Hello everyone. I am truly sorry about the long hiatus. I've had work to do, things to attend, and personal problems to mend. Not to worry, the next chapters will come sooner, and you won't have to wait as long as you did. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience and hope you love this chapter.

Please give your feedback!

-MelodicSunshine

Her eyes shot open as another wail was heard from the living room.

Rita Loud clambered out of her bed, an annoyed frown plastered onto her face. Her hair wasn't doing her any good either, as it was an unkempt mess on her shoulders.

It was midnight in the dreary apartment where she stayed. With the gloomy night rain clouds came, along with thunderous claps from the rainstorm that seemed to roll in very quickly. Rain beat on the window, making a steady thudding noise as she made her way over to the living room.

"What do you want now, Lily?" Rita asked, as if the tiny infant could answer. More babbling and frustrated crying was heard as she neared the crib.

She looked down and saw Lily crying, possibly because of the loud rain, or maybe the living room light flickering. Either way, she knew she had to calm her down somehow. Then she could actually get some sleep for once.

"Does Lily want, Mommy? Hmm?" She asked before picking her up, and trying to tickle her. This quieted the cries a smidge, and she began to put her down, but the screaming came back.

'Maybe she's hungry.' She thought before going to the kitchen. She got out Lily's bottle, poured some milk into it, and popped it into the microwave to warm it up. She hummed to herself, trying to drive out the baby's cries and babbles while also trying to drive out the thoughts and regrets that plagued her mind.

Did she deserve this? No. Not at all. It was Lynn Sr.'s fault for even buying that camera. That ruined everything. Why would he waste money on something so expensive? Surely he would have just used the camera that had kept in the garage, not waste their vacation funds on something that the kids will use maybe once or twice, then never again. And everyone in that house always had a problem with one thing or another, including her. That being said, that could have been the reason why she left. Maybe the camera thing was just the breaking point. No, no. She loved her family, didn't she?

Her thoughts were soon broken as the microwave beeped and she was rewarded with an extra loud whine from Lily. Sighing, she retrieved the bottle and went back to the crib. She gave the bottle to Lily before she started sipping, looking content, even for a few moments.

These few moments were spent with Rita sitting on the couch and continuing to wallow and think.

After she left, she tried asking Aunt Ruth if she could stay with her. Ruth asked why, and when Rita explained, she kicked her out. She called her a stupid woman for leaving her husband and children after so many years of being together. But she wasn't stupid, she was tired. Tired of all the shit that her family had put her through, and she had had enough. She tried finding a place of her own, and found this poorly built but cheap apartment, nowhere near where her family had lived. And that was a good thing. Didn't want to pity her husband if he came grovelling at her feet when he came over. But actually, that never happened. Ever since that, she never got calls from Lynn, the kids, Ruth, Pop Pop, and anyone else that once cared about her. But at least she had Lily. After she managed to get the apartment, she had quit her job. She couldn't afford to go and hire a babysitter while she was working, and just used the money she had right now. But soon enough, she would have to find a job, make money, and support not only her, but the baby that would soon grow into a nice young girl. That was another thing that seemed to bite at her mind. How would Lily grow up? Would she be raised well enough by her now single mother? And when it comes time for her to enroll in school, where will she go? Surely not to the same school Lincoln goes to. No, she'd fine someplace good, someplace better. She'd have to have a better life for her and Lily, just to prove to everyone else that she was fine on her own. Because she is fine on her own.

'Maybe tomorrow I'll go shopping for groceries with her,' She thought. 'And then we could go to the park and have some mother/daughter bonding time. And maybe I'll drop her off at Ruth's so I can attend a yoga class or two.'

The idea of relaxation for the next couple days was bliss just thinking about it. But, once again, those thoughts were pierced by the noise of Lily's shrieks as she continued crying, even after drinking all of the contents of her bottle.

With a now angry sigh, Rita looked into the crib to see the whimpering baby.

"What do you want?" She asked, this time with an angrier tone. The baby started crying a bit louder after being frightened by her angry mother. "Come on! You're not hungry, you're not tired, what do you want?!" She said even louder. The angry cries of frustration made Rita tear up, a few tears rolled down her cheeks as her sadness reared its ugly head.

If only Lily could speak, then her mother would know what was wrong. Lily was not hungry, nor tired. She was only lonely. She hadn't seen other members of her family in weeks, and she spent most of her days in her crib, wondering when her father would come in to play with her. She would also be sleeping one night, and her dreams would be filled with memories of all of her sisters, and the one brother that she cherished.

With both mother and child crying while the thunderstorm boomed outside, one has to wonder, does Rita miss her children? Does she miss her husband? Does she miss the way things used to be? But the most important question would be...

Will life ever be the same for the Loud family?