I am not good with writing posts, so I did ask ChatGPT to assist me in writing this out. Please excuse me for doing so. I just don't have the mental capacity at the moment to type out all that I need to...

My life, as I knew it, has been crumbling piece by piece, and I'm desperately seeking a lifeline—any form of guidance, advice, or shared experience would be greatly appreciated.

The story of my divorce and its aftermath is a testament to how quickly life can spiral out of control. My ex-wife and I, who now lives in Texas (I in Nevada) with our three young children (aged 3, 4, and 5), began our divorce proceedings in late 2020. During our marriage, an inheritance I received in 2018 provided us a comfortable life. However, that would soon dry up.

After our separation, the inheritance led to a windfall—a short-lived one. But once my ex-wife learned of this (thanks to my mother getting access to my bank account and providing her the information to carry out her deeds), the courts in Texas imposed nearly the maximum child support amount on me—$2,500, plus an additional $500 approximately for our children's health insurance every month. I told my attorney that this was a windfall and I would not be able later on to support this agreement, to which I felt like I was just told tough shit deal with it.

Well, as I predicted, the royalties began to dry up. As the royalties began to dwindle, I found myself unable to keep up with these payments. Despite my earnest appeals to my attorney for a compromise, I was met with silence.

I left the military in 2023, and it marked the start of a daunting new time in my life. Unemployment, mounting arrearages totaling about $16,000, and a mediation process that felt more like coercion than compromise. I was forced into an agreement that not only locked me into the same steep payments but also limited my visitation rights and piled on an extra $500 a month to clear the arrearages. The ex's attorney said that if I didn't agree to the mediation, they would do their best to get me thrown in jail. All of this was right before I was supposed to start at a new job that I was super excited about getting into.

Now, working a job with an annual salary of $75,000, my financial commitments are suffocating me. My rent alone is a staggering $2,200 a month, not to mention other obligations like my car payment and miscellaneous bills. The royalties that once promised financial security have vanished into thin air, leaving me with nothing but an ever-growing sense of despair.

I've reached out to my attorney, my ex-wife, her attorney, even the judge's office, seeking some semblance of mercy or understanding, only to be met with indifference or outright dismissal. The cold reality that there might be "nothing that can be done" has left me feeling utterly powerless.
My attorney said there's nothing they can do anymore once the Mediated Settlement Agreement was signed. My ex hasn't spoken a word after multiple messages pleading with her to come to an agreement. Her attorneys damn near hung the phone up on me. The judge's office told me that I was not following the proper channels, which I tried to but was met with "there's nothing else we can do".

I'm writing this as a cry for help, for advice, for any kind of support that can pull me back from the edge. The prospect of not being able to see my children, coupled with the financial strain, is pushing me into a dark place. I'm scared—scared of losing everything, scared of what this despair might drive me to. I don't know if it is depression, or suicidal tendencies. I ran my income through the official Texas OAG calculator and it determined I should be paying way less (by about $1,200.00 a month) but no one will hear it. I don't understand.

I don't know how I feel, I just know I feel absolutely helpless and abandoned by the courts, my own mother, or by anyone who said they would help. The arrearages keep piling up, even after they take the majority of my income from my employer. In fact, the office of the Attorney General just sent a letter to my employer stating that they intend to take $3,000.00 a month out of my paycheck which only leaves me with one grand before taxes. I can't even pay fucking rent now... I can't do this anymore.

I need help. I don't know what else to do. I feel backed into a corner, and that I am suffocating. As if I am witnessing the sands in my hour glass get down to their final grains...

Is there anything I can do? Anyone who has been in a similar situation? Words of comfort even?