Quote:
Originally Posted by Seeyalater
My dad wants to get an attorney to see what he can do if anything.
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Don't let this become a case of your dad and your husband fighting each other, with you on the sidelines. This is your marriage. If you end it, then it's your divorce. Your parents being supportive of you is one thing. That means you can stay with them, if you need to. That means you can talk with them, if you need to. But you get your own lawyer who works for you, not your father.
You were over-reliant on your husband to arrange everything for the two of you. Don't transfer that reliance to your father . . . or to us on this thread. This is for you to sort out, with appropriate legal counsel. Take charge of your situation. Don't let your father take over everything for you. You have been overly passive. Take the reins in your own hands. If you need to borrow some money from your folks, that might be understandable . . . but not at the price of them taking over your decisions. Your husband will get his own lawyer to represent his interests. Then the lawyers will deal with each other. That's what lawyers are for.
Of course you and your husband could save yourselves legal expenses by not fighting over every nickle and dime. Like others and myself have advised you above, figure out what would be fair for you to walk away from this marriage with. If your husband did put up a large down payment, maybe it would be fair to let him keep that. Consider that he contributed to the cost of your education. Sit down with a pencil and paper, and do some straightforward arithmetic. You decide what is fair. Then you tell your lawyer what your goals are. When you meet with your lawyer, your father should not be there.
Do some reading. Suze Ormand writes excellent books of advice for women about personal finance. Find out the laws of your state governing divorce. Browse the Internet. There are probably relevant presentations on Youtube by attorneys. A marriage that has only lasted a couple of years and produced no children shouldn't be very complicated to dissolve. Be grateful that there aren't the real thorny issues that others have. Don't let other people satisfy their appetite for drama through involvement in your affairs. Minimize the drama. Enough will be generated by your husband's disturbed mental state. Have some regard for maintaining your dignity and privacy. And your husband's. It's possible to leave a marriage with some measure of compassion for the person you are leaving. At the same time, if you are going to sever a bond, sever it decisively.
Also, be aware that lawyers don't make any money from people acting civilized, so they sometimes can foment more conflict than needs to happen. You need to exercise leadership. It's nice that a friend can lend you a room, if you need a place to stay. That's an option. But don't let it become a reason to have one more person overinvolved in your business.
If you leave this marriage, there is a high chance that you'll find another bad relationship to get into. That's what the statistics tell us. Let that not be your story. Keep asking yourself, "What do I need to learn from this."