I was raped 4 years ago. I never told anyone in the family and only a few friends or strangers on apps like this. I was too embarrassed and quite frankly, I couldn't talk about it face to face without crying. I finally told my mom about it today, 4 years later. She cried and said she wished I would've told her so she could've done something about it and been there for me. She said my depression and mood swings and certain events made sense now. This was the first time since it happened that I've been able to talk about it out loud without crying. It felt good to let it out, off my chest. My mom and I are very close. So keeping it from her for so long was hard. Trust me, it gets better with time. The memories will never go away but you can't let your rapist defy you or take control of your life. I thought I'd always be broken in a million pieces because of it but i was able to piece myself back together slowly but surely. Life is too short to not find your inner strength, you'd be surprised what you can accomplish.