As Nadia sat waiting for Mika at the dining table, one undeniable truth crystallized in her mind: her son now saw her as a woman.

She didn’t know exactly when the shift had occurred, or what had triggered the change within him.

But after what he had just done—the raw intensity of his touch, the open affection in his kiss—there was no room left for doubt.

His feelings toward her had crossed a dangerous line.

Yet, despite knowing how fundamentally wrong it was, the first emotion to bubble up in her chest wasn’t revulsion.

It was a dizzying mixture of intense embarrassment and forbidden excitement.

She couldn’t stop the quiet surge of happiness that bloomed when she realized her son looked at her through a completely different lens.

Part of it was born from her own repressed, taboo emotions finally overwhelming her defenses; she had been feeling different toward Mika for some time, and the sudden realization that her hidden affection might actually be reciprocated made her heart flutter wildly.

The second, more competitive reason ran even deeper.

For her entire life, Nadia had been part of a quiet, unspoken war for Mika’s attention. She wasn’t just competing with her own daughters and nieces, but more fiercely with her own sisters.

Everyone in the family desperately wanted to spend more time with Mika, to be the one he cherished above all others.

Yelena was always so assertive, so demanding of his attention. Fauna was relentless in her affection, always touching him, always finding excuses to be near him.

Even her own daughter, Astrid, had staked her claim in her own awkward, stubborn way.

And Nadia? Nadia had always been a bystander.

She had stayed aside, let Mika do whatever he wanted, never pushed, never demanded. She had been fine with it, mostly.

But there were quiet moments late at night, when she was alone in her empty house when she felt left out.

When she wondered if she wasn’t doing enough and worried that Mika loved his other mothers more than he loved her.

But now—now she knew.

Mika had gone past the boundaries of love that a son should have.

He was looking at her as more than a mother, more than family. He desired her. He wanted her.

And that meant she was more important to him than everyone else.

The thought made her giddy.

She started swinging her legs under the chair, kicking her feet back and forth like a little schoolgirl on a field trip.

A smile crept across her face.

Then she caught herself.

She stopped swinging. Forced the smile away. Pressed her hands flat against the table and took a deep breath.

No matter how happy she felt, no matter how excited, she knew her emotions were wrong.

And what Mika was feeling was wrong too.

She had to stop this at all costs. For the sake of their family. For the sake of everything she had built her life upon.

She simply could not see a future with her and her son together. It was not only morally wrong, but no one would be able to accept such a taboo relationship.

Her sisters would be horrified. Her daughter would be devastated. The world would never understand.

Of course, if Yelena were in her position, she would never have the guts to say such things out loud.

Yelena was too emotional. Her feelings would interfere, would make her weak, would make her unable to speak up.

But Nadia was different.

She was used to suppressing her true thoughts and emotions. She had been doing it her whole life.

So right now, despite wanting to be with Mika, despite her own feelings for him, she completely suppressed those desires.

She knew what she had to do to maintain a proper relationship for the future.

Even though she felt bitter inside—she knew this was the right decision.

Her expression hardened. Her eyes became focused.

She no longer looked scared or embarrassed. She looked like a woman on a mission, a woman ready to have a difficult conversation and end it all.

She was just wondering when Mika would come when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

She looked up.

Mika rounded the corner, dressed in a casual outfit—loose pants, a soft shirt, his hair still slightly damp from the shower.

He looked comfortable. Relaxed.

Like this was simply any ordinary night, not the culmination of hours of emotional turmoil.

"Nadia." He said, giving her a knowing smile.

He seated himself right next to her at the corner of the table, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body, but not close enough to touch.

He angled himself so they could see each other clearly, his posture open, inviting.

"So..."

He said, leaning one hand on his chin, looking at her with an easygoing smile.

"Should we begin our little discussion? The one you’ve been waiting for?"

The moment she heard this, Nadia tensed up. This was it. This was the moment.

Mika was probably going to admit his feelings to her. He would confess all his love, explain how he no longer saw her as a mother, pour his heart out.

He was especially good with women, after all—he would know exactly what words to say to seduce her, to make her accept this relationship.

But Nadia was prepared.

No matter what Mika said, she would deny him. She would stop it cold, without letting it go any further.

With that in mind, she braced herself for his confession.

Her eyes were intense. Her heart was pounding. Her lips were ready to form the words of denial.

Finally, Mika opened his mouth.

But what came out was not what she expected at all. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Instead of confessing his love, he looked at her with tender eyes like he was genuinely happy to see her right now, happy to see her exactly as she was.

