Is it normal to still be traumatized about being molested by uncle?
Hi I am 22 now and this incident took place years ago when I was only an 10 year old girl and by uncle died in 2009, in a car accident. Before that terrible experience I had a very happy family life with my mom, dad and little brother (the most precious person to me in my life, he was only 6 then) and my friends from school. My Uncle was my dad's older brother and was around 39 then and lived in a different state with my aunt and my cousins (they had 2 sons and a daughter). That year, I will never forget it 2004 during my summer vacation uncle and his family came to visit us and stay over for the month. I thought I would get along with my cousins but they were kinda rude and broke my toys, so I ignored them. But what I could not ignore was the way my Uncle always stared at me, specially at my feet and would "accidentally" touch my bums and legs every now and then. i was sharing my room with my female cousin and although we did not get along well, we didn't bother each other.
That night my female cousin said her dad was gonna be away at a friend's house so she will be sleeping with her mom. I was happy that I had the room to myself and after chatting to a friend over the phone, I went to sleep. around 2 AM I heard soft knocks on my door. I got up angrily and opened it, and there stood my Uncle. Before I could say anything he put his hand over my mount and then tied it with a piece of garment, and locked the door. He then stripped me and threw me to the bed, undressed himself and jumped over me. I cried could not scream due to my mouth being tied up, and he was brutally strong and I was too little to struggle and I could do nothing but feel ashamed at what this creep was doing to me, and it was hurting so much, but I couldn't do anything. You can't imagine how miserable I am feeling while typing this. Around 6 am in the morning he was done and then threatened to kill me if I told anyone and I was genuinely scared. He then forced me to go to the bathroom with him and have a shower with him. By seeing his expression, I could tell he wanted to do it with me again in the shower, but thought better of it as it was nearly time for everyone to get up. Before leaving he once again threatened to kill me if I told anyone and said everyone will think bad of me aswell, and I was truly ashamed and sacred to tell anyone. The next couple of days I tried to act as normal as possible, despite the fact I could barely move (I told mom I fell while running home from school) and avoided any contact or confrontation with that pervert. The day before him and his family left he cornered me and gave me a final warning and the next day he was gone.
Since then I have struggled with urges to unmask that b@stard, but couldn't get the courage to. My parents were both busy people with a lot of work. But my friends and little brother did notice the changes in my behavior but I just couldn't tell them. I was very happy to hear what happened to that monster in 2009, and my trauma diluted and I begun to be a lot like the fun loving girl I once used to be again. Still I have reoccurring memories of that incident even after all this time. I met my boyfriend in college in 2012, and he is a very wonderful person. I know that now that that monster is dead there is no use telling anyone, and it would just act as a humiliation to me. My BF and I plan to get engaged next year, and I feel guilty for keeping this a secret from him, although I am sure this will not affect our relation the slightest. But my main problem is the memory i can never erase and the trauma that sometimes still affect me. I wish I could feel nothing really happened, but I can't, what should I do?