Trying to understand my girlfriend’s assault and my own emotions

My girlfriend told me that she was sexually assaulted about a year ago. She said she was drunk and that she cried during it. The guy later admitted she cried, but he claims she “knew what was happening.” She was scared to tell me and only opened up about it recently.

The part I’m struggling with is that she kept talking to him after it happened. That’s what confuses me the most. If it was assault, why would she continue communicating with him? I’m not trying to blame her I just genuinely don’t understand, and my mind keeps going back to that.

I love her and I chose to stay because I care about her deeply. I’m her first boyfriend, and I want to support her properly. But I’m dealing with a mix of emotions anger toward him, confusion, intrusive thoughts, and sometimes doubt. I hate that I even feel doubt, because I don’t want to be unfair to her.

For people who’ve been in similar situations:

- Is it common for someone to keep talking to the person who assaulted them?

- How do I handle my own thoughts without hurting her?

- How do I support her while also processing this myself?

I’m not here to attack her, I’m trying to understand and be better.