Chapter 223 Swear on One’s Life

Chapter 223 Swear on One’s Life

The River City matter has come to an end.

Now it's the Brown family's turn.

Diana sat in the back seat, her palms sweating.

The Brown family was different from the Grant family.

When she had that car accident years ago and nearly died, it was her cousin Sebastian who pulled her back from death's door.

Over these four years, the entire Brown family had cherished her like the apple of their eye, and old Mrs. Brown had showered all her favoritism on her.

In the Brown family's eyes, Ethan was nothing but a complete bastard.

The car stopped at the steps below the main house.

Diana pushed open the car door and turned to look at the man beside her.

Ethan's abdominal wound hadn't been stitched up yet, and his face showed a sickly pallor, but he kept his back straight, tugging at his tie with one hand, ready to get out.

Diana grabbed his wrist.

"You and Liv wait in the car first," Diana lowered her voice. "Let me go in and talk to my grandmother and brothers first. They have bad tempers, and I'm afraid they'll just chase you out with a broom."

Ethan held her hand in return, their fingers intertwining.

"I'll go in with you."

Diana frowned and pointed at his stomach.

"Do you have a death wish? If my brother throws a punch, you can't even dodge in your condition."

"Dodge what?" Ethan pulled her toward the car door. "I owe the Brown family an explanation, and I need to give it. If I let you go in alone to take the scolding, what kind of man am I?"

Olivia jumped out from the other side with her strawberry backpack, came around and looked Ethan up and down.

"Deadbeat dad, my uncle hits really hard," the little girl pouted. "If you get beaten and cry later, I won't speak up for you."

Ethan didn't argue, just reached out and ruffled Olivia's hair.

"I don't need you to speak up for me."

The three of them walked up the steps.

The butler pushed open the double wooden doors to the living room.

Diana had barely taken one step inside when her feet froze in place.

In the huge living room, the atmosphere was oppressively heavy.

Old Mrs. Brown sat in the main seat in the center, with Uncle Roman and Second Uncle Nathan sitting on either side in single sofas.

Sebastian leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of black coffee.

Four people, eight gazes, all landing on them the moment the door opened.

Everyone had cold faces.

The butler wisely retreated and closed the door behind him.

Diana's scalp tingled.

She forced herself to walk forward two steps, her voice dry.

"Grandma, Uncle, Second Uncle, brother. I'm back."

Old Mrs. Brown didn't respond.

Sebastian set his coffee cup down heavily on the nearby table.

"Healed up?" Sebastian stared at Diana, his gaze moving past her to land on Ethan behind her, his lips curling into a mocking smile. "Pretty tough, one stab didn't even kill you."

The remark was clearly directed at Ethan.

Diana instinctively stepped half a step to the side, blocking Ethan.

"Brother, don't say that."

"You shut up." Old Mrs. Brown finally spoke.

The old lady stood up, leaning on her cane.

"Diana, come here." Old Mrs. Brown pointed to the spot beside her.

Diana didn't move.

Old Mrs. Brown let out a cold laugh, her gaze cutting toward Ethan like a knife.

"What, haven't you suffered enough out there all these years? How did Ethan treat you back then—have you forgotten everything? He forced you to divorce for that Brooks woman, caused your car accident that nearly killed you both! Now he's taken one stab and you've gone soft? You want to bring him back to the Brown family?"

The old lady wasn't pulling any punches.

Diana's throat tightened, her eyes welling up.

She knew her grandmother was doing this because she cared, because it had taken her four years to move on.

"Grandma, there was a misunderstanding about what happened four years ago," Diana tried to explain. "Actually..."

"Great-grandma!"

Just then, a clear child's voice interrupted the tense standoff in the living room.

Olivia ran over on her little legs and hugged old Mrs. Brown's leg.

The little girl looked up, her big dark eyes blinking.

"Don't be angry, Great-grandma." Olivia held the old lady's hand. "Deadbeat dad is really annoying, but this time he bled a lot and almost died. If he died, Liv wouldn't have a daddy anymore."

Old Mrs. Brown looked at her great-granddaughter, and the coldness on her face immediately softened considerably.

The old lady bent down and picked Olivia up, her eyes full of affection.

"Good Liv, Great-grandma isn't angry."

But Sebastian had no intention of letting Ethan off so easily.

He strode over.

"Don't think you can get away with this by using the child as a shield. You're not welcome in this house. Get out."

Diana tried to stop him, but Ethan's hand reached from behind and pressed on Diana's shoulder.

Ethan pulled Diana behind him, meeting Sebastian's gaze without flinching.

The wound in his abdomen ached from the movement, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, but he stood steady, showing no sign of weakness.

Uncle Roman picked up his teacup, blew on the foam, his tone measured but full of pressure.

"Mr. Grant, the Grant family in River City is indeed wealthy and powerful. But our Brown family isn't lacking either. The children of the Brown family never grovel. Go back where you came from."

Second Uncle Nathan nodded in agreement.

"Diana has been doing very well these four years. She doesn't need your fake attempts at making amends."

Facing the Brown family's pressure from all sides, Ethan's grip on Diana's hand kept tightening.

He lowered his gaze, looked at Diana, then raised his head again, looking directly at old Mrs. Brown in the main seat.

"I accept that you all have a bias against me," Ethan's tone was calm, each word clear. "What happened four years ago was entirely my fault. I was blind, I was arrogant, and I made Diana suffer so much."

Sebastian crossed his arms, watching him coldly.

"Anyone can apologize with words. You think just because you took a stab for her, you can wipe the slate clean?"

"I never thought I could wipe the slate clean." Ethan looked directly at Sebastian.

He let go of Diana's hand and took a step forward.

"That car accident wasn't just Diana's nightmare—it's my shadow too." Ethan's voice trembled slightly. He forced down the dryness in his throat. "These four years, I've lived with regret every single day."

The living room fell quiet.

Diana looked at the man's upright but somewhat lonely figure, her eyes completely reddening.

Ethan turned around, his gaze sweeping over the Brown family members before finally settling on old Mrs. Brown's face.

"Mrs. Brown, Mr. Brown. I know you care about Diana. If you don't trust me, that's fine."

He paused, his tone serious.

"I'm standing here today not to ask for forgiveness. I'm here to make my position clear."

Ethan bent slightly and bowed deeply to the Brown family.

The movement pulled at his wound, and he gasped in pain, his body swaying, but he quickly steadied himself, his back still straight.

"As long as you're willing to give me a chance, I'll spend the rest of my life proving it. I'll value Diana and Liv more than my own life. If I let her suffer even the slightest bit again, you won't need to lift a finger—I'll give this life back to the Brown family myself."

As his words fell, the entire living room sank into deathly silence.

Old Mrs. Brown stared at him, a flash of complexity in her eyes.

Sebastian kept a cold face, his fingers tapping twice on his arm.

"Swearing on your life?" Sebastian's lips curled. He walked up to Ethan. "Fine. Since you've said that much, let me see your sincerity."