His voice was heartfelt as he began.

"Nadia...I’m so glad, you know."

He slid his hand across the table and placed it over hers. She shivered at the contact.

"I’m so glad that you finally were able to change after all these years."

Nadia blinked, utterly confused.

"I honestly thought it wouldn’t work at first." He continued. "I thought my attempts to change you would end in failure. I thought you would just treat me strangely because of what I’d done."

He looked at her with that same tender gaze.

"But I’m so glad it worked out. I’m so glad you were able to change because of everything I did to you."

The moment those words left his mouth, all of Nadia’s carefully prepared readiness for a difficult conversation vanished.

Her mind went blank.

’What is he saying?’ She thought, utterly baffled. ’This wasn’t in the script’

She had been expecting a confession—sweeping declarations of love, pleas for her to accept him, apologies for crossing boundaries.

But Mika seemed to be talking about something else entirely. About how he had changed her. How he had helped her.

Something was wrong. Mika was not on the same page as her at all.

Mika let out a deep sigh from the bottom of his heart. It was clearly hard for him to say these things, but he continued in a somber tone.

"Honestly, I didn’t want to do this at all. It was just too embarrassing for me."

He let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle.

"I mean, just think about it. A mother and son touching each other inappropriately all the time. Kissing. Feeling each other up. Doing all sorts of weird things."

He shook his head. "It’s so strange, isn’t it? Borderline taboo."

Nadia’s full attention snapped onto him.

For a moment, she thought Mika was talking about something else entirely—but no.

He was referring to what had happened today. Exactly what she had wanted to discuss.

Yet he appeared to be taking it in a completely different direction than she had expected.

He looked at her with a guilty expression, his eyes downcast.

"But I really had no choice. I wanted to change you." His voice grew earnest. "I’ve seen how much you’ve suffered over the years—unable to show your expressions and emotions. I’ve always wanted to help you, but I just couldn’t find a proper solution."

He smiled—a gentle, almost relieved smile.

"But recently, inspiration struck. I got the perfect idea to break you out of your shell. To finally make you show expressions and emotions without your blessing fluctuating all over the place."

Nadia’s confusion deepened. Mika was definitely taking this in a completely different direction.

But the way he was looking at her right now didn’t seem like someone telling a lie.

His eyes were clear. His voice was steady. He seemed genuinely sincere.

Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she whispered.

"Mika...what are you talking about? Can you explain more clearly?"

Mika chuckled, patting her hand.

"Right, right. It’s only natural for you not to have the full picture." He said it in a calming, almost paternal manner. "It’s okay. Let me explain."

Nadia nodded, her eyes fixed on him, waiting for the explanation she desperately needed.

Mika took a breath, then began.

"The truth is...everything I did today. The touches. The kisses. The inappropriate things."

He paused, as if gathering his thoughts.

"It was all for the sake of allowing you to show expressions. Without your blessing going out of control."

Nadia’s mouth opened slightly. "What?"

But Mika ignored her confusion and pressed on, his words flowing smoothly, as if he had rehearsed them.

"Ever since I was a kid, I knew you weren’t able to show your emotions because of your blessing."

"Everyone in the family worried about you because of that."

His voice grew softer.

"Ans when I thought about how much of an excited, lively person you were as a child only to turn into...this...because of your blessing—it completely broke me."

He clenched his hand over his heart, his expression genuinely pained.

"I couldn’t bear to see my mother suffering like that."

Nadia felt her own heart clench in response. There was such genuine emotion in his voice, such palpable pain at the thought of her struggle.

Her eyes softened with affection.

"That’s why ever since I was a child." Mika continued. "I always wanted to help you. I wanted to make sure you could show expressions just like anyone else."

He shook his head in dismay.

"But unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything about it. It wasn’t something I could just solve by creating a spell on the spot, or using some kind of apparatus. It stemmed from deep inside you."

"It was linked to your own emotions, and that wasn’t something I could easily control."

He sighed.

"Honestly, I gave up for a while. I thought it was just...a tragedy. Something no one could fix."

Nadia’s expression grew somber. That was exactly what she had been thinking her whole life.

She had already resigned herself to a fate where she would never be able to show her true feelings to her family, where she would remain an emotionless ice queen forever.

But then Mika’s face lit up again, his eyes bright with renewed hope.

"But then I thought of a completely different solution...A new approach."

He clenched his hands tightly, as if holding onto that hope.

"I realized that what I needed to do was reduce your sensitivity to your blessing. To overexpose it."

"To make it...tired."