<p>Time heals all wounds, so the saying goes. I don't agree; my mental anguish hasn't decreased with time, and I'm still plagued by memories that trigger me. But I stand firm and strong, refusing to give in to my tormenting thoughts. I refuse to be held hostage by horrors from the past. I've endured enough punishment for my abusers' heinous acts. My dark past has moulded me into the person I am now, and I am now looking for the person I would have been if life hadn't been so cruel. I will no longer be a slave to my past. I am not a victim. I'm a survivor who refuses to let the past define who I am.</p>
