Help Whitney Escape Abuse and Rebuild Her Life

My name is Breklyn, my sister Whitney has been in an abusive relationship with her husband since 2015. She met him while starting her sobriety. She was a barista at the Capital building and he was working there doing IT. Our family was unsure about him and told him she needed to be alone to get clean and sober. He did not listen. I think this was predatory. She was 30 at the time and he was 48 (although he told her and us he was 38. We only found out the truth later when my father did a background check on him. We also found out he had been married twice before and refused to tell us anything about his previous marriages.) My sister being in a very vulnerable state fell in love with this man, in the beginning he love bombed her. Made her feel good. Provided her weed and alcohol. I think he did this on purpose. He wanted someone that was broken and weak. As to manipulate her how he wanted. Her drinking became worse. He dropped her off at my parents doorsteps saying "you deal with this". My parents refinanced their house and got her into a rehab facility in another state. She had been there for a month when he pulled her out and paid for a plane ticket back to Washington. After three days with her he had enough and left her on my parents porch, again. She wanted to get sober and was doing so living at my parents house, when Steven entered her life again. We were upset but she seemed to be doing ok. Fast forward a few months they decided to get married in Hawaii. Very soon after she got pregnant. She always wanted to be a mom, and we did our best to support her. Not knowing all the while the real volatile relationship they had behind closed doors. He would throw things at her, threaten to kill her, say awful things to her. Make her feel low till she had no self esteem left. He was abuse in every way shape and form. He made sure she never had any access to her own money (financial abuse). And even make her have sex with him even when she said "no". She got pregnant with her second child and was thrilled. Steven was a bit nicer to her when she was pregnant. After her second child was born, things got worse. He got more violent. He strangled her in front of the children. This was not the first time he had laid hands on her. But this was an escalation, she had passed out. When she came to, she called our father who called the police. Steven was arrested and put into jail. When he got out, he said he would change of course. My sister wanted to believe him. It was easier to believe he was going to do better. Financially she couldn't go out on her own. He made sure of this. Now Whitney still struggled with staying clean and sober, she had her family as a support but her husband was not supportive. He continued to drink everyday around her. Almost taunting her with it. She tried to be strong but it was a battle. She got a dui and was put on probation. She started to put her energy into the coffee stand that they both purchased. Steven continuing to blame Whitney for not being able to go back to the work doing what he was doing after his domestic violence charge. He let it known "it was her fault" over and over again. Taking no accountability for his own actions. They decided they needed to hire someone to help run their coffee stand. a second barista. A former friend of my own actually. Her name being Ashley. Ashley seemed to be doing ok as an employee and Whitney and her started to become friends. They both had kids the same age. Both battling addictions etc. After a few months Whitney invited Ashley on a family trip to Hawaii (she could bring her kids and Whitney and Steven would bring theirs). I honestly think Whitney didn't think she would be able to go. But she did. Thats when awful went to a nightmare. Whitney suspected Ashley and Steven of having an affair while they were all traveling together. When they got home from their trip it continued. Steven finally admitting it and rubbing it in Whitney's face. She regrettably did what most addicts in early sobriety do and she drank. Steven knowing Whitney would go to jail for drinking because she was on probation, called her probation officer and made that happen. He moved Ashley into their families home THE NEXT DAY. He denied my sweet loving parents the right to see their grandbabies. He would deny phone calls from his wife and would not let the children even see our side of the family whom they have had a very close and loving relationship with since the day they were born. I was visiting (my husband and I live in FL) for Christmas that year and I thought I would at least be able to knock on the door, give them a hug and give them presents. He refused to let me (their loving Aunt) see them and threw my presents for them in the trash. This broke my heart. Why would he deny his children love. Fast forward a couple painstaking months Whitney was released from jail and went straight to her home. Finding Ashley living there. Heartbroken she called my dad to come over. Steven grabbed the girls and Ashley and hopped in the car. Whitney tried to go after them. Those were her babies. Her world was being taken away. But Steven pushed her to the ground. Bawling on the floor there was a knock on the door. It was the police. Steven made up a lie that Whitney had pushed him and Ashley lying as well corroborated his story. The police had to take Whitney back to jail. Her public defender got it thrown out of court because Steven refused to show proof. There was video on their ring camera, but it would have shown he was committing perjury. The state dropped the case. After being