I looked at her bump\u2026 and saw the detail they all missed. Because that baby wasn\u2019t his. And I had proof\u2014enough to turn the funeral into a war. - True Stories","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Highresolution_ultrarealistic_american_2k_.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-02-06T01:04:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#\/schema\/person\/5c3397997033ec1244d0e345888afa8e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Highresolution_ultrarealistic_american_2k_.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Highresolution_ultrarealistic_american_2k_.jpeg","width":558,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=4603#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The day I buried my husband, she showed up in black\u2014one hand on her belly, the other pointing at me like a judge. \u201cI\u2019m carrying his child,\u201d she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. \u201cHalf of everything is mine.\u201d My mother-in-law snapped, \u201cYou\u2019re barren. You get nothing.\u201d My father-in-law grabbed my wrist. \u201cSign. Ninety-five percent. Now.\u201d I tasted blood and grief at the same time. Then I looked at her bump\u2026 and saw the detail they all missed. Because that baby wasn\u2019t his. And I had proof\u2014enough to turn the funeral into a war."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/","name":"True Stories","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#\/schema\/person\/5c3397997033ec1244d0e345888afa8e","name":"true love","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7edec003db6c2d994c618a5c9257e4836d0823076211ef1f440ea5b2dfb07eb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7edec003db6c2d994c618a5c9257e4836d0823076211ef1f440ea5b2dfb07eb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"true love"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org"],"url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4603"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4611,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4603\/revisions\/4611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}