Bring Ember Back to Her Family's Embrace

I'm not sure where to start. I have two daughters, one is 12 years old and the other is about to be 6 years old. She's the one in the picture with me. Her name is Ember. I have been the primary caregiver since she was born.

In April 2022, I was talked into taking her out to Utah to visit and see her dad. I had won our long custody battle, and Ember lived with me and her sister. When I was talked into coming out to visit, her dad made everything sound so great. He said we would do all kinds of things and that he had changed and he wouldn't yell or throw things or get angry. I made it clear that I didn't want to be together, that I'm doing this for Ember. He never came to visit her in Georgia where we lived. So I took me and my daughters out to Utah.

Everything was going good. He kept asking me when I was going to leave. I wasn't sure at first. Then before I knew it, he had talked me into staying for a few months. I was starting to feel like I was trapped there. He worked at the apartments he lived at. He was always around. He pressured me to enroll her in school. Then it became, "You can't leave. Ember can't leave." I felt very uncomfortable. I asked myself, what have I done? I was so nervous around him. He was back to his old ways of controlling me. He said if I tried to leave, then he would take Ember from me.

So I finally got the courage to leave, and he wouldn't let me. I called the police. They looked at my custody papers and saw I had custody. They told him to let me and both my daughters leave. I began packing some more. He was on his phone texting a lot. The cops came back, and he showed them that he had a temporary protective order against me. I wasn't shown anything but was told to hand my little girl over to him. I had to pry her fingers from me. This was the most painful experience I have ever felt. I could hear her crying for me as he walked off with her. I was so heartbroken and afraid.

I stayed in a battered women's shelter for over a month so I could possibly see Ember before I had to leave to go back to Georgia. I had to have supervised visits. I had the right to see her, but he denied me my rights, and I left Utah without seeing her one last time. She was 4 years old at the time. I've done 25 hours of supervised visitation with Ember in Utah. She was 5 years old then. She was so happy to see me. It felt so good to hold her and give her kisses.

My family has helped all they can with legal fees and me going to Utah to visit. I'm working a full-time job, saving everything I can to retain a lawyer and help get me some visitation with Ember. I miss her so much. I get to FaceTime with her 3 times a week if the dad lets me. This is the most painful thing I've ever felt. I didn't know dad could make up all these lies and take her away from me the way he did. My heart is in pieces. I miss my baby so much.

My boss suggested I do a GoFundMe. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart if you were to help me with legal fees so I can see my baby again. She turns 6 years old on November 29. I'm missing everything. I want my daughters to have a relationship with one another too. They miss each other. I miss my little family.