Anne and Shylock were in a cold war,
This was really too rare.
One had to know that..,
It had been more than three years..,
The young couple had almost never had a small argument.
Of course..,
This was mostly thanks to Anne's good temper. After all, she was facing Sherlock Holmes, who could anger a dead person to life with three words.
Therefore, everyone was sure that even Anne was angry. Shylock must have made an unforgivable mistake.
The word "unforgivable" was a bit serious. The landlord and tenants of 221B all knew what had happened,
Although Shylock's approach could be understood to a certain extent, he had really made a big mistake this time.
It happened on November 5th, the night of the Bonfire Festival, a traditional British holiday.
It happened to be the weekend, and Shylock was still busy with the terrorist attack case brought by Mcauliffe. Anne stayed in the studio all day to draw.
Mr. Holmes generously expressed,
His time at night was all hers, and he even agreed to accompany her to watch the bonfire and fireworks show.
But in the end, because of an accident, this date did not happen.
The early winter in London was unusually cold, and at night, it rained — extremely fine snowflakes, almost raindrops, fluttered in the world outside the glass window.
Poor Doctor Watson was kidnapped that night.
As Sherlock Holmes's assistant and good friend, even the doctor himself could not calculate the exact number of times he had encountered danger. Every time, he was surrounded by danger,
Danger was everywhere.
This time was no exception.
The creative criminal came up with another strange move,
The doctor was trapped in the bonfire,
He was almost burned to ashes with Guy Fawkes from more than 400 years ago.
Shylock only received the news that Anne was in danger when he was about to rush to the bonfire in front of the church to rescue Watson.
"Friend or lover, sometimes we have to make a choice, Mr. Holmes."
Such a short message was sent to Shylock's cell phone.
He abruptly stopped in his tracks, as if he had run into a high wall while running at a high speed. A series of crashing sounds rang out, which could seriously injure anyone.
The tiny snowflakes falling from the night sky seemed to follow his movements and suddenly stopped in midair. His heart instantly tightened to the extreme, and his chest let out a heavy buzzing sound as if it had been hit by a heavy blow. He spun in a circle like a trapped beast, and the hem of his coat slid in a painful arc in the air.
But in fact, he did not do anything. All these struggles were completed in his thoughts. In reality, his footsteps towards Watson did not stop at all — he could not stop.
Shylock ran over like a madman. Ignoring the licking of the fire, he dragged Watson out of the bonfire. After confirming that he was fine, Shylock said to Mary, "Call an ambulance." He turned around and rushed out of the crowd, running in the opposite direction.
The snowflakes hit his face like raindrops, so cold that he shivered. When Shylock took out his cell phone from his pocket, he found that he was really shivering.
When Shylock arrived, Mcauliffe was already there — this was the first time that Shylock took the initiative to call Mcauliffe for help.
Anne was being carried into the ambulance. After Shylock and Mary left, she was knocked out and thrown into another bonfire.
Mcauliffe stood in front of the ambulance not far away. His expression was as elegant and calm as ever, but in fact, he was not as calm as he appeared. The best evidence was that he even forgot to bring his long black umbrella, and it was raining and snowing in London today.
Shylock walked in front of him and did not say a word for a long time.
Mcauliffe immediately saw that it was not that he did not want to talk, but that he was so nervous that he could not say a word.
"She's still alive." Mcauliffe took the initiative to give the answer.
Perhaps Mcauliffe should not be surprised by the expression on Shylock's face at this time. After receiving Shylock's call, Mcauliffe used two seconds to imagine what would happen to his brother if the girl named Anne De Boer died.
Then the Government of Great Britain immediately came to the answer — it would destroy his dear brother. Therefore, he would never let this happen!
Hearing Mcauliffe's answer, Shylock finally breathed a sigh of relief. He painfully closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pale face was not much better than before.
Mcauliffe hesitated for a moment, stepped forward, and reached out to pat Shylock on the shoulder.
"Shylock," Mcauliffe looked at him with concern, "You're not calm right now. You should know better than me that any decision made at this time is wrong. Wait for her and listen to what she wants to say to you when she wakes up. "
The thick night, like a black boulder, pressed down on the top of his head.
Shylock did not say anything.
He saw Anne in the ambulance.
The "alive" Mcauliffe said was that Anne inhaled a lot of smoke, which led to an asthma attack and shock. She did not have any time to call for help. Even though Mcauliffe took action in the shortest time possible, Anne's right arm and shoulder were seriously burned.
Anne had always been thin and soft, but Shylock had never felt so clearly that she was so fragile.
A large oxygen mask covered her small cheeks, making it almost impossible to feel her weak breathing. The bloody arm was quietly placed next to her thin body.
Shylock felt his throat tighten. This was a hand that could paint the most beautiful oil painting in the world. She used this hand to pass him coffee, make tea for him, and make delicious breakfast for him. She liked to use this hand to stroke his cheeks and hair, and give him hugs. This was the originally white and flawless skin on her arm …
Shylock wanted to reach out and touch her, but every part of his body betrayed the command of his brain at the same time, and he could not move an inch.
