All Chapters of If the Stars Remember: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1 The Woman Who Called Herself My Ex-Wife

The day I was released from prison, the warden gave me one last cold warning to stay out of trouble and become a decent man.I was still wearing the same worn-out shirt I'd had when I went in. The only thing I carried was a diary.The sound of a car horn drew my attention. Parked by the roadside outside the prison gates was a luxury car that stood out from everything around it. A woman stepped out in high heels and strode toward me, giving me a thorough once-over before asking, "Where's your luggage?"I looked up to meet her gaze, utterly confused. I couldn't remember this person at all.Frowning, she glanced at her watch before reaching out to take my hand. "Let's go home. Mom's been waiting for you. Just like we agreed—once you get out of prison, we'll remarry."Instinctively, I pulled my hand away and looked at her warily. "Who are you? I don't know you."The corners of her lips twitched as though she'd just heard the world's funniest joke. "Nathaniel Stroud, what are you play

Chapter 2 A House Full of Strangers

The moment I stepped through the front door, I met the gaze of an elderly woman. Her eyes were sharp and unforgiving, her expression cold with disdain.Fear welled up inside me, followed by an inexplicable sense of grievance. She had to be the mother the diary kept mentioning.She shuffled toward me as if intending to embrace me, but the moment her fingers brushed against my dusty shirt, she quietly withdrew her hand. I didn't miss the flicker of disgust in her eyes."You've been gone for five years. Have you already forgotten how to greet your mother?" she asked, obvious reproach in her voice.I parted my lips, wanting to do as she wished, but I couldn't say a word. My hands trembled helplessly at my sides.Before I could figure out what to say, a familiar voice drifted down from upstairs."Mom, is Nate back?"Ian leaned over the railing, his face lighting up the instant he saw me. He hurried downstairs and wrapped me in a hug without hesitation. "Nate, you're really back. Than

Chapter 3 The Promise That Cost Me Five Years

A week later, Holly took me to the vital records office.She glanced helplessly at the loose necktie hanging crookedly around my neck and reached over to straighten it, but I instinctively stepped back. "I can do it myself. You don't have to—"She froze before slowly withdrawing her hand. "I always help you with your tie. Look at you—you can't even manage a proper Windsor knot."My fingers were clumsy, trembling so badly that I couldn't get it right. In the end, I grew frustrated, yanked the tie off, and threw it onto the ground.Holly tried several times to help, but I refused every time. I didn't want her touching me.Her expression darkened with each rejection. Finally, she started the car, her face completely devoid of warmth. "Nathaniel, let me make one thing clear. Even if we remarry, you are not to interfere in my life. Also, Ian is your brother, so stop thinking about picking on him. As for what happened five years ago…"She paused, a flicker of guilt crossing her face.

Chapter 4 Walking Away for Good

Holly and I parted on bad terms after that day.I didn't see her for days. The villa felt deserted, as though I were the only person left living there.I sat on the sofa for what felt like hours. When I finally stood up, an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity washed over me. Everything around me suddenly seemed strange.I couldn't remember what I had intended to do or even recall what had happened a moment earlier—my mind was completely blank.Only when I heard someone rummaging through drawers and cabinets did I slowly make my way toward the noise.A man I didn't recognize stood there with my diary—that was important to me—in his hands. Without thinking, I reached out to snatch it back, but he turned aside and avoided me with ease.His smile was full of mockery. Waving the diary in the air, he began reading its contents aloud. "Go home, get the money, then die? Ian, when did you become this pathetic? Do you really think Mom and Holly are going to pity you if you write things lik

