TL;DR: After leaving my husband of 8 years, he drained our bank account, pushed me out of the businesses I built we my 20s, and left me unable to pay rent or afford a lawyer. I need help to cover rent and legal fees so I can finally be free and start over with my cousin, our three cats, and our puppy.

this money will be used to pay rent for one month and finish paying for an attorney so that I may break all ties

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Hi everyone,

I never thought I’d be the type to make a GoFundMe, but here I am. I’m asking for help because even though I still legally own the business, I don’t qualify for financial assistance — despite the fact that he has taken everything from me.

We were together for eight years. The first year we opened the Lounge, formerly called Best Buds, and I basically dedicated my whole 20s to it. I was very young when we got married, and I gave him a lot of control — financially and otherwise. Over time that turned into coercion, financial abuse, and other forms of intimate abuse that I didn’t understand back then weren’t okay. I went along with things because I thought that was just what being a wife meant, 

Now that I’ve decided to leave him and stop doing what he says, he’s pushed me out of the businesses entirely, claiming I agreed to give them all to him. He cleared out our bank account, and because of the way everything went down, I wasn’t able to save or leave responsibly. Right now, I can’t pay rent and I can’t afford an attorney to divorce him.

There was an incident that led me to kick him out of my home immediately, and he later went to jail for assault after forcing his way inside and putting his hands on me. Since then, nothing has been amicable. He kept our puppy from me for weeks, took nearly all of our vehicles, and cut me off from the businesses and our finances entirely.

Since then, he’s drained our bank account, blocked me from every business operation, and has been telling people I gave up ownership months ago. That’s not true. The deal was supposed to be that I’d walk away from the businesses if he covered my rent — which would’ve been a great deal for him — but now he’s acting like that never happened. So here I am, with no choice but to take it to court.

I want to be clear: I don’t want the business anymore. I don’t want to be in a position of control — I just want a safe way out. I was never paid out of the business in the eight years I gave to it, so what I’m asking for now is simply help covering my rent for ONE month,and bills for myself, my cousin, our three cats, and our puppy while I go through the legal process to untangle myself from him.

And if him or any of his family happens to see this: please know I am only sharing this out of necessity. I am doing my best not to disparage his name while still telling the truth of what happened and asking for help. This isn’t about revenge — it’s about survival and getting free. If he didn’t want any of this to happen, he should’ve continued to help me in the capacity we agreed upon instead of what has happened.

Once I’m free, my goal is to rebuild my life on my own terms — find a safe home, secure my independence, and move forward without fear. I want to create something positive out of all this, and your support will help me take that first step toward a future that’s mine.

Thank you for even reading this and sharing it.