I separated from my abusive husband in April of this year. I had thought we would end things in an amicable way, but I was a fool to think that would be our ending when for so many years my children and I endured verbal and mental abuse, financial control, and had zero accountability from him for any of it. Now he has shoved his new relationship into our children's faces, despite their direct requests to stop, given next to nothing for child support, harassed me endlessly, neglected them when they are with him, and threatens to do worse.

It was fairly easy for him to save money for a retainer, despite telling me we would mediate this divorce, while he pays $150 per week for 2 minor children plus our adult daughter who has been living with us her entire life. Yes, she works but not to support us, to save to go back to school and get a college education.

I received the legal paperwork I did not know was coming. He is demanding 50/50 physical custody of our children, despite them telling him they do not want to be with him 50% of the time. He wants to pay direct expenses, with zero child support, and force me to sell our home because I cannot get a mortgage in my name. He convinced me to let some credit cards go and promised we would pay them after we caught up on other things. Then he left 3 months later.

I need a lawyer to fight because although I have audio recordings of some of his abuse, I cannot fight this without someone representing my best interests. I need someone in my corner helping me.

No one will touch this case so far without $8,000 upfront, and because Kansas is a no-fault state, his infidelity and abuse mean I may never recover a penny spent; it will be up to the judge's discretion. Even with the retainer, I need to cover the monthly bills from the lawyer all along the way. Please share so I don't lose my children to someone who is fighting for them and their time just to absolve himself of child support. Please donate so I can keep my babies with me and not the man who abandoned two other children (now adults) from a previous relationship. Yes, I should have known better than to think this would go any other way, but my children do not deserve to pay this price for my foolish choice of picking a monster to be their father.