another word for meanwhile

She was the Kingsley heiress who gave up her crown for love. Karina fell for her boss, William, and after one reckless night, carried his child. He married her—but only in secret—while his heart still belonged to Fiona, the woman he could never forget. Years later, Fiona returned with a son, and William made the cruelest choice: embracing another child while abandoning his own. Shattered, Karina clung to her son Galen’s plea: “Give him three more chances.” But with every chance William wastes… Karina edges closer to walking away forever.

I dated my lawyer boyfriend for five years. He canceled our wedding.Fifty-two times.First time? His intern messed up some paperwork. He ditched me at the beach to fix it. I waited all day.Alone.Second time, we were mid-ceremony when he bolted.Heard that intern was getting heat from another lawyer and left me to face the guests and their stares.After that, every time we tried again, there was always some ""emergency"" with her. Always.I finally hit my limit. I was done. Packed up and broke it off.But the day I left Ainsley? He totally lost it trying to find me.

Chester Joseph and Winifred Sloan were once deeply in love, but a phone call made Chester believe Winifred had another lover and married him only for his wealth. His ex Yvette returned with her daughter, falsely claiming she had battled leukemia, and Chester believed her without question.During a car accident, Chester abandoned the gravely injured Winifred leading to her death. Yvette continued her schemes, pushing Madam Joseph, who knew the truth, into danger, deepening Chester's misunderstandings, and even planning an engagement with him. At the engagement ceremony, Madam Joseph arrived and exposed Yvette's treachery.

Aria was the beloved heir, but on her birthday, she was abandoned by her two Alpha fiancés, Adrian and Julian. The scheming maid Selena took her place, using a potion to fake a mate bond and steal their trust. Drowned, forgotten on her birthday, even wounded by their own hands — Aria's heart turned to ice. Just as everyone thought she would submit, she declared: ""I will marry Damien, the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack!"" The new engagement freed her and brought her a powerful guardian. When the truth was revealed, the regretful Alphas realized they had lost Aria forever—she was now the Luna of another pack.

Ten years ago, Sawyer Nixon pulled Megan Gray from the abyss,forged her into the sharpest blade in his arsenal, and welcomed her as the most docile lover by his side. He showered her with jewels and affection, leading her to believe this was love. He was the only light in her otherwise dim life. But when his long-lost love returned, he handed her a packet of poison, commanding her to ensnare another man. In that instant, she realized that after a decade of companionship, she was nothing more than a disposable tool. Her heart shattered in silence as she calmly accepted this final lesson: he had taught her to give up completely.

Ten years ago, Sawyer Nixon pulled Megan Gray from the abyss,forged her into the sharpest blade in his arsenal, and welcomed her as the most docile lover by his side. He showered her with jewels and affection, leading her to believe this was love. He was the only light in her otherwise dim life. But when his long-lost love returned, he handed her a packet of poison, commanding her to ensnare another man. In that instant, she realized that after a decade of companionship, she was nothing more than a disposable tool. Her heart shattered in silence as she calmly accepted this final lesson: he had taught her to give up completely.

I'm Isa Borgia, the daughter of the most powerful Don in Corvina. My father worries I'll marry the wrong man on a whim, so he arranges for me to be engaged to Luca, the rising heir of the Marino family. It's an arranged marriage, but that doesn't mean I've lost all my say. The very least I can do is choose a ring I genuinely like. So, I go to the mafia auction. When the diamond ring appears as the final jewel of the night, I lift my paddle. Just before the gavel falls, an arrogant voice comes from behind me. "A country bumpkin like you thinks you can compete with me? Do yourself a favor and leave." The auction hall goes quiet for a few seconds. The only sound comes from the camera shutters clicking around the hall. I turn and see a woman in a gold couture gown. Her mouth curves in a casual smile, as if she owns the place. Before I can say a word, the auctioneer rushes to close the bid.
"Sold! Congratulations to Ms. Sofia Lopez for winning the final lot, the Eternal Star!" My brows pull tight, and a hot spike of anger rises in my chest. "You ended the bidding early! Do you even follow the rules here?" Sofia turns around and gives me a once-over, her gaze sharp as a blade. 
"Rules?" She lets out a cold laugh. "Come on. I'm Luca Marino's favorite godsister. Around here, I make the rules!" I can't help but laugh. What a coincidence. So, she's my fiance's godsister. I pull out my phone and call him. "Luca, your godsister just snatched the engagement ring I picked out. How are you going to handle this?"

