Rita is a mother of two brought to the story when Debra saved her from an abusive relationship with husband Paul. Dexter meets her through Debra and the two quickly find a spark and gradually establish a romantic relationship. Because of her recent experience with violence, Rita's character is initially wary of trusting Dexter. She gradually becomes more comfortable with Dexter and the relationship seems to help empower her to break free from her past.Background: We aren't given extensive information about Rita's background. We do know that she was married twice before meeting Dexter, once as a teenager. Paul, her second husband, was abusive and battled drug addition.