The ambulance drove to the hospital. Shylock watched the unfamiliar faces carry his girl down, push her away, and push her into the operating room.
Mrs. Hudson, Watson, and Mary, who had received the news, also came — Watson only suffered some superficial injuries, and his throat was burned by the smoke.
But the smoke could take Anne's life. It was he who chose to leave her there and let the hot flames burn her skin little by little.
Shylock sat on the bench in the corridor with his head lowered and did not speak to anyone.
After the operation, Anne was in a coma for ten hours. Shylock sat in the chair in front of the bed motionlessly and looked at her. Mcauliffe suddenly felt a wave of fear. This feeling was even stronger than when Shylock was shot by Moriarty last time.
Mcauliffe felt extremely lucky again. Fortunately, he had arrived in time.
Ten hours later, Anne woke up. She opened her eyes and saw Shylock in front of the bed immediately.
When he stood up, he even knocked over the chair behind him. Then, as if to confirm something, he leaned over and looked at her steadily. There were obvious red streaks in those bright eyes.
Anne felt that she seemed to see tears in his eyes. Was he crying?
Don't be afraid, Shylock. Anne smiled and wanted to tell him that, but she was too tired. But she was too tired. She only had time to give him a smile before she fell asleep again.
When Anne woke up again, Shylock was gone.
Mrs. Hudson said that Shylock had been watching over her all day and night, and had been sent back to Baker Street to rest.
Anne believed her, but Shylock still didn't show up for the next three days.
Mrs. Hudson and Mary took turns taking care of Anne every day, and they had to come up with all kinds of excuses to explain Shylock. Anne stopped asking later. At least from their expressions, she could tell that Shylock wasn't in any danger.
Also, Anne could guess why Shylock was "missing."
Two weeks later, Anne insisted on being discharged. Only then did everyone realize that she was as stubborn as a certain detective. The burns on her arms and shoulders were recovering well after the surgery. It didn't affect the use of her right hand, but it would leave scars.
After returning to Baker Street, Anne found out that Shylock hadn't returned to the apartment for the past two weeks, and no one knew where he was.
Anne waited for him in the apartment for another three days, but she still didn't get anything.
She finally called Mcauliffe. There was only one person in the world who would never lose track of Shylock's whereabouts.
"I don't think it's a good time to see him, Anne." Mcauliffe said slowly on the other end of the phone, "I think you should know the reason why Shylock … is' abnormal. '" After a pause, Mcauliffe chose this word carefully.
Anne was silent for a few seconds, then asked softly, "Do you think he can figure it out by himself? After all, he's not as smart as he usually appears to be when it comes to certain things. "
McAuliffe succeeded in laughing at this and gave her an address.
An abandoned old building in the East End of London, Homeless Home. Shylock had spent more than half a month in this place.
Watson drove with Anne. The doctor asked her to wait outside while he went in to find Shylock. Anne didn't insist and nodded in agreement.
The weather was good today, and there was rare warm sunshine.
Anne stood in the abandoned space in front of the building and watched Shylock and Watson arguing as they walked into the sunshine.
He was wearing a dirty blue coat, and the curly hair on his head looked like it hadn't been washed for at least three days. It was greasy and stuck to his scalp. The stubble on his face made him look unkempt and disheveled.
Anne's eyes were a bit hot.
She knew that he was just afraid.
When Shylock saw her, he paused.
Anne stood still and smiled gently. His two long legs once again betrayed the command of his brain and walked in front of her.
Shylock looked down at her right arm. It was now wrapped in a thick coat and looked as usual, but he had seen its bloody appearance.
Annie immediately felt it. She raised her arm and extended it in front of him. Her exposed fingers were still as slender and cute as before, moving nimbly in front of his eyes.
"Do you see? It's already healed, but there will be scars on the arm. Do you think they're too ugly? "
Her soft voice fell on his drooping eyelashes with the winter sun.
Shylock pursed his lips and didn't say anything. He didn't even look at her.
He had asked the same question before. But his mood was completely different. Shylock finally understood Anne's heartache and sadness at that time, not to mention that her injury was caused by him.
How many times had she been in danger since she met him? For the past half a month, Shylock had been thinking about this question over and over again.
Jack the Ripper, Moriarty, and this time. And as long as she was with him, these dangers would never end. The only thing that would end was her fragile life.
"Shylock," Anne called his name softly. "Do you think that I'm talking to you so calmly now, as if I'm not angry at all? But that's not the case. I'm very angry. "
Shylock couldn't take it anymore. He finally looked up and said impatiently, "Angry? You were almost burned to death, and you only feel angry?! What's wrong with you? You should feel afraid! Fear! These are your true feelings! Now tell me — "
He stared at her with burning eyes. Anne believed that she really saw tears in Shylock's eyes, but he held them back and didn't allow them to fall.