Dean Smith returned from working in another place, only to hear his wife, Amy Smith, reveal that she had lost the 500,000 dollars after her close friend, Polly Nell, tempted her to gamble. And the money was urgently needed for their daughter's heart surgery. Dean suppressed his overwhelming anger. The cheating tricks he learned in the casino suddenly came flooding back to him. He disguised himself as a rookie gambler and infiltrated the gambling den.With his extraordinary skills and psychological warfare,he set up a trap step by step to make the gambling ringleader and Polly pay a heavy price, determined to reclaim his daughter's chance of survival.

Despite being married for three years, Muse Dawn doesn't even get to hold hands with Jim Hawkins, let alone bear a child for him. After surviving a plane crash, Muse finds herself in the hospital, where she sees Jim accompanying another woman for a prenatal checkup. This makes Muse realize Jim's never had space in his heart for her. As soon as she ends the relationship, Muse changes back to the granddaughter of the world's wealthiest man. Since she can't be Jim's wife, she'll be his nemesis instead. She'd like to see who's the unworthy one now!

In her past life, Yvonne Grant gave everything to Marcus Quinn, only to be betrayed and deceived. Reborn on the very day she must choose a fiancé, she turns away from her first love Marcus and instead chooses Quintus Dalton, a man destined to become a tech magnate. As they spend time together, Yvonne uncovers his long-hidden feelings and years of quiet devotion. Realizing that Quintus is the one she was truly meant to love, she confronts Marcus with the truth that he once mistook another woman for her. Free at last from her old obsessions, Yvonne opens her heart to the man who has always stood by her side.

Ivy Inkwood took the blame for her stepsister's crime and landed in prison. Desperate to survive, she struck a deal with powerful businessman Leo Blythe—one night together in exchange for her freedom. Pregnant and released, Ivy set her sights on revenge against the Inkwood family.But things didn't go as planned. While executing her payback, she unexpectedly fell for Leo. As one hidden identity after another unraveled, Ivy faced betrayal from her family and fierce opposition from Leo's controlling mother.In the end, justice was served, the Inkwoods fell, and Ivy finally found both love and peace in Leo's arms.

In her past life, Yvonne Grant gave everything to Marcus Quinn, only to be betrayed and deceived. Reborn on the very day she must choose a fiancé, she turns away from her first love Marcus and instead chooses Quintus Dalton, a man destined to become a tech magnate. As they spend time together, Yvonne uncovers his long-hidden feelings and years of quiet devotion. Realizing that Quintus is the one she was truly meant to love, she confronts Marcus with the truth that he once mistook another woman for her. Free at last from her old obsessions, Yvonne opens her heart to the man who has always stood by her side.

For eighteen years, I, Althea Quinn Calder, wanted nothing more than torn shorts, hiking boots, and a detector in my pocket. My family was known across the stars as a glamorous treasure-hunting team, but what most people never knew was that our real fortune came from finding alien artifacts hidden inside ancient ruins. At a charity gala on Sobek Space Station, I was forced into an elegant dress and high heels, only to discover that the night was not just another social event. Our old rival, Alistair Draven, appeared again, watching us like a predator and hinting that he already knew about the secret mission my father had planned. Even worse, my father had hired a new intern without telling me. His name was Kaelan Frost, a brilliant student with green eyes, a Capellan accent, and the most dangerous effect on my concentration. I hated the idea of adding anyone to our team—until he joined our next expedition to New Haven, where a dive into the wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge led me to a hidden metal box, a ruby ring, and a cipher connected to the lost lover of the infamous space pirate Edward Teach. The clue pointed us from a sunken ship to a protected estate, then to a secret garden where another message revealed something far bigger: Teach had hidden not only pirate treasure, but the missing fortune of a destroyed Spanish treasure fleet. Every clue brings Kaelan and me closer, but it also brings Alistair closer to us. He has followed every expedition we ever took, and this time, if he discovers what I am carrying, the next treasure we uncover may become the one that gets us killed.

