I LOST MYSELF TO THE FLAMES.

VICTORIA POV

“Help! Someone help me, please…” I cried out, but no one seemed to hear me. Everyone had evacuated the building.

The flames were burning hot. The heat clawed all over my skin. I was beginning to suffocate from the intense thick smoke. This wasn’t how I had thought I’d die, especially not on my 25th birthday.

“Michael! Michael! Honey, where are you?” I cried out for my fiancé to help me but even he was out of sight.

I managed to leave that spot. I was so weak, so I supported myself with the walls. I clutched my hands because even the walls were already hot. I didn’t know how, but I really wanted to survive.

Soon, I began to feel dizzy, and every breath I took felt hotter than the former, burning through my heart and down to my lungs. My vision began to blur, causing me to collide with a falling wood.

The pain caused me to vibrate like that of an electric shock. My knees hit the cold tiles hard, and my body fell flat to the hot tiles.

I lost hope as I slowly took what I thought were my last breaths, everything wavered.

Suddenly I heard a voice screaming, “Victoria! Victoria! Where are you?!” But all I could see were shadows now.

No amount of strength could help me up again. “I’m here…” I was barely above a whisper.”

“Victoria! I've found you.” He ran towards where I was.

“Victoria! Thank God you're alive. You're safe now… I can't believe that bastard forgot you here. I’m going to kill him, I swear.”

I felt his hands grab me, but who was it? I couldn't see his face well. My vision was completely blurred.

“Please don't die, Vic. I beg you. I can't live without you.” I could tell he was crying. His voice was full of pain.”

He carried me up and I could feel his strong grip. His voice was full of determination. “I'm going to save you, no matter the cost! You won't die here.”

I felt hope surge within me. For a moment, I thought that was the end, but no. This man risked his own life just to save me. He was my angel.

Even with my blurred vision, and half-conscious state of mind, I saw how he shielded me with his body. I could tell he was also burning when I heard him groan, “Arrrrrgh!”

Soon, we were outside the hotel, and everyone gathered around me. They looked like shadows with rumbling voices. That was all I could see.

“Thank God! You are alive. My child. I'm sorry we left you there. Where is the ambulance?! I swear if my daughter dies…” A woman cried out among the crowd. I could tell immediately that it was Mom.

The shadows around me suddenly began to stretch, and dissolve. They melted into the night and slowly, darkness enveloped me, and the voices also stopped coming.

****

I woke up to strange muffled sounds like faint whispers, struggling to pierce through my ear. My head pounded as if it was about to explode from the pain I was feeling.

Everything was suddenly dark. I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear strange voices that seemed like they were crying.

Where was I?

I tried to open my eyes but my eyelids felt heavy.

“Sis… please, wake up…” a trembling voice cried out.

Suddenly, I forced my eyelids open, and the white lights that flooded my vision almost made me blind. I blinked repeatedly, trying to adjust, then I saw figures standing close to my bed.

A man in a white coat came closer, examining me and speaking quickly. A woman about my age stood crying beside another older woman whose face was pale and soaked in tears.

“Doctor! Doctor! She’s awake… come quick…” The younger woman’s voice pierced the air.

Everything felt hazy, and the pain in my body was unbearable, especially my head.

“Victoria?” A man’s voice called out, his voice was shaky and he seemed to be crying.

Suddenly, he pressed his lips against my forehead, and next was my knuckle.

“I’ve missed you so much, sweetie. I thought you left me all alone in this world. Thank you so much for coming back to me…” he continued to sob.

Sweetie?

Who was he exactly?

His presence felt overwhelming, too clingy, too intimate, too touchy. I tried pulling away, but my body betrayed me. I could only stare at him confused, my irritated face obvious.

“Who… who are you?” My bruised voice suddenly came alive. “ Who are you people? Why… why am I here?…”

The room suddenly fell silent.

Everyone froze. The man being all touchy suddenly let go in disbelief, his teary eyes now wide open. The older woman covered her mouth, preventing her screams from coming out too loud.

“What do you mean by that?… I’m Michael—your fiancé!” He said with confidence.

“My fiancé?…” I stared at him, trying to recall something familiar, but there was none. He was a total stranger to me.

The doctor adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat before speaking.

“I feared this would happen…Everyone, please.” He lowered his voice, but I could still hear him faintly. “This is as a result of her head trauma. It’s common after such injuries.” He cleared his throat again before continuing.

“Victoria is suffering from a severe case of Amnesia, and we don’t know how long it’ll take before she recovers. I’m afraid the stakes are high. She might or might not be able to regain her memories again.”

