13.
“I think my cousin, who is around 11 years older than me, sexually assaulted me when I was young. I have no proof except for odd memories and an almost primal reaction of fear from seeing him once years later. I also have some issues with ‘no discernable cause’ that have carried into adulthood that would be explained by this. Not only would my suspicion break my parents’ hearts, but they’d be so angry to learn that, if my memory is correct, my aunt knew about it. From what I remember, my aunt walked into the room and told my cousin off. She and my cousin promptly left afterward, and all I remember is her being really angry at him and, for some reason, me, too. My parents haven’t spoken to that aunt in years, but this memory returned to me during a breakdown in 2021.”
“I’m doing much better and have accepted that I will probably never know what really happened. But if my parents knew, they wouldn’t be able to cope, and I cannot put that heartbreak on them. They would blame themselves, and that is a guilt that’s not theirs to carry. The fault lies solely on my cousin and, by extension, my aunt. I won’t have my parents suffer for their actions.”
—Anonymous
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