Kyle Cooke believes he and Sara Wood are a loving married couple—five years of marriage as proof of their happiness.However, when he goes to the city hall to replace their coffee-stained marriage certificate, he’s shocked to discover the system shows him as “unmarried,” while Sara’s spouse is registered as another man—Noe Gibson. This discovery unveils a brutal truth: Kyle once caught Sara in an intimate moment with Noe, but she begged forgiveness claiming she was “looking for a stand-in,” even threatening suicide. After learning of her determination to “never let him find out,” Kyle’s heart dies completely. He decides to cancel his domestic identity, change his name, and disappear forever.

Josefina, once a beauty queen, married into the prestigious Quincy family in glory—but soon discovered her husband, Clinton, had a secret room plastered with women's photos, with her just another target. To her shock, Clinton was also involved with her sister-in-law,Queena.Determined to protect herself,Josefina secretly conceived via IVF and began plotting her revenge. Navigating the Quincy family's power struggles, she allied with Clinton's brother, Shane, to outmaneuver her adversaries. In the end, when Queena drove off with Clinton, both meeting a tragic fate, the high-society feud finally concluded. Josefina's trials over, she emerged stronger, and her destiny took a surprising new turn.

Before my boyfriend, August Cadwell, marked me, we went to register our mate bond at the Pack Affairs Department. Without a word of explanation, he unexpectedly had someone throw me out of the office. Then he walked in with his childhood sweetheart. He didn’t even blink when he saw me sitting there on the ground, shaking with disbelief. "Hailey's pup needs to be part of the Aurelis pack. The best and quickest method is for her to register a mate bond with a werewolf from the Aurelis pack. As soon as we sever the mate bond, I'll form a mate bond with you." Everyone assumed the lovesick version of me would wait just one more month for him. After all, I'd already waited seven long years. But that night, I did something unexpected too. I accepted my parents' arranged mate bond and quietly left for the Lymerian pack, disappearing from his life entirely. Three years later, I returned to my original pack to visit my family. My mate, Ryder Weyland, was now the lycan chairman. Because of an urgent council meeting, he arranged for someone to collect me from the airport. I never imagined that “someone” would be August. The moment he spotted me, his eyes immediately landed on the sparkling bracelet on my wrist. "Isn't this a knockoff of the bracelet Ryder Weyland, the lycan chairman, spent two million dollars on for his mate? Didn't expect you to turn this vain after just a few years. "You've caused enough chaos, haven't you? It's time to return. Hailey's pup is now of school age. You can take on the responsibility of pick-ups and drop-offs." I gently ran my fingers over the bracelet on my wrist. Little did he know that this was the cheapest one Ryder had ever given me.

Tiana, the daughter of the Chudy family, was abducted when she was born. Her brother Bennett, fearing their mother's blame, swapped her with another baby, Roslyn, at the time of the abduction, falsely claiming that the kidnapped child was a janitor's daughter. Tiana was raised by Liala and eventually employed by Chudy Group due to her talent. On her first day at the company, she was bullied by Roslyn for saving a colleague. Bennett noticed the resemblance between Tiana and his long-lost sister, delved further into the investigation, and uncovered the truth, confirming that Tiana was indeed his sister. He vowed to protect his sister from harm. With the mystery of Tiana's identity unraveled, her future got brighter under her brother's protection.

Kyle Cooke believes he and Sara Wood are a loving married couple—five years of marriage as proof of their happiness.However, when he goes to the city hall to replace their coffee-stained marriage certificate, he’s shocked to discover the system shows him as “unmarried,” while Sara’s spouse is registered as another man—Noe Gibson. This discovery unveils a brutal truth: Kyle once caught Sara in an intimate moment with Noe, but she begged forgiveness claiming she was “looking for a stand-in,” even threatening suicide. After learning of her determination to “never let him find out,” Kyle’s heart dies completely. He decides to cancel his domestic identity, change his name, and disappear forever.