Chapter 5 Beneath a Brother's Smile

Holly had no idea when Nathaniel had left. Her attention was entirely fixed on Ian.…Meanwhile, Kimberly was beside herself with distress, wailing repeatedly that if anything happened to Ian, she would just go with him too. However, it only made Holly increasingly restless and irritated.Fortunately for them, Ian's injuries were limited to his head. Aside from a mild concussion, there were no serious wounds. Relief washed over Holly, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Sitting beside Ian's hospital bed, she reached over and took his hand.Ever since Nathaniel had been released from prison, one incident after another had followed. She had already decided to remarry him, and it had always been the thing he wanted most. So, why had he suddenly refused?Lost in thought, Holly failed to notice that she had tightened her grip directly over Ian's injury, making him wince from the pain. "Holly, please don't blame Nate. I know he didn't d

Chapter 6 The Diary He Left Behind

By the time Holly finished dealing with everything, it was already well past midnight. Kimberly, getting on in years, had retired to her room long ago to rest.As Holly was about to head back to her own room, she noticed scraps of paper scattered across the floor. With a single glance, she recognized them as pieces of Nathaniel's diary, which he carried everywhere and flipped through from time to time since his release from prison.She bent down and gathered the torn pages. She could have asked one of the housekeepers to clean them up, but inexplicably, Nathaniel's expression as he had left the house flashed through her mind.'This seemed incredibly important to him.'With unusual patience, Holly pieced the fragments back together, carefully securing them with tape.Nathaniel had spent five years in prison, and after his release, they had barely spoken. Even when she asked him to do things he never would have agreed to in the past, he had simply complied without complaining much.

Chapter 7 The Warden's Testimony

On the way there, Holly called the prison warden."The day Nathaniel was released, I found scars all over his body. I want every medical examination report from his years in prison. And if I find out those injuries had anything to do with your staff, I'll make every one of you pay."When she had sent Nathaniel to prison, she had given only one instruction—which was to make sure he was taken care of. If he had been injured behind bars, the prison administration bore at least half the responsibility.The warden tried to say something else, but Holly had already hung up.She drove at full speed and soon arrived at the prison. Upon seeing her, the prison warden hurried over with an ingratiating smile. "What brings you here, Ms. Jameson?"Ignoring his pleasantries, Holly fixed him with a cold, unwavering stare. "I told you back then to take good care of Nathaniel Stroud. I specifically said he was not to be bullied. So why was his body covered in injuries?" Her voice rose sharply,

Chapter 8 The Search for Nathaniel

Holly couldn't remember how she made it home. But when she walked through the door, Kimberly was in the kitchen, making soup for Ian."Where did you go, Holly?" Kimberly asked. "I made some soup for Ian. Let's head to the hospital shortly."Holly remained rooted where she stood, her voice hoarse. "Mom, let's bring Nathaniel home. I'm afraid something's happened to him."To her dismay, Kimberly made nothing of it. "He's a grown man. What could possibly happen to him? We'll look for him after Ian recovers. He can't stay away from us forever."Without another word, Holly pulled up the prison surveillance videos and handed them to Kimberly. "Mom, we were wrong. Nathaniel is sick. He doesn't even remember us anymore."The instant Kimberly pressed play, the ladle slipped from her hand and clattered onto the floor. It felt as though something inside her had finally snapped. Her breathing grew uneven as she watched the footage again and again."You're saying… Ian was behind all of this

Chapter 9 The Last Goodbye

Immediately, the two rushed over there.Kimberly nervously brushed at imaginary dust on her clothes, terrified that her son would no longer remember her.Compared to the last time they had seen him, Nathaniel had grown even thinner. The hospital gown hung loosely from his frail frame."Bed 13! You wet yourself again! Didn't we just tell you to use the bathroom?"A caregiver busied herself changing the urine-soaked bedsheets while Nathaniel sat quietly in his wheelchair, his empty gaze fixed somewhere far into the distance.The sight made Holly and Kimberly's hearts ache."Nate, it's me, your mother. Do you still remember me?"Kimberly cautiously stepped toward him, only to be stopped by the caregiver, who looked at the two women with obvious suspicion. "Who are you? This patient has no family. That was confirmed when he was admitted.""How could he not?" Kimberly cried, pounding her chest. "I'm his mother! His biological mother!"The caregiver looked at her with unconcealed di

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