released again Whitney went to our parents' home to lick her wounds and try and rebuild her life. Months went by, she was getting better mentally. Ashley and Steven were no longer seeing each other. It was at this time Steve turned on the charm. Whitney doing what was best for their children she thought, at the time, moved back to their home with Steve. A few months go by and they decide they were going to sell their house (this house they purchased together when they got married). When it sold, while at the bank Steve had ALL the money put into his account. Telling Whitney, "We will open a joint account." and "That she would have access to that money." But of course, this was another lie. Now she could have tried to put her foot down, but this man was so unstable that she never wanted to rock the boat. Knowing that if she pushed too hard, he would lash out and become physically aggressive. I think this happens a lot in abusive relationships. The other partner being passive in fear of backlash, more abuse etc. Now at this point they move into a rental home. They still have the coffee stand in Nisqually. Ashley still working at the stand starts to threaten Steve saying she was taking him to court for sexual harassment. Claiming Steve told her that "she had to sleep with him because he was her boss." Ashley called the City and had Quinns shut down due to "not providing employees a proper place to go to the bathroom". Fast forward a few months Steve would always tell Whitney on and off that he was still sleeping with Ashley. One time on Christmas Eve 2023 he told Whitney that Ashley was pregnant. He was always trying to break her emotionally. To be in control. Whitney always wanted to leave him but she knew it would be an uphill battle. It was in the spring of 2024 that things seemed to get better. They moved into a new rental (closer to my parents) and they had bought a new coffee stand (also close to my parents). This thrilled Whitney. A fresh new start (kinda). My mom help enroll the girls into a good school. We finally thought maybe Steve had turned a new leaf? Maybe he wanted to do better? Boy were we wrong. He was playing our entire family the whole time. For 10 months Whitney was putting her heart and soul into the new coffee stand Fika Kafe. She had named it after our Swedish grandma. We were all so proud of her. She would work 10 hour days only being able to take cash tips (steve had made sure all the money the stand would make would go into his account, of course). Never paid Whitney a paycheck. It was slave labor but she had made this her "safe-space". When my husband and I visited Olympia for Christmas 2024, we went to see her at the stand. It was so cute. She had a passion for being a barista and was so good at it. Her customers LOVED her. It was so great to my sister light up while she was there. I thought maybe things were going to end up ok? Wrong. March 2025 we were all blindsided. Like the switch of a light Steve had turned the charm off. He didnt need to use it anymore. While working Whitney received a text from her husband that said " I hate you. I am f**cking Ashley. HAHA." Also telling her "You wont be relavant much longer!" Thirty minutes later the police showed up and served her a protection order. Stating that she had pushed Steven (which was an absolute lie) She noticed that he had dated the protection order February 29th, 2025. He had been planning this! She tried to tell the police that this was perjury and totally false, but they said she would have to gather proof of this and present it in court. Her world was literally being taken away. She had 15 minutes to gather her things and be escorted to another house or hotel. She was not allowed in her own home, around her children or her place of work. She tried to call our parents to tell them what was happening and realized that Steve had also shut her phone off. He was trying to destroy the mother of his children. Why? So he can have the kids to himself, not share custody but mainly to not have to pay her anykind of spousal maintenance or anything a divorce would make sure she would have access to. If Steven destroyed Whitney emotionally, he knew (because he did it before) that most likely she would do what most addicts in recovery do and use or drink. Knowing that if she did this she would automatically go to jail for 5 years. Plenty of time for him to take the girls somewhere and not be found. Well this time Whitney is ready for the fight. She has been clean and sober for 12 months and has clean UAs to prove it. We need the chance for her to be able to fight a fair fight in court with an attorney. For this we need the help of the community and friends to be able to put a retainer down. Whitney went to the courts the next day after being served and filled out a protection order against Steve. The next court date is April 4th 2025. She is doing everything to try and fight this. We have gathered all her evidence of abuse (pictures, texts). She went and got herself a new phone (first step towards freedom from her abuser). My parents have scraped up a few dollars to start the divorce process. But our family needs help!

(to make matters worse, Ashley is working now at her new stand and pretending they don't know where Whitney is. Luckily Whitney has been able to contact her customers and let them know the truth.)

PLEASE help our family be able to see our babies!! Those poor girls have no idea what is happening and who knows what Steve is telling them. We are worried for their well-being and safety.

The funds will be used for a retainer for an attorney.

THANK YOU for reading.