Chapter 172: Yong’s betrayal

Sirius's breath was ragged, his chest rising and falling as he tried to process what had just unfolded before him. His golden eyes burned as they flickered between me, Yong, and the little girl, Lira. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his jaw tightening so much I thought it might shatter.

"She’s not mine" he finally rasped, his voice low, shaking with disbelief.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding against my ribs. "No," I said softly. "She’s Yong’s."

A slow, terrible silence spread through the room. I could see the exact moment the words registered in Sirius’s mind, the way his face twisted, how his fingers twitched as if he was barely restraining himself. And then, before I could react, he turned and lunged.

The sound of Sirius's fist colliding with Yong’s face was deafening. Yong staggered back from the force of the blow, his body slamming against the wooden wall. Blood dripped from his split lip, but he didn’t move to retaliate. He only straightened himself, breathing heavily as he wiped the blood away with the back of his hand.

"You traitor!" Sirius roared, his voice raw with fury, betrayal, and pain. "*You stole my wife from me! You took everything!*"

"Sirius, stop!" I cried, stepping between them just as Sirius pulled his arm back for another strike. "This isn't what you think!"

"Not what I think?" Sirius barked out a bitter laugh, his voice thick with fury. "I come all this way to find you, to bring you and Aster home, and this is what I find? You’ve" His voice caught, his hands trembling as he tried to put his rage into words. "You had a child with him?"

I held my ground, staring at him with desperate, pleading eyes. "*You don’t understand, Sirius. It’s been years. You don’t know what happened.*"

"Then tell me!" His voice cracked with something more than anger. There was heartbreak there—raw, unfiltered. "Tell me why the woman I love had a child with another man. Tell me why you chose him over me!"

I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief moment, gathering my breath, my courage. "You left," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "*You left for war, and then everything fell apart. I was hunted, I was accused of things I never did. You don’t know what it was like, Sirius. I had nothing. I was alone."

"You had Yong," he spat bitterly, glaring at the man behind me.

"Yes," I admitted, my voice soft but firm. "And he saved me. Again and again, he saved me. He gave me shelter when I had nowhere to go. He protected me, stood by me when the world wanted me dead." I turned to look at Yong, and the warmth in his gaze was steady, unwavering. "And I love my daughter, Sirius. She’s innocent in all of this."

Sirius’s breath shuddered, his eyes flickering toward Lira, who was clutching Aster’s arm tightly, confusion and fear written all over her small face. She looked so much like me—the same silver hair, the same delicate features—but her eyes... her eyes were Yong’s. 

That realization seemed to break something inside of Sirius. His shoulders slumped, his golden eyes losing their fire as he looked away. "I waited for you," he murmured, his voice suddenly hoarse, filled with pain. "All these years, I mourned you. I searched for you. I killed for you. And now..." He swallowed thickly, his hands dropping to his sides in defeat. "Now I find out you moved on."

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes. "*Sirius, I never wanted to hurt you.*"

He laughed—a bitter, broken sound. "You already have." His gaze flickered toward Yong, his expression unreadable. "And you. You took everything from me."

Yong, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. "*I never took anything from you, Sirius,*" he said, his voice calm despite the tension in the air. "I was here when she needed me. That’s all."

Sirius’s fists clenched at his sides again, but he didn’t move. The war raging inside him was clear on his face. He had come here expecting a reunion, hoping to bring his family back to him. Instead, he had found something entirely different. Something he couldn't change.

His gaze finally landed on Aster, his son, who had been watching everything in silence. "*And you,*" he said, his voice softer now, more uncertain. "*What do you think of all this?*"

Aster hesitated before speaking. "I don’t know you," he admitted, his voice quiet but steady. "I’ve spent my whole life wondering who you were. Wondering why you never came. And now you’re here, and all you’re doing is yelling and fighting." His crimson eyes met Sirius’s golden ones. "I don’t know if I want to go with you."

Sirius flinched as if the words had physically struck him. His breath was unsteady, his entire body tense, but he nodded slowly, looking away. "I see."

A heavy silence filled the air, thick with tension, pain, and years of separation that couldn’t simply be erased in a single night. 

Finally, Sirius exhaled deeply, rubbing a hand down his face. "I need time to think." His voice was quiet now, drained of its earlier rage. "I won’t leave yet. Not until we talk properly."

I nodded, knowing that this conversation was far from over. There were still wounds between us, deep, festering wounds that wouldn’t heal easily. But at least, for now, there was no more fighting.

For now, we could breathe.