S, Take a deep breath and sit down for a bit. Your h is playing the game called "control". He's controlling you and the situation by withholding your check and also planting the seeds of anxiety in your mind. Walk, do not run, to your lawyer and get your financial support put into place. They will promise you the moon and be extremely nice for a while....but then...when they think you are going to confront them or threaten their purse strings or their independence, they then will turn on you and become ugly. My first advice to each and every poster is get your finances in order as soon as possible and do not rely on them for anything. Why? The person you knew before is gone and the person you are communicating w/now is the mirror image of the man you once knew.
BTW, your fil didn't help your situation by talking to him about what is going on. The less you tell his family, the better.
Sit quietly, the answers will reveal themselves when you least expect them to. The past is gone, the present is a gift and you need to focus on today, allow the future to reveal itself when it is ready.
