Life After Prison by Silencieux novel Chapter 5

Maurice then went to take a bath. 

Severin’s mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts when he entered his old room. It was clean though, and Severin felt a burst of warmth when he saw it. 

Sure enough, the people who cared most about him were none other than his parents. It looked as though they came in to clean his room from time to time. 

When Severin opened the closet, he discovered several of his old clothes. They had aged through the years but still remained spotless and clean. 

Judith walked in some time later and smiled at Severin while explaining, “We clean your room once in a while when you’re not here. Your clothes are probably a little small though, and they must be out of fashion by now. Old folks like us don’t really understand the fashion trends of young people!” As she said that, she approached him and took out 200 dollars, which he stuffed into Severin’s hand. “You should go shopping tomorrow and get some decent clothes!” 

“I can’t accept this money, Mom…” Severin stuffed the money back, and said to Judith in a solemn tone, “You don’t need to be so worried about me. I have money, and I’m going to let you and Dad live in a big villa in the future. You’ve suffered your whole life because of me, while I’ve only suffered for a few years. I can’t possibly spend your money like that!” 

“Do you really have money on you?” Judith looked at Severin and was still a little skeptical. she believed that the generous person he met in prison would have given him a sum of money, probably in excess of tens of thousands. After all, if Severin had not paid the remaining debt of twenty-six thousand to the six men earlier, there would have been no explanation as to why they would just leave. Both Judith and Maurice had known their characters after almost five years of having to deal with them! 

“Of course. Why would I lie to you?” Severin smiled and assured. “Dad’s done in the shower, so it’s about time I take one too. Let’s have a nice meal after that!” 

After taking his shower and changing into his old clothes, he sat with his family on the small table and began to eat. 

“It’s been a while since you had a drink, right, Dad?” Severin could not help but ask as soon as Maurice took a sip of the wine. 

The question stunned Maurice for a moment. He put on a fake smile and said, “N-not at all! You know how fond I am of these drinks. Doing all that physical work is really tiring, so drinking a few sips would help me to sleep better, won’t it?” 

“Yes! He drinks all the time!” Judith was afraid that Severin would be worried about them, so she added, “We eat meat almost every day too, don’t we?” 

“Yep! It’s pretty much a daily thing here!” Maurice smiled awkwardly. 

Severin’s heart ached when he saw his parents’ poor acting skills. Had he not returned that day, he was almost certain that there would neither be any wine nor any stewed meat on the table. At most, there would be shredded potatoes and a plate of yellowed cabbage leaves. The yellowish leaves were a sign that they were probably discarded parts that were picked up from the vegetable market. 

“Why are you staring at us? Come on, eat some meat! Did you eat or sleep well when you were inside prison?” When Judith saw Severin’s blank and quiet expression, she scooped two pieces of meat and put them on his plate.