ANIMAL | a yandere!mental patient x doctor!reader

Chapter Six - Cleo

(TW- cheating, very toxic behavior)

"I'll be your doctor as long as you want, Ocean."

. . .

You couldn't help but smile even as you left to take your daily lunch break. You had previously resigned to the fact that Ocean didn't like you, but he was proving to be a sweetheart. You suddenly remembered that you hadn't returned Andie's call and stepped into the empty staff locker room. Your first two tries to reach Andie went to voicemail, but he picked up on the third.

"Hey, babe. I'm sorry I missed your call earlier. I was working."

"No worries. I know how focused you can get." His voice was hushed, and you could hear cars faintly driving by in the background.

"Um, so, where were you this morning?"

"Ah, sorry about that," he sighed. "Work emergency, you know how it is."

"Oh, okay," you said, hesitating. In the beginning of your relationship, Andie often complained to you about his past relationships, and how everyone he had dated and broken up with was 'crazy'. Because of that, you tried hard to monitor yourself and were careful not to seem overbearing. "Well, tomorrow's our anniversary, so I thought maybe we could do something? I mean, if you're not busy."

"I'm afraid I am. Tomorrow's that thing for the showcase, remember?"

You didn't, but you replied, "Oh, right, I totally forgot."

"Maybe we could do it another day? Look, I've got to go, but I'll be home early tonight."

"Yeah, sure. Bye, babe, I love you."

The disconnect tone sounded as he ended the call, and you were struck with the best idea. After Ocean had his dinner, you would clock off early to surprise Andie with a nice candle-lit dinner, something from a fine dining kind of restaurant. You never got back to the townhouse before eight, which was when Andie usually showed up on his be-home-early days, and he had been mentioning for weeks about how much he wanted to try Danielle's, a new French restaurant started by a TV-famous chef. You grinned to yourself, proud of your absolute genius plan, and dialed the number on the Danielle's website.

Your giddy mood unwavering, you decided to bring Ocean something else with his dinner. His file had a picture of a painting that he had made of the stars showing just as the sun was rising, so you bought the next best thing- a star projector. When you showed it to him, he didn't know what it was because of the plain cardboard box it was in.

"Oops," you said lightheartedly at your own mistake, taking it out. The machine was a clear dome on a black base, and it was battery-powered, as there was no power outlet in Ocean's room. You pulled four large rectangles of poster board from under your arm and began to stick them around over the lights imbedded into the ceiling, having to stretch onto the tips of your toes to reach. Once you flicked the power switch, the now-dark room filled with a golden-white array of 'stars'. "Wow, it's actually super pretty."

"Very pretty," Ocean agreed, though he was looking at you from the corner of his eye and not the lights. He lied down to take in the fake night sky without craning his neck. "Thank you, Y/N."

You dropped to the ground next to him, your hands crossed over your stomach. "You know, I like it when you say my name, too, Ocean."

You didn't notice, as you were too busy looking for constellations that you recognized, but a light blush tinted Ocean's cheeks, and a smile formed on his face.

"Really?"

"Really."

When you reached stairs that led up to your brick townhouse, you noticed that Andie's car was parked outside on the street. Strange, you thought. It was only seven. You carried two bags of paper takeout boxes that contained a full three-course meal with dessert, making it hard for you to discreetly get through the front door. You set the bags down behind the umbrella stand and took off your shoes slowly, setting them down gingerly on your shoe rack. Andie was nowhere to be seen. Rummaging through the cabinets, you found a set of scented candles and a lighter. You arranged them on the table and lit them, a gentle fragrance of sandalwood and rose radiating from them. You turned the kitchen lights off and plated the food from Danielle's, putting the desserts into the fridge to stop them from melting.

"Where did Andie go?" you asked quietly to yourself. Your question was answered when you heard the vague sound of talking from upstairs. You climbed the stairs and headed in the direction of the sound: the bedroom. You paused as you realized it was both Andie's voice and a woman's voice. You pushed open the door silently.

You froze. Your mouth went dry and your stomach did a full one-eighty. Andie was lying in bed with someone you didn't recognize cuddled up against him. He saw you standing in the doorway and half-jumped out of the covers. He wasn't naked, but that didn't make it any better. The woman looked flustered, rushing to get dressed. You felt like you could vomit.

"Y/N, uh- you- I wasn't expecting you this early," Andie fumbled, pulling on his shirt.

To your surprise, the woman, a short-haired brunette with an edgy sort of beauty, came up to you and shook your hand, giving you a smile.

"So sorry we had to meet like that, Y/N. I'm Cleo. I'm Andie's girlfriend."

"Um, nice to meet you, Cleo-" you dropped her hand, directing your glance to Andie. "I think there's been a misunderstanding."

"Oh, my god. Is this your sister's room or something, my love?" she asked Andie. You couldn't comprehend what you were hearing. You didn't want to.

"Sorry, I think Andie and I should talk," you said in a shaky voice. "Outside."

You felt bad for leaving Cleo clueless- she was innocent, after all- but you were desperate for an explanation. As if the world knew what was happening, a light drizzle began to come down, pitter-pattering on the asphalt. Your breath looked like smoke when you exhaled, but you barely felt the cold. You still crossed your arms anyway.

"Why?" you asked, inhaling sharply.

"Y/N, I just- I never meant to keep it a secret for this long."

"So you just led me on and cheated on me?"

"I'm in love with Cleo. What we had-" he waved a finger between the two of you- "never meant anything serious. I never loved you."

"I loved you!" Your voice started off harsh, but softened as you choked.

"Look, Y/N, I'm sorry we had to end like this, but you can't blame me if I don't have feelings for you. Please, don't be like my other exes."

Your vision was blurry with tears, and you dug your nails into your arm. You shook your head. "I'm not- I- what?"

"I know I should have said something, but you were just a lot to handle, okay? It was exhausting being with you."

You blinked, and the tears fell, sliding down your face. "Andie-"

"I'm moving in with Cleo. I need to pack, so maybe stay the night somewhere else tomorrow."

With that, he went back inside. You collapsed onto the stairs. Water was seeping in through your clothes, but you didn't notice. You folded into yourself, your shoulders shaking uncontrollably. You hoped that if you curled up enough, you could disappear and forget everything that just happened. All of a sudden, everything came bursting out. You clutched your hand over your mouth, trying to muffle the involuntary sobs that came out in strangled cries. It felt like your heart was being wringed out until it was physically ripped in half.

"I never loved you."