Seeing her reluctance, Mika couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.
Then, gently, he asked, "Do you...do you possibly hate your mother for what she did in the past?"
Astrid looked up at him.
For a second she said nothing. Then a faint, wry little smile touched her lips, though there was no real happiness in it.
"How could I do something like that, Mika?" She murmured. "How could I possibly hate her?"
Her gaze drifted somewhere far away.
"No matter what happened...she's still my mother. The one who gave birth to me. The one I looked up to more than anyone else when I was little. She was my idol."
Her smile faded into something sadder.
"So how could I ever truly hate her?"
But then her eyes darkened.
"At the same time…" She said slowly. "I don't know how to feel about her either."
Mika stayed quiet.
Astrid lowered her gaze to her own hands.
