The Hook

toxic parents, abuse, toxic families, codependent 

At first it seemed perfect, 

too good to be true.

A person who is incapable of an honest, mature relationship must rely on fireworks and sleight of hand. 

This person is unable to care for your emotional needs. 
This person is looking to hook someone.
This person uses these early days to manipulate kind people into going along with their pattern.
This person will mention bad past relationship stories, in all of which the toxic person will have been the victim, trying to get you to feel sorry for them.
This person is not seeking an equal, healthy relationship.

This person's goal is to not be alone.
I get that.
I have compassion for that. No one wants to be alone.

The problem is that, rather than offer a grown-up relationship, equality, support, love, and true affection they offer falseness and desperation to form a connection. With someone.

The early days are larger than life where the toxic one sweeps you off of your feet with their affection, with their exciting charm and charisma, with their perfection, with the shower of gifts, with intoxicating words, with romance, with exhilarating events, with seeming to be exactly what you have been hoping for, with great sex, with their appearance of being exactly perfect for you. Most people barely notice how manipulative and false it all is.
It's a masquerade, a mirror, a deceit and you were on the receiving end of it.

You have been deeply betrayed because of your sincere efforts to form a healthy, happy relationship.  

It's not that you don't deserve a great relationship. You do.
It's that you were fooled by the short cut that this relationship seemed to offer. 
Great relationships always take time to develop.