Navigating the aftermath of losing my Dad

Hi everyone. I'll start by saying that this is super uncomfortable for me to do this. I've never known how (or when) to ask for help, but I sure do need some help right now. I feel like I'm drowning.

As many of you know, I was unexpectedly laid off from my job last December and was unemployed for 5 months. At the same time, I was also beginning an outrageous, messy, horribly upsetting legal battle with my stepmother. For context, my favorite person in the world, my dad, passed away in October 2021 and left everything to me. Despite the fact that my stepmother has historically been awful to both my dad and myself, I attempted to work out something with her to sell her the house. We were never able to agree on the terms or make a deal happen, so I informed her that she needed to leave. After that, a simple eviction case turned into an ongoing legal battle based on lies and falsehoods, which has yet to even see a judge. To say that this is financially destroying me is an understatement..

I've already given my attorney THOUSANDS of dollars just to get this thing off the ground and just received an invoice for another few thousand (and just wait until it actually gets heard by a judge - yet another few thousand will be needed for a trial). At this point, it's not about her having a place to live...it's about making Rachael's life miserable. I've offered to pay her thousands of dollars to simply get out and she refuses. I can't believe I'm having to fund a legal battle based on lies and deception, while never even having a chance to mourn the loss of my dad.. If that poor guy were buried in a grave, he would be rolling in it. This is NOT what he wanted for me.

At the same time, I have my own fully functioning life worth of bills to pay for, complete with credit card debt from being unemployed and the ever-looming student loan payments coming up! My dog just had an unexpected $300 vet appointment and I still need to renew my car registration for $300. To make matters worse, my stepmother completely stopped paying the mortgage months ago and didn't bother to tell me. To prevent my home from being foreclosed on, I had to hand over my entire paycheck to the bank last week just to get it out of the red. November 1st is coming up soon and I will have to cover the mortgage yet again and for every month after this until I am able to get her out of there.

Those of you who know me know that I like to keep things humorous, lighthearted, and positive. I hate discussing this horrible situation. I absolutely hate to ask for help. I just physically cannot make this amount of money appear and I feel like I am backed into a corner and drowning. At 29 years old, I should be spending my hard-earned money on making a life for myself, not defending myself from some vile bully while I pay for the house she's living in. Any money given to me through this fundraiser will first and foremost help pay my legal fees (coming in hot at $225/hour!) and other associated costs like gas money. If you even took the time to read this far, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.