“What?! Amnesia?” The older woman’s voice came like thunder. “No one must hear that Victoria Langston, the heir to the Langston multiple hotels, has amnesia.”

“Mother, calm down…” the younger woman beside her said, trying to calm her down.

“Don’t tell me to stay calm! Don’t you realize what this means? She has lost her capability to lead the empire! If this gets out…the board will turn their back on us and our competitors will destroy us!”

The younger woman nodded her head quickly in agreement. “You’re right, mother…this must not leave this room. We must protect my sister.”

The tension in the room suddenly became high, and it just made my head hurt more trying to analyze all what they were saying.

“Doctor, this mustn’t leave this room. It’s also important that you restrict anyone from coming to see Victoria for now. No one is allowed to see her until we’ve figured out a solution.” The man claiming to be my fiancé said with urgency.

The doctor also nodded his head in agreement. “I’ll try my best to make sure things don't go out of hand. Ma’am, no need to panic. Victoria just needs familiar memories of her past—places, pictures, people she’s met, or even reminders of the Langston hotels and locations. In no time, she’ll fit in again.”

“Good! If anyone leaks this, they will answer to me.” The older woman’s voice seemed commanding and threatening, and no one dared to argue with her.

I lay there confused. But the name Victoria Langston rang a bell in my head repeatedly.

“Who is Victoria? What… what’s happening.” My head began to hurt really bad and I felt dizzy.

The room went silent again, all eyes on me. Their shocking gaze was palpable.

The doctor broke the silence this time, with a more concerned gaze. “Hmm… I’m afraid this is worse than I thought. Her amnesia appears more severe than I anticipated.”

The older woman stepped closer, “Leave us; I need to talk to Victoria and her Fiancé in private.”

The doctor and the younger woman stepped out, leaving the older woman and my so-called fiancé in the room with me.

“We have to bring the wedding closer than before.” She held my hands as she said, “Victoria you have to get married to Michael as soon as possible. No one must find out about your incompetence right now.” She held my hands together as if begging me not to argue with her.

“Marry him? How can I marry a stranger? I don’t even know this man!” I spat back at her. I had just woken up to a life I don’t remember living and all they could think about now is some stupid marriage.

She looked at me with piercing red eyes. “Do you think you have a choice now? This family cannot allow weakness, my child. You’re the heir to Langston's powerful hotels.”

Her eyes narrowed, and her voice dropped low. “I’m your mother, and I won’t let you fall. The world cannot find out you’ve fallen, not even your father must know.”

“My mother?! What kind of cruel mother would put the world first before her sick daughter? You’re definitely not my mother! You just can’t be!” I yelled.

Suddenly, there was a blur of movement, and a hand hit my face with pressure. My head moved to the side from the impact of the slap, and my cheek burned red.

I was in pain, in shock, in disbelief. “Why?…” I placed my hand on my cheek, helpless.

She was about to hit me again when the man claiming to be my fiancé stepped in, taking the blow on his shoulder. “Mrs. Langston, it’s ok. I’ll marry her. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“No! Let me slap some sense into this ungrateful child!” She tried to push harder but the man stopped her.

“She’s not your Victoria right now! This can only make it worse!” He turned to face me, his expression now serious.

“Victoria, you wanted this as much as I did before. It was never love, it was business.” He sat down close to me.

“Our competitors are getting ahead of us, and the only way to defeat them is if our hotels, the two most powerful hotels in New York City, join hands together. Now that you’re in this state… you need this more than I do, Vic. Otherwise, you’ll be crushed.” His voice all of a sudden seemed cold.

It was all making sense to me now. No wonder I didn’t feel any affection towards him earlier. No warmth, no yearning—nothing at all.

The pain in my heart increased as I realized my worth to these people. It didn’t make sense that I was her daughter or his fiancé. I felt… like I didn’t matter. I felt usable and disposable.

“This coming Saturday. Lord heal you fast Victoria, but you must marry Michael! We don’t have much time. You must fulfill your role and duties as the heir to the Langston empire. Eliminate weakness Victoria!” My so-called mother said with authority and shoulders high.

The weight of everything happening was unbearable to me. I stared at their faces. They both seemed like strangers to me. If this really was my life before, then, maybe forgetting was a blessing.

One thing I knew for sure was—there was no marriage taking place. As soon as I regained my strength, I would run away. There’s no wedding without the bride anyway.

The only problem was, I didn’t know where I’d run to. Or who I could run to. But I was certain for sure.

They could plan their wedding coming Friday.

But I won’t be there to attend it.