The following story is true:

2 years ago, I was living with my wife of 10 years and our 2 kids in a NYC brownstone. A new tenant moved into an apartment in an adjoining building – a single woman and her 3 daughters (living crammed into a tiny 1 bedroom apartment). Within months, this new family was a fixture in our home. So much so that I finally asked if we could establish some boundaries between our family and theirs. Instead, my wife informed me that she and the neighbor were in love and I was the one who needed to leave the home.

I begged my wife to try and work on the marriage, but she refused. I then reminded her that we barely had enough money for one household in NYC, let alone 2 (she had always refused to work). She said that the lack of money was my problem, not hers. So, we started divorce proceedings.

While we worked on negotiating a settlement, she move in with her lover. Three months later, we had hammered out a (very generous) agreement whereby she would get to live in our brownstone for 2 years at which time we would sell it and split the equity. The agreement stipulated that her lover would NOT be permitted to live in my home (as the family therapist had warned us both how confusing that would be for our kids).

The day before we were supposed to sign the agreement, I came home (at this point, I was still the one living in the building) and found my wife taking apart my belongings, and moving herself back into the residence. I explained that I wasn't moving until the agreement had been signed. She looked at me, smiled, and said "wanna bet? You just assaulted me and I'm calling the police."

I thought she was joking or bluffing, but sure enough, she dialed 911 and reported an assault. The police came and she showed them a small red mark on her knee (the sort you might get from bumping your leg against a wall). The police were apologetic but they explained that they were forbidden to dismiss any complaint involving domestic violence. With that, they arrested me and I spent the next 36 hours in jail.

A condition of my release was an automatic order of protection which was granted her, effectively barring me from my own home. Once free, my lawyer informed me that my ex had fired her lawyer and hired a new attorney who immediately yanked the negotiated settlement off the table. I was also told that she would not permit me to see my children (despite the fact that I had them 50% of the time before this incident). We proceeded to go to trial.

Fast forward 6 months: My ex, of course, immediately moved her lover and family into my home (my 10 year old son is now actually sharing a room with her lover's 10 year old daughter). My lawyer was sure the judge would slam her for this outrageous action but the judge just said to me, "it's almost 2013, get over it."

The criminal matter won't go away. I even took a polygraph test and passed it with flying colors. She of course refused to take one. This did not sway the district attorneys office to drop the charges. I then had the family therapist write a letter on my behalf stating that he didn't believe I was capable of acting violently towards my wife, and moreover, he believed that she was very capable of lying to manipulate the situation. This also did not make any difference. That trial is scheduled for February.

I am now sleeping on a friend's pull-out couch while she sleeps with her lover in my old bed.

I have spent over $50K in legal fees. And because she always refused to work, I was just ordered to start paying spousal support which I can no longer afford. I may actually go to jail for non-payment if I can't come up with the money.

There is no recourse. There is no hope.

tl;dr My wife cheated on me, had me arrested, barred me from my children, and has left me essentially homeless and bankrupt while she now lives with her lesbian lover in my own home.