just doing some quick research, I think Teddy is right that "irreconcilable differences" isn't an option in Maryland. There are some options that are no-fault, but they require a year of separation. It looks like before that year, you are looking at using either excessively vicious conduct or cruelty of treatment. Although there is another fault ground of constructive desertion, where her cruel behaviour forced you to leave, therefore the desertion is hers.
I think I agree with the others that without her cooperating--and she sounds like the classic type who would not work with you just to cause you more difficulty--you will want an attorney helping you with the nuance. I'd do it myself if you both were amicable and agreed or had a good period of separation to make it easier to prove, but I think she could try to make it worse, so I'd use an attorney.
Cadenza, I think you are correct, based on all that I've been able to research. Unfortunately, there is no option for irreconcilable differences in Maryland. You either have "grounds" for the divorce, or you wait a year and can then file for divorce without a "reason." All the reasons I have are true, but they'd be opening a hornet's nest.
I
do have two additional pieces of evidence with associated questions. In part, this relates to proving constructive desertion, but the two stand with their own quandaries. First item -- I finally went through my paperwork and found the
original sponsor letter my wife had
signed. This is the one that was done
before I knew the truth about her not owning her home. She was fully prepared to perjure herself to the UKBA. Since I now have that document, I can prove that the marriage took place under fraudulent circumstances. And so, if it doesn't matter that I went forward with the move after learning the truth, I could try for annulment. But I think it also proves the mental cruelty, and would be pertinent to divorce on the other grounds. But, I'm also wondering if the UKBA should somehow be made aware of the situation? My wife actively
encouraged me to submit my spousal visa application with the fraudulent details about her house, but thankfully I refused to so since she could produce neither the deed to a house nor even mortgage payment records. We'd both be in trouble if I'd broken down and done as she asked.
The second item -- I've found the piece of paper the police gave me when my wife hit me and left me stranded and lost on the side of the road. It doesn't give much information, but it does give the name of the police officer who dealt with the case, the police station involved, and the OIS serial number. How can I best go about getting a copy of the police report? I had tried emailing, but got no reply. However, I didn't have the details at that time. How does one usually get a police report in the UK?
Friday, tomorrow, will be our second wedding anniversary. I've been skating on thin ice, emotionally. The full scope of what ha happened, I've felt compelled to talk about it constantly, to make sense of it all, to purge it from my body and mind. My tendency is always to blame myself. Now, when I tell the story, I find myself frequently feeling
embarrassed. I think this is a step better than blaming myself, and remaining vulnerable to my wife. But I'm shocked at what I allowed to happen, how gullible and forgiving I was, and I feel like some sort of 3-headed creature oddity because the story is so bizarre and extreme. I'm hoping to get through tomorrow without too much emotional anguish, and after that, I hope I can move further down the line to putting this all behind me.
Thanks again, Cadenza and everyone.
~Teddy
