Synonym Stunned

After five years of marriage, my wife’s childhood friend posted a photo of a property deed in his social media circle with the caption, [Thank you, Miss CEO, for transferring the house to me.] I was stunned when I saw the address on the deed—it was my home. Confused, I left a comment. [?] Almost immediately, my wife, Alice, called and scolded me. "He’s a single dad, so pitiful! I only transferred the house to his name to make it easier for his daughter to attend school. It doesn’t affect us living there. How can you be so heartless and lack even a shred of compassion?" In the background, I could hear her childhood friend complaining bitterly. Half an hour later, he posted on social media again and tagged me. This time, he showed off a $150,000 sports car with the caption, [Paid in full! As the saying goes, where a woman spends her money is where her heart lies.] I knew it was my wife who bought him the car to make up for upsetting him. But this time, I’ve made up my mind—I’m filing for divorce.

At school, I was bullied, and my mother suddenly died tragically. Who is the murderer behind this? I have to painfully pursue the truth, but now the person I love is pushing me hard. Does he really understand what love is? Why can't misunderstandings be explained face to face? Why does bullying become a synonym for love? I can't give up. I will save myself from danger countless times. I will become the Alpha King.

When I turned eighteen, I completed my shift and finally gained my wolf. The Lycan King of the Northern Tribe—Karl Gilmore, my father's close friend—handed me photos of his sons and told me to choose a mate. Whomever I chose would become the next Lycan King. Without hesitation, I pointed to his eldest son, Sven Gilmore. Everyone was stunned because everyone knew, for years, I had always loved the third son, Erik Gilmore. I'd trailed after Erik like a shadow, declaring loudly to the whole world that I'd marry him someday, that I'd be his mate. In my previous life, I did marry Erik. And he did become the next Lycan King. But a year into our marriage, he betrayed me with my stepsister and got her pregnant. Furious, the old Lycan King forced her to abort the pup and exiled her to another pack. From that moment on, Erik despised me. He started bringing home a different mistress every night. I was furious, helpless, and eventually, I died in the dead of winter. I never expected that when I opened my eyes again, I'd be back at eighteen, standing at the very moment I was meant to choose my mate. This time, I won't choose Erik. This time, I'll step aside and let him have his love with my sister. But why did Erik break down in tears when I chose someone else, begging me to come back?

In my eighth year of simping for Darcy Lemche, I finally got a chance to become his Luna. That night, standing by Spirit Fall in Dusk Forest, he took off the wolf-tooth necklace he'd worn for years and casually tossed it into the deep pool. “Ginger, jump in and retrieve it, and I'll make you my Luna someday soon.” He knew perfectly well that I couldn't swim—and that jumping in could kill me. But he thought I was simping for him just because he was the heir to the Alpha King. He believed I wouldn't jump, because surely, to me, life meant more than love. But I jumped. For the first time ever, he lost his temper in public. “Ginger, you're insane! Why did you do it? Don't ever do that again!” From that moment on, he began treating me like his Luna. He even declared to the pack that only I could ever be his mate. He truly believed I was his fated one. But what he didn't realize was—my heart had already died the moment I jumped into that pool. That night, I saw the truth clearly: how little I truly meant to him back then. I was just a game, a test. And even when I passed it, it didn't feel like love. It felt like pity... or guilt. While he was planning our bonding ceremony, thinking he could finally make me his Luna, I suddenly said: “Darcy Lemche, I'm rejecting you as my mate.” He was stunned—completely blindsided. He had never imagined that the she-wolf who once loved him more than life itself would walk away. It was well known in the pack how deeply I loved him. But until that very day, I finally realized—I didn't love him anymore. So I turned away in front of everyone, without a single word. No matter how he begged or pleaded, I walked away without hesitation.

My three-year-old daughter was playing in the room, and she suddenly fell from the window of the room and died. In my past life, I held her lifeless body after learning the news, crying so hard I thought I would never stop. But when my husband rushed back, he slapped me across the face without a second thought. "How could you be so cruel? You actually threw her out of the window—she was only three!" I was too stunned to react. Later, my husband and my best friend teamed up and testified that I had thrown my daughter from the window because I had an argument with my husband. I was cyberbullied and labeled the "evil mom". Amid the public hatred and the pain of losing my daughter, I jumped to prove my innocence. Even in death, I still didn't understand. My daughter had been fine playing in the room—how did she fall out of the window? When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day she fell.

#ENTRY FOR:#1 Inescapable Bondage: Becoming the Forbidden Possession of the Mafia Boss Late at night, a drunk Eugene finds himself deep in a New York back alley to relieve himself when he witnesses a murder. Momentarily stunned by the killer's appearance, he tries to escape before being discovered, but the killer's gun barrel points toward Eugene... The blonde killer, called Valentine, proposes to the witness Eugene that if he can guess the flavor of the candy in his mouth, he'll let him live. Emboldened by alcohol, Eugene steals a kiss from the killer to taste the candy. However, the blonde killer says he's changed his mind and points the gun at him again...

