Although the feeling of sadness in the present for a person towards someone else, who abused that person in the past may seem strange, perhaps, the feeling is not strange because the person is empathetic to how ever a degree in the present (towards the other person,) the person appreciates in the present some aspect(s) of the past relationship and/or history with the person and/or the other, the person still has some emotional attachment (of how ever a degree, even if it is resignation about the past) towards that person, a combination of any of the three possibilities and/or other factors.

A relationship may be how ever complicated and/or complex (or not.) If abuse is an element of how ever a degree in the relationship, abuse causes (more) complication(s) and/or complexity to the relationship in general, even once the relationship is (for the most part or more) of the past and not of the present. (An example of such a claim is cognitive dissonance for possessing seemingly contradicting perspectives, emotions and so forth towards and/or about a person.)