My grandmother recently passed, so a lot of family things have come to the surface, the most notable of which is this: my stepmom confided in me that my older half-brother sexually assaulted and attempted to rape her while they were drunk about 2 years ago. My brother is not a criminal, and has never had a history of violence outside his military career. I don't want to believe my stepmom, but I don't think she would make something like this up.

I'm 23 and the aforementioned half-brother is 38. We have lived in different states for most of my life. My step-mom has been a part of our family for ten years. She comes from a rough background, but is truly a wonderful person - sweet, honest, very loving.

My stepmom has asked me not to tell anyone, especially not my dad. I don't know how to handle this situation. I don't want to tell anyone, but I feel like this little piece of information isn't just going to sit in my brain harmlessly. How have you handled your terrible family secrets? Is it every appropriate to confront them? Am I even asking the right questions?
user
Step-mom told me that
assistant
My grandmother recently passed, so a lot of family things have come to the surface, the most notable of which is this: my stepmom confided in me that my older half-brother sexually assaulted and attempted to rape her while they were drunk about 2 years ago. My brother is not a criminal, and has never had a history of violence outside his military career. I don't want to believe my stepmom, but I don't think she would make something like this up.

I'm 23 and the aforementioned half-brother is 38. We have lived in different states for most of my life. My step-mom has been a part of our family for ten years. She comes from a rough background, but is truly a wonderful person - sweet, honest, very loving.

My stepmom has asked me not to tell anyone, especially not my dad. I don't know how to handle this situation. I don't want to tell anyone, but I feel like this little piece of information isn't just going to sit in my brain harmlessly. How have you handled your terrible family secrets? Is it every appropriate to confront them? Am I even asking the right questions?
user
My half-brother attempted to
assistant