He stole all the assets, abandoned his child, and kept his parenting rights

Editor’s note: A Lovefraud reader, whom we’ll call Marilyn23, tells how her husband stole all the assets that she’d built up over years and controlled her through his parenting rights.

I was unknowingly groomed by my partner for years. I was an independent successful artist and businessperson. I had saved money to start purchasing investment properties. He insinuated himself into my finances, though I did not need his support. 

He was very pushy and persuasive insisting couples should share financial growth. He always made false promises. That he would help with the work or expenses to renovate but just got overly controlling. I did all the work. 

Read more: Why psychopathic parents engage in parental alienation

We then had a child and he was outright dangerous and abusive by then. He threatened me and our son if I tried to leave. He pushed away my friends and community. I got sick in the pregnancy and he took control of my life. 

Investment properties

I was talented at finding good property deals and he pushed for us to make a family home by me finding a fixer and us doing it to a higher standard of renovation. I was too scared and sick to leave or fight. 

We agreed that we would extract some equity from the first property investment to fund the second project. I did find a house and with my skills renovated it for a fraction of the cost. I worked on it for a few years then we moved in. He isolated and bullied me and our son. 

Moving abroad

As soon as the project was finished and we had moved in, he insisted we live abroad for a year, an idea I had suggested years ago. He had me liquidate my business of 23 years, rent out the properties, do immigration for all of us including getting his green card, pack up our lives etc. I was so broken and abused and afraid for my life that it seemed easier to go along with things than risk losing access to our son or my life. 

We got to our new destination after I did all the work. In 2 short months, he was being even more horrible, not helping, lying, cheating, and I found out he had received a large severance package from his work and was hiding that and other money. 

He wants a divorce

He then said he wanted a divorce. I said that I got the properties valued before we relocated and we should liquidate all assets, split it and go our own ways and make a co parent agreement. He said that he had taken my name off of the properties, had stolen all the current equity and we are in a divorce location that does not honor international property and favors equal parent rights regardless of if a parent was being abusive. 

He stole all the assets, abandoned his child, and kept his parenting rights to keep me and our son in this new location where my earning power was low, had no community, and we were not able to leave legally without his consent. 

So I raised our son for 14 years in a place that was very expensive, not my preference, and he travelled the world on the stolen assets snd rental income. He targeted other women and controlled my son and I through his legal parenting rights, though he never contributed financially or co parented except for a few months. 

He’s a criminal

I tried to leverage him to put things right through family pressure but he convinced everyone that I was insane and in an institution when I was working several jobs and was not in touch as it seemed so hopeless, and I was suffering with PTSD from the years of abuse. 

His family now realize he is a criminal as he has attempted to scam them too, but it took over 15 years for anyone to believe me even in the slightest. What a sad tragedy.

Learn more: Self-care for Complex PTSD