Schuman says she didn't tell anyone about the alleged assault for years.
Nick Carter has been accused of sexual assault.
In a post on her personal blog earlier this month, Melissa Schuman of the early 2000s girl group Dream claims that Carter raped her when she was 18 years old and he was 22.
In an emotional and graphic essay, Schuman says she was invited over to Carter's house during a day off from the movie they were co-starring in. She claims that after arriving at his apartment with a friend, they listened to the singer's new music before he allegedly brought her into the bathroom, where she claims they started kissing.
Schuman, who says she was a virgin at the time, claims Carter started unbuttoning her pants, disregarding her objections before allegedly performing oral sex on her. She claims he then demanded she perform oral sex on him, writing, "My thought was the only way to get out was to get him to finish what he had started."
Schuman writes that Carter then took her to the bedroom, where she alleges he raped her. The now-33-year-old singer says she didn't tell anyone about the alleged encounter for years, and even sang a duet with Carter, before losing interest in a career as a recording artist. Schuman says that she considered pressing charges against Carter, but claims she was told that she "would likely be buried in humiliation, accused of being fame hungry, and it would ultimately hurt me professionally as well as publicly."
Schuman took to Twitter on Monday to thank fans for "aiding me in my healing."
"I just want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support. Thank you for bearing witness to my story," she tweeted. "Thank you for providing me a safe place to be open and vulnerable. I love you all. Thank you for aiding me in the healing that I so desperately needed. I am free now."
Carter released a statement to ET on Wednesday:
"I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally. This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm."
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