Ending a marriage can be difficult even under normal circumstances. After all, not only must you divide marital assets, but you also must confront some uncertainty about your future. Still, getting through the divorce process is essential for starting the next chapter in your life.
Divorce has the potential to bring out the worst in anyone. As such, even if your soon-to-be ex-spouse says he or she wants an easy, amicable or collaborative divorce, the opposite may be true. Here are four tell-tale signs your spouse is looking for a nasty divorce battle.
- You were the last to know
In the lead-up to a divorce, couples often experience a breakdown in communication. If your spouse tells your children, family members and friends about your divorce before talking to you, your divorce may be off to a bad start.
- Your partner’s social media posts are brutal
There are a few arguments for steering clear of social media during a divorce. Nonetheless, if your spouse derides you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other online platform, you may have stormy seas ahead.
- You cannot get into your house
Absent extreme circumstances, such as domestic violence, no spouse should lock the other out of the family home. As such, if your spouse changes the locks or otherwise prevents you from entering your house, he or she may be drawing battle lines.
- Your spouse’s lawyer has a mean reputation
Even in straightforward divorces, each spouse often decides to hire a lawyer for a variety of reasons. If your husband or wife has found the meanest lawyer possible, your divorce is probably not going to be nice.
If you are heading for divorce, you likely have little control over how your spouse feels or acts. You can, however, prepare yourself for a potentially bitter divorce. Put simply, watching how your husband or wife behaves may better position you to assert your rights effectively.