I was so sure

I apologize if this is the wrong place for this post. But I just received a judgement in the courtroom, that I honestly didn't see coming.

My wife left in October of 2014. I was a Sgt. in the Marine Corps, and came home from a short hop to Spain, to find man in his underwear in my home.

My wife then left me and our daughter for a cook at the Hooters she worked at while I was deployed.

We didn't hear from her for 67 days straight. This includes during a time where I had to get surgery on my feet. I was unable to move for three days after a spinal block. And never got a real chance to heal because as soon as I regained feeling in my legs, I had to walk, on my casts to take care of my child.

Fast forward to when she finally reappeared, I was so relieved to finally have some help, I handed my daughter over to her with the expectation I would pick her up that afternoon after a doctors visit. (I didn't have a custody agreement)

What followed was a years worth of me trying to see my kid and at every attempt, my soon-to-be ex, would find a way to not come through. She would move from place to place with her new drug using bf, constantly change her number, and avoid all contact with me.

Whenever I could get her on the phone, all she would talk about is money, which strangely enough, she was entitled to because of the Marine Corps' policy on child support. Unfortunately, I could never get to hand the money off in person, and instead was reduced to transferring the monies electronically, and again, not being able to see my daughter.

In court we were able to establish my constant efforts to seeing my kid. My diligence in paying support for this last year, and establish my wife's new boyfriend was a frequent drug user, and that his brother, who watches my child when they run out to party, has very obvious racial prejudices, calling me every racial slur in the book for a black man, although my daughter has darker skin like mine.

I honestly thought we had it in the bag. And the fact that it was a female judge, I'm sure didn't give her any clear advantage. And I wasn't even asking for a lot. Liberal visitation, with my daughter being able to stay with me throughout the year, on holidays and during summer months (because I was forced to move after leaving the Marine Corps).

I didn't get any of that... I got supervised visitation. I couldn't believe it... I didn't get joint custody, I didn't get anything.. just supervised visitation.

How can I build a relationship with my daughter, who Im sure has no memory of me anymore because she was so young... with the woman who tried so hard to ruin my life, right there?

My mother says I was a fool to think that I could take a pretty little white girl to court in the south and win. My mom is old, and here In Birmingham, she faced a lot of tensions... But I was so sure I was going to be able to prove her wrong...

If anyone has some insight, I could damn sure use it.