Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was newly pregnant when I found out, in June. Had the baby in January, took the baby and toddler back home (we were living overseas) the following June.
Horribly traumatic experience
Oh my goodness, I am so sorry. Kudos for you for leaving. Currently in this situation (need to move overseas, impending divorce).
Hope you are ok today
Well, I am sorry YOU are now in this situation.
It was extremely horrible. I started over with NOTHING, just a credit card. Limited (pretty much zero) help from friends or family, and with a baby and toddler in tow. I used the cash advance from the credit card to get an apartment and a beater car, enrolled my kids in daycare/preschool, and started working. Was making very little money and decided to enroll in graduate school to create better opportunities for us all.
Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. Car died, which resulted in my asking ex to take the kids - this was meant to be temporary, but was used as an argument in court that he should be primary custodian (not helped at all by the fact that our divorce hearing was delayed a YEAR due to Covid). His attorney painted our marriage as a sham marriage (despite the established fact that we were trying to conceive our second child whilst he was cheating on me). He had the money, I didn’t. He ended up with physical and legal custody, and is planning to remain overseas until 2024. I’m sure he will further extend this.
It’s hard not to feel incredibly disillusioned. I left a husband who cheated on me, took my children with me, tried to do everything “right,” and still ended up in a losing position. I did actually complete my graduate program and will at least be able to better provide for my children financially, but being physically apart from them is hell. He is still very abusive in our communications.
Sometimes there really is no justice in this world.
Anyway I wish you the very best of luck. Please do everything you can to make sure you have a solid financial foundation before leaving, if you can bear to stay. (I couldn’t.)