My husband forces me to give up assets and child custody because I cheated on him

I have been with my husband for 11 years. At the start of our marriage, I worked but earned little. After giving birth to three children back to back, I left my job to take care of the family.

Most of our assets, including the house, vehicles and land, were acquired during our time together, with him contributing the larger share. I never saw staying home to raise our children as useless; I believed I was protecting our family.

But I made a mistake. I had an online relationship with another man who lived nearly 500 km away. We talked for months, grew close and met once. After that meeting, I realized he was not the person I thought he was, so I decided to end the relationship and refused to see him again. Even so, he still messaged me from time to time.

A couple arguing. Photo by Pexels

My husband eventually found out about the affair and became furious. He immediately asked for a divorce and told me to leave with nothing. He said all of our assets, the house, vehicles and land, belong to him, and that I had only enjoyed the benefits without contributing. He also demanded that I give up custody, saying I was not fit to be the mother of our children.

His parents supported his decision. They refused to listen to my explanation and said that I had made "an unforgivable mistake" and that I "did not deserve any property or custody rights." Each time I tried to speak with them, they turned me away.

After 11 years of marriage and the effort I put into caring for our family, I was devastated. When I looked at my children, I could only cry. I regretted my actions and wanted to make amends but my husband refused to give me that chance. He stayed silent when I tried to talk to him and said he was disappointed because he worked to support the family while I, in his view, used my time at home to see someone else.

I asked him to let me stay so our children could have a complete home but he said he did not want someone like me raising them. I don’t know what to do. I want my husband’s forgiveness and a way to repair this marriage, and I hope for guidance, even if it comes with criticism.