The Realtor’s Double Life: Divorce, Betrayal, and the Closing-Day Trap
F’s dad and I agreed: keep it amicable.
List the house, sell at the market peak, split, move on.
I found a two-bedroom apartment. He was supposed to stay at his mom’s so the house stayed clean.
Instead, while I was away on a pre-planned trip with my makeup artist, he moved back in, filed for divorce, and changed the locks.
Familiar, isn’t it?
The Shift
When the divorce papers landed in early May, I didn’t feel heartbreak. Just relief he’d finally spent the money to file.
But his behavior shifted. This time it didn’t fade.
He was living a double life. By April, he was already seeing someone new. She treated F kindly, baked cookies with him, and for that I was grateful. At least my son wasn’t unsafe with her.
But while they jetted off on vacations, he buried me in motions, draining every dollar I had.
From Stalker to Saboteur
Then I found out I had a PI on me.
Not just obsessive monitoring, paid sabotage.
Photos were twisted into false reports. One claimed I’d abandoned my kids overnight. Reality? I went to a birthday dinner, left my children with a legal, trusted caregiver, and was home by 1 a.m.
Still, the report gave them leverage. My son was taken from daycare and withheld until I agreed to repeated, invasive alcohol testing.
Each test cost $225. I passed every single one. No reimbursement.
The Outreach
My ex and his attorney started reaching into my circle, trying to scare or bribe people into turning on me. Some refused. A few didn’t. One in particular stung.
She thought she could play me. She exiled herself instead.
The Restraining Order
When they took F a second time, I filed for protection. The temporary order gave me five weeks of safety, just long enough to pick him up with police assistance and allow my nervous system to settle.
Then it was cleared by the same attorney and judge who had handled my previous divorce. My own attorney didn’t stand firm for me. Instead, she kept cozying with the other side.
But ACT stepped in. They got the PI removed, created safer communication channels, and secured a custody order so F couldn’t be withheld again. For the first time in months, I could breathe.
The Home Becomes Leverage
He stayed in our home, letting it rot.
Appraisal in September: $725,000.
Mortgage: $430,000.
He refused to buy me out. Put the house in forbearance while continuing his vacations.
By the time I was introduced to his new partner, seven months pregnant, it was in public, at F’s taekwondo ceremony.
The Apartment Turns Hostile
By January 2024, even my apartment wasn’t safe. Whispers, rumors, hostility. My closest friend relocated. I knew it was time to leave too.
I rebuilt my credit in four months, jumping from low 400s to high 600s. Just enough to qualify for a modest condo.
The Closing-Day Trap
But because we were still married, I needed his signature.
He seized the moment. Demanded a new appraisal, drafted a one-sided settlement, and withheld his signature on closing day unless I caved.
I later learned my attorney had been collaborating with him and his counsel through an email she mistakenly sent me.
I walked away with less than $30,000 on a house I’d poured $150,000 of my own cash into.
The final appraisal? $575,000—down $150,000 in a year. Holes in the walls. Roof damage untouched. A house we bought pristine, left to rot into leverage.
I was cornered. Desperate to move on. So I signed.
Disclaimer:
This blog reflects my lived experiences and personal perspective. It is written under my First Amendment right to free speech and is not intended as legal advice or as an objective legal record. While names, roles, and timelines are drawn from my own story, the purpose is to share truth as I experienced it, raise awareness of systemic challenges, and support others navigating similar struggles.
