The Ever-Growing Rift Between Us

"...What have I done...?"

**The Ever-Growing Rift Between Us** is one of two 5-star focus cards of the Passing White Butterflies event. It is centered around Ophelia Minh Huynh from first-generation group Re'verse

The card story features Andrew Linh Huynh.

## Card Story

Visiting her house for Ophelia's birthday was the worst idea ever made after thinking that Linh actually wants his room cleaned (Spoiler Alert: Linh doesn’t like people touching his stuff). Ophelia agreed to go home for the weekend. She wanted to see how Linh was doing since all he did was read her messages, not respond to them. After saying hello and leaving her luggage at her room, she went out to get groceries for dinner since the fridge was depressingly empty. She suspected that her dad and Linh only ordered take-out for the last month or so… Which wasn't really good, she would probably have a catering service make homemade food for them… But besides that, after returning home, Ophelia walked in on an argument.

"Fine, but you really shouldn’t be wasting all of your talent on something so futile. I need you to start focusing on what matters, or I might have to take things into my own hands."

Her father's voice was stern and cold as always… Ophelia walked towards the source of the sound, their living room. She stood a good distance away from their arguing. Close enough for Linh to see, far enough for her father to not notice her.

Linh was always quiet when his father lectured him but today, it feels different. It's as if he's fed up with all of the lecturing and all of the arguments. His hands were shaking. He looked like he was on the verge of snapping when their father noticed Ophelia standing there. She averted her gaze when her father made eye contact.

Linh didn't need to be instructed to have the urge to go to his room. He ran and slammed the door shut. Ophelia watched the pain in his face… And worst of all? Her father played the victim here.

"Seriously that kid… It's so hard raising him…"

Ophelia was outraged. Not by Linh's behavior but by her father's. How dare he say that it's been hard raising him… Her entire life after her mother died had been dedicated to Linh. All the late nights she spent trying to lower Linh's fever when she was sick too… All the hand-washed laundry she needed to do when the washing machine was broken until her hands were rough from the detergent… Her dad never helped her in any of it! Her father of all people doesn't deserve to take credit for her hard work. Yet he had the sheer audacity to lecture him…

Ophelia didn't say anything. She learnt to keep her mouth shut when her father is talking because if not? Well, she would probably be a victim to emotional blackmail. She simply walked to Linh's room and gently knocked on the door.

"...Linh? It's me… Can I come inside? I want to talk with you for a second…"

Ophelia could feel the hesitation between Ophelia's request and Linh opening the door. Linh turned to face her. His face was bitter and sad. Ophelia wished she could make him feel better…

"...What do you want?"

Linh's voice was awfully cold. All the anger he's been penting up is leaking. He might just direct it at the wrong person if left like this. Contrast to his bitterness, Ophelia's face was full of worry and warmth. It's the expression a mother would make when her child is having a bad day. A bittersweet smile paired with open arms for the child. But Linh did not need motherly love, he needed to be alone.

"Bà… He's wrong. Don't listen to him, okay? I know it's been hard for us both but you need to take breaks occasionally otherwise-"

"...You don't get to say that to me."

“...Huh?”

“God you had it easy! I'm soooo sorry you don't have to deal with dad's nonsense!"

"What-?!"

"Ever since mom died, it's been; 'Linh do this!', 'Linh do that!' It's absolutely infuriating!"

Ophelia went quiet. A calm voice in her mind is telling her to not say anything. It's telling her that the rational decision is apologizing and calmly sort this out. But… Why does she need to do that? Her life is also as miserable as Linh's. He doesn't get to say that he's the only one who suffered…!

"...I had it easy? I tried, really... really hard for you...! When mom died, you lost a mother. I had to become one when I was just a few years older than you."

The calm voice in her head repeated its statement. 'Stop this Ophelia, you're going to ruin everything.' But she ignored it. She was too tired of everything to care about it anymore.

"I was a child too, Linh! I needed attention too!"

She thought back to when they went home from school together as a child. Her father praised Linh for his high grades yet when Ophelia showed the exact same score in her report card, her father just looked at it and averted his attention back to her brother.

"But dad never gave me attention, Dad never even cared about me! He never treated me as his daughter. I just do everyone's chores! If I didn't, he'd probably throw me out of the house because apparently 'Girls are supposed to do the chores for men'! Him and his stupid views…"

In truth, she was just a little bit jealous of Linh. He always gets the attention, he always gets the privileges Ophelia couldn't even dream of. She knows it's stupid, she knows that Linh was also suffering by the same man she desperately wanted to get attention from but yet…

"You're so ungrateful, Linh! Give me back my childhood!"

Ophelia gasped and covered her mouth with her hands… What did she just say…? He said that Linh was ungrateful? That wasn't right…! She's supposed to care for this house. She's supposed to care for him! It was the last thing her mother wanted from her!

But anger often twists your brain. You start to lose your logical reasoning when overswayed with emotion. Ophelia wanted to turn back time. She didn't mean what she said. She was just tired, that's all. But Linh didn't think that way.

"...Get out of my room."

"Linh I didn't mean it I promise-!"

"I said, out of my room!"

Ophelia has no choice but to oblige. She went out of his room and closed the door silently. The next few hours were spent in a blur. She cooked dinner and packed her stuff, she said goodbye to her father and went back to her dorm…

"...What have I done…?"