An open letter to my rapists:

I was broken by what you did. I had to rebuild myself from the ground up. When I’ve had the courage (and maybe recklessness) to speak about what happened, being disbelieved by them reopened the pain of what you did to me. I’ve worked hard to rebuild who I am but I can never rewind time and remove you from my story. I am whole again, but each shattered piece is glued clumsily together.

Even now I sometimes feel cut on an edge. I was just a teenager, then I was just 22, then 23 when you all did those things. The way you hurt me changed me inside forever. I am who I am in spite of you. Still here, still strong.