He asked word by word, "When you were pressed into that bonfire, and the hot flames burned your skin inch by inch, did you really only feel 'angry'?"
Anne's eyes were hot, and she looked back at him motionlessly.
She was silent for a long time, so long that Shylock gradually felt uneasy, as if everything he said and did was wrong …
"Yes," Anne finally said softly after a long time, "I was very scared."
With one sentence, the tears in Shylock's eyes flowed down almost instantly.
Anne's heart trembled, and she continued, "And when I faced Jack the Ripper in the past, when I faced Moriarty … I was very scared every time. No, not just scared. I even saw the difference between us very clearly. "
Shylock's long eyelashes flickered, and he looked away.
"We're really too different." Anne's voice had been very soft, "But when I was most scared, when I saw all the differences between us clearly, Shylock, I never thought of being separated from you. Do you know why? "
Anne didn't wait for his answer and said slowly, "Because all of these fears added up, they didn't make me feel more scared than leaving you."
Shylock trembled slightly and looked up at her.
Anne's gaze had been there, quietly looking at him.
"So, you can tell me now, Shylock. Are you hiding here because you want to leave me? Or do you want me to leave you? "
Shylock couldn't say anything.
"You're right. There's something else besides being angry." Anne's voice became softer. "I'm very disappointed, Shylock. After all we've been through, I'm very disappointed that you're like this now … "
Anne lowered her head. The warm sunlight shone down, and a small cluster of light was refracted from her ring finger. Anne gently twisted the small cluster of light off her ring finger, pulled his hand, and placed it in his palm.
"Think clearly before you go back to Baker Street."
After Anne said this, she turned around, opened the car door, and got into the car.
Shylock stared blankly at her back as she turned around and walked away. He then looked down at the small diamond ring in his palm.
There was a flash of panic in Detective Holmes's heart.
Watson had been standing at the side when they were talking. When Anne finally took off the engagement ring and returned it to Shylock, the doctor was also stunned.
Didn't he say that he would persuade Shylock to go back? Why did it suddenly escalate to "breaking off the engagement"?
"Shylock, you've really gone overboard this time." The doctor tried to ease the atmosphere. "We're all very worried, especially Anne. She insisted on being discharged before she fully recovered …"
Shylock pursed his lips tightly, as if he was lost in his own thoughts and hadn't fully recovered.
However, to Watson's surprise, Shylock really went back to Baker Street with them just like that.
When they got into the car, Shylock didn't choose the empty front passenger seat. Instead, he took the initiative to sit next to Anne.
However, Anne sat quietly in the back seat. Her head was turned to one side, and she didn't look at him at all.
Anne's judgment of Shylock was completely correct. He was really a brat. Only by putting the result in front of him and letting him know what he was going to lose, would he realize his mistake.
From the moment Shylock returned to Baker Street, Anne didn't take the initiative to talk to him again. She quickly moved from Shylock's bedroom to the studio on the first floor.
The two of them started their "cold war", but the roles were instantly reversed. Mr. Holmes, who was courting death, tried to make peace with her, but Anne was unmoved.
Shylock had never seen Anne really angry. In fact, the friends of 221B had never seen it before.
Anne didn't completely ignore Shylock. She even made tea and coffee for him like before, and prepared breakfast for him after she came back from her morning run. However, when there was a problem, she also made tea and coffee for others. Breakfast was also given to everyone.
She treated him like an ordinary friend. She wasn't even as enthusiastic as she was with Mrs. Hudson, Watson, and Mary.
She didn't smile at him like before, and she wouldn't touch his cheek and hair intimately like before. Hugs and kisses were, of course, an extravagant wish …
Shylock scratched his hair in frustration every day, but no matter how he deliberately hung around in front of Anne, she could turn a blind eye.
What made Mr. Holmes even more dissatisfied was that during his "disappearance," 221B actually had a new tenant, and it seemed that the new tenant, who called himself "Doctor," got along very well with everyone.
Even Anne liked him very much. Shylock saw her and the "Doctor," who wore a tweed jacket and a bow tie and had unbearably bad taste in clothes, talking happily more than once.
She even bought fish sticks for the suspicious doctor at the fish shop on Marylebone Road.
That was his fish shop!
Mr. Holmes roared angrily in his heart, but he didn't dare to lose his temper at Anne. He could only wait for her to leave and snatch all the fish sticks from the doctor's hands!
After Anne stopped indulging him, the detective's naughty nature was even more exposed. He was like a pitiful cat who had fallen out of favor and had no choice but to desperately cause trouble to get its owner's attention.
After everyone expressed their friendly apologies and deep sympathy for Mr. Holmes at the beginning, they all agreed to watch the drama unfold. After all, it was rare to see Sherlock Holmes being humiliated. Everyone even secretly wanted to take photos as a souvenir.
At the same time, everyone saw for the first time the lethality of Anne's gentleness.
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