I had taken leave from the sealed research institute where I'd been confined for six years, just so I could attend my daughter's kindergarten graduation. The moment I stepped through the gates, I froze. A woman holding a little boy by the hand was shoving my daughter, Amy, straight into the gutter. She slapped Amy across the face, then sneered for everyone to hear, spitting venom as she called my little girl a filthy wretch. Drenched in filthy water, Amy dropped to her knees before the woman, trembling in humiliation. Rage burned through me. I stormed forward and slapped the woman across the face. But instead of shame, she jabbed a finger at my nose and shouted, "Do you even know who I am? To offend me is to offend the entire Grant family!" Tears welled in Amy's eyes as she tugged at my sleeve, pleading in a choked voice, "Please leave… she's my dad's nanny. My dad will punish you if you hurt her." The woman planted herself in front of me, her arrogance towering. "The Grant family rules this city. You think you can run from us?" For a brief moment, I stood stunned, then calmly pulled out my phone and dialed my husband. "Your nanny says you run Bexley City. Well, I think that's about to change."

After years of being in love with her husband, Evelyn Summers faces a shattering betrayal when his ex-girlfriend, Jade, returns and manipulates her way back into his life. When Evelyn learns she’s pregnant, she’s ready to fight for their marriage ,until her husband accuses her of cruelty and sides with Jade in a public scandal. Heartbroken, Evelyn files for divorce and disappears, leaving behind her old life. Three years later, Evelyn returns to New York as a renowned doctor and single mother. Her life takes a dramatic turn when her ex-husband, Landon Byers, is rushed to her hospital after a severe accident. Landon, now filled with regret, is stunned to see his ex-wife transformed and with a child who bears a striking resemblance to him. Determined to win Evelyn back, he begins to pursue her, unaware of the dangerous schemes Jade has set in motion to keep them apart. As Landon grows closer to Evelyn and her daughter, secrets from the past start to unravel, and a passionate rivalry emerges between him and Evans, a compassionate cardiologist who’s fallen for Evelyn. When Evelyn and her daughter are kidnapped by Jade’s criminal associates, Landon and Evans work together to rescue them, uncovering the truth behind Jade’s lies. In a climactic rescue, Evelyn must confront the trauma and betrayal of her past, ultimately choosing the man who will fight to protect her and her child. Filled with suspense, betrayal, and a second chance at love, Reclaiming Evelyn is a journey of redemption, forgiveness, and the power of true love.

Landry Green's biggest regret is the night he rejected his soulmate at the Vernal Ball - a yearly gathering that sees packs around the world come together in hopes of its members finding their soulmates. Instantly left broken and ashamed for his rash decision, he worked to earn his way into Jennifer's heart with the help of his new Alpha. Every day he wakes up stunned that this sweet, loving woman gave him a second chance, and so he has vowed to never let her down again but their families couldn't be less pleased, though for entirely different reasons. Landry will prove to himself and everyone else that he can be the man Jennifer deserves and a man strong enough to stand up for those he loves and what he believes in. Whole Again is a spin-off in the Queen Among series (specifically A Queen Among Alphas). It takes place during the events of A Queen Among Blood. The setup to this story and background events will make more sense if you have read the main series. Here is the list of books in the series: A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1 Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2 Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel A Queen Among Blood - Book 3 Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4 Dark Invocation - A Queen Among Darkness spin-off A Queen Among Tides - Book 5 Valor, Virtue, and Verve - A Queen Among Tides Prequel Spin-off A Queen Among Gods - Book 6 A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7

Rowan Remington finally accepted my marriage proposal.  He told me to dress up, saying he had prepared a surprise for me.  But when I arrived in my finest attire, Rowan did not present himself as the groom.  Turning to my half-sister, Lisa, with a playful smile, he said, “You always complain that weddings are tedious and dull. Today, I’ll show you an interesting one. What do you think?”  Just then, my elder half-brother, Miles, loudly declared, “The wedding is on hold!”  Suddenly, my childhood friend, Nathan Keller hurled a water balloon—prepared in advance—at me and it smashed down on my head, completely drenching me.  Rowan arched a teasing brow at me. “It was just a joke, Tessa. You didn’t actually think I was going to marry you, did you?”  The so-called wedding was nothing more than a farcical performance to entertain Lisa, who was suffering from depression.  As I stood in stunned silence, Rowan chuckled and added, “If you’re that desperate to get married, why not pick someone from the guests and tie the knot right now?”  So, I did.  I walked down the aisle with a new groom in hand.  That’s when they panicked.