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Former The Voice contestant Melanie Martinez is continuing to defend herself after her former friend, Timothy Heller, accused her of rape.

Timothy alleged that Melanie raped her after she repeatedly said “no.”

“I understand how hard it could be to see my side of the story, considering no one with a heart would want to invalidate anyone speaking up about this topic,” Melanie wrote in her second statement, posted on Saturday night (December 9). “I want to thank my fans who took the time to research the timeline, analyze past Instagram photos, and question the story being told, which reveal her false statements. I trusted so many people in my life who took advantage of that trust for their own personal gain. Please know that my intentions with everything that I do in my life are always pure and I would never be intimate with someone without their absolute consent.”

Timothy responded on her Twitter, “This is why victims don’t speak up. I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone.”

Melanie Martinez, who was a finalist on The Voice back in 2012, has been accused of rape by her former friend, Timothy Heller.

“When I wrote this story about my assault, I initially wasn’t going to make the abuser,” Timothy wrote on her Twitter. “But I think it’s important for you all to know this is about Melanie Martinez.”

“I have kept this secret for years, convincing myself that it wasn’t a big deal and I wasn’t hurt by it. The thought of accepting that my best friend raped me seems insane,” Timothy added, saying she continually said “no” to her former friend.

Melanie took to Twitter to respond to the allegations.

“I am horrified and saddened by the statements and story told tonight by Timothy Heller,” Melanie wrote. “What she and I shared was a close friendship for a period of time. We came into each other’s lives as we were both starting our careers as artists, and we tried to help each other. We both had pain in dealing with our individual demons and the new paths we were forging, but I truly felt we were trying to lift each other up. She never said no to what we chose to do together. And although we parted ways, I am sending her love and light always.”

You can read Timothy‘s entire account below.