Dark night of the soul

Chapter 128

*Sarah's POV*
"So, who would like to share their story?" The group counsellor Sheila asks. I look around, trying to avoid eye contact with her knowing that if she saw me she would choose me. It's best to stay hidden.
One of Auburns friends, Bianca stands up. "Hi, my name is Bianca" she begins. "Hi Bianca" everybody says in unison.

*this could be triggering to some people because the first story is true but only read if you're okay if you get what I mean?*

"So I'm here obviously to try to stop self harming and so far I'm just over four months clean" she says with her head high. I'm proud. "So, Bianca, would you like to tell us your story?" Sheila asks and she nods.

"Well, I suppose it all started when I was four or five and I had an older brother, I looked up to him so much and we were so close, I was closer to him than I was to my other siblings. Anyway, I'm not quite sure how it all started but he sexually abused me until I was eight years old." She explains. My heart sank for her. "My parents never did anything about it because they didn't know. They just thought that he was reading me a bedtime story. It all stopped when I was eight because he was in a car accident and died, I felt guilty for so long, I knew that I wouldn't be able to tell anybody then but I did when I was fifteen, I told my dad." She continues. Sheila gives her a small smile and she sits down. We all clap and the woman next to Bianca rubs her back, reassuring her that everything will be okay.
"Does anybody else want to share?" Sheila asks and Betsy stands. "Hi, I'm Betsy. When I was younger, I was bullied by everybody, to the point where I would get beaten up in front of my locker. No body ever did anything about it because I refused to blame somebody..."

Whilst Betsy carried on talking I zoned out. All I could think about was my own story. I should be grateful that I didn't have to go through anything worse. These women are so incredibly strong and I aspire to be just as strong as them.

"Sarah, how about you?" Sheila's voice brings me out of my thoughts. Oh jeez. I stand up and take a gulp. "Well, hey everybody, I'm Sarah and and about a year and a half ago I was raped. The man who raped me had impregnated me and soon after I found out that I was pregnant he found me and did it again. What I didn't know until nine months later was that he was one of my close friends, my wife's ex for that matter. Around three months ago, him and ten other convicts escaped from prison, they found us, kidnapped us and held us hostage. They crashed into my wife's car which left her with short term memory loss and a brain contusion and I was stabbed and shot. Once we escaped, my wife was rushed to hospital where she had to undergo two surgeries. She could have died." I explain with a lump in my throat. I excuse myself from the room and wait outside. I look up and see Daniel across the room staring at me, waving. I squeeze my eyes shut, wanting him to go away and when I open them he's no where to be seen.

Am I going crazy?