the.com/afterwards
The polite cousin of later, dressed up for narrative occasions.
means At a time following the event or moment just mentioned; subsequently.
from From Old English aefterweard, stitching after to the directional suffix -ward, the same -ward steering toward, backward, and onward.
Optional SAfterward and afterwards mean identically the same.
British leanThe S-ending favored more in British English.
Directional roots-ward originally meant facing a direction, not time.