I have two boys, ten and eleven yrs old. They are my whole world. I coach them year round. I do everything with them.

This past week, without a threat of violence or any physical contact, stbxw got an emergency protective order against me. I was removed from my home for five days. She is going to seek to extend it for another 15 days, and then a permanent one. I do not know how this can happen. I did nothing to her. I have never done anything physical to her. I have a perfectly clean record. This seems insane to me.

All the advice I get is that I can go home next week. Two weeks after that at the most. I have received advice to stay in the home or lose leverage in the coming custody battle—in negotiations she has never offered more than two nights at a time for me, preventing travel, not even having a full weekend every other week. She seems entirely convinced she is going to win and get 10 out of every 14 days of custody.

Should I move out? My boys want me with them. The texts that they send are heartbreaking. Having me leave this week suddenly hurt them and me. It was in some ways the hardest week of my life. I just want my boys. But it seems the vast majority of fathers roll over and accept less than 50/50 custody. A retired judge even tried to spin it to me as a good thing—“don’t you want to go out with your buddies?” No. My boys are* my buddies.

But I have received advice as well that the tension in the house is harmful and I should leave. It kills me to even think about. I am Worried she is going to make up more things and get me arrested. I do not even know what she could have said to get this protective order. It is just crazy.

Thoughts are welcome.