About a month ago, I read my wife’s phone on a Sunday night. I decided to do this because we were experiencing a lot of issues in our marriage. Over the past few months, she had been acting strangely, and I suspected she was seeing someone else after 24 years of marriage. The following Monday, during an argument, I admitted to reading her phone, and she left for work. I didn’t see her again until Tuesday night.

When she came home around 8 o'clock, she seemed frantic and was trying to find a way to get rid of me. We started arguing and she went into my computer room, threatening to smash my computer. I followed her into the room, and in the heat of the moment, she pushed me to the floor and said she would destroy the computer. I told her to go ahead and do it. I tried to leave, but she blocked the door and said she would call the police and accuse me of assaulting her. In a moment of frustration, I punched a hole in the wall and told her, “This is what it looks like when I hit someone,” before sitting in the living room and ignoring her.

My 23-year-old son came over and began yelling at me, saying I should tolerate this behavior. He was worried about my health issues, including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and a failed neck fusion. I told him I would rather live on the street than put up with her treatment. The police arrived a few minutes later and spoke to her outside. I went for a walk, knowing I hadn’t done anything illegal and had no warrants out for my arrest. I even watched the situation unfold on the doorbell camera.

When I returned home, I found her packing up her things. We got into another argument outside, where I smashed a beer bottle on the ground. They threatened to call the police again, so I went back to bed. The police returned and arrested me, and I ended up in jail for a day. When I was released, I learned I had been charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon, which seemed absurd to me. I had never had any previous run-ins with the law, had no criminal record, and had been married for 24 years. My wife, in her police report, falsely accused me of choking and punching her in the computer room, despite the lack of any visible marks on her. The whole situation felt insane. I filed for divorce and started that process.

Two months later, we are trying to sell our house, and we don’t have many assets to divide. The only asset we can sell is the house, and she won’t let the realtor in. My lawyer is filing everything necessary for the divorce and addressing the other charges, but the sale of the house remains an obstacle.

I also want to note that I had run a business from my computer room and had about $8,000 worth of computer equipment. She didn't provide the items that the judge ordered her to give me, and I learned that she has already sold $6,000 worth of it. I now have to file contempt charges because of this, and I'm working with my lawyer to resolve the issue. Any advice would be appreciated.