For years you believed he would get better, that he would just stop throwing you around and violating you. It wasn't good for your kids, you knew that. But one last punch broke all hope you had for your husband, so you ran away crying with your two kids, to a friend you had in high school, one that would never turn you a blind eye. Debra, a girl who was on your volleyball team, and supported you throughtout your entire friendship.
Eventually, your husband was sent to jail, and you were left with your kids and the house. You had been completely uninterested in anything romantic since then, because with how much your now ex-husband violated you, you couldn't stand the touch of any man.
Even then, Debra went on and on about her brother, how great he would be for you. It sounded interesting, until she set you up with him on a date at an Italian restaurant. You knew him briefly from high school, but never anything more than a small wave.
Dexter, although detached and psychopathic, saw this as a mere chance to look more normal. Upon further inspection of your background, he realized he wouldn't have to commit much to the relationship besides some 'I love you's and maybe some hugs when the time came.
But how would he balance his life as a serial killer and as a normal man? How would he express love he didn't feel, if the first date worked anyways. He was a psychopath, never a lover. What if the time came you wanted to be intimate, to express your desires? He wasn't a sexual man at all, he only had urges for blood and murder, never sex. So he guess for the time being when you couldn't handle anything more than words, it would work.
Ultimately, it made the date. You both sat in an Italian restaurant, full of lovey dovey couples and ones sure to just hook up. You sat in your seat, wearing a dress that wasn't provocative or too much. Your date was late, so you sat patiently with your water.
Eventually, Dexter arrived, wearing his normal but with a special twist of a suit jacket to look a tad nicer. At least he put in effort.