My Name Is Emilia del Valle

The press descends on Valparaíso, and Emilia and Eric reunite. When they do, they immediately kiss. Emilia attributes it to the fact that they had both worried whether they would ever see each other again. The possibility, she realizes, was unthinkable. They decide to stay together, though Eric bemoans how Emilia was almost killed. She warns him that she will not do anything he wouldn’t do.

As they catch up, Eric recounts that he was on a naval ship when the battle occurred. They wonder how the country will ever come back together, comparing it to the American Civil War. Eric tells her that when the Revolutionary Committee of Santiago—the leaders of the revolution—plotted to destroy bridges leading into Santiago, the government caught word and killed the rebels, torturing them first. The sheer immorality destroyed any remaining support for the government.

That night, Emilia and Eric have sex. Emilia reflects on how, despite being surrounded by women her whole life, she had not witnessed much discussion of sex. Don Pancho taught her about sex via scientific textbooks.

Eric asks her to marry him, but Emilia tells him to ask again after the war is over. They spend three days together, basking in their newfound love. They know it’s important that their relationship doesn’t come to light, lest it affect her reputation.

When they return to work, they discover that Eric has become an enemy of the state because of his reporting with the rebels. His letter of safety is the only thing keeping him from being arrested. While he goes to get his luggage, Emilia finds Angelita at the hospital. She asks her to speak with Eric so that he can report on the government’s side. 

Angelita tells Eric that they are preparing for another battle now that the government has sent more reinforcements. There are 9,500 troops, and the army believes they outnumber the rebels. Afterward, Eric reveals that he knows that this isn’t the case; there are 11,000 rebel soldiers, who are also better armed. He intends to be there at the battle to report on it, but Emilia begs him to stay with her, unwilling to see the horror of war up close again. He thinks that they should use the time that they have together.

The Battle of Placilla is the most violent battle in the history of Chile, though Emilia is not there to witness it.

Eric leaves to go to the front lines on August 27th, before the battle begins. During their time together, Emilia learned that when he was 17, he lived in New York with his brother. He fell in love with a teacher, not knowing that she was dating Owen. When the two married, Eric left, not wanting to have a reminder of the love he’d lost. This brought him to California, where he got over his lost love but remained a bachelor. He told Emilia that he believed he would have been single forever had he not met her.

Eric joins the troops on the front lines to report on the war, but even Emilia’s descriptions could not fully convey the horror he would witness. While Eric is gone, Emilia goes to the hospital to help out. Because she speaks English, she is recruited to work with one of the foreign surgeons who does not speak Spanish. She assists in a surgery while translating between doctors.

During the battle, both of the government’s top generals die, and the Chilean army loses. At first, the hospital treats soldiers on both sides of the conflict. However, in the hours that follow the announcement of the rebel victory, only injured rebels come to the hospital. The government has lost the war.

Eventually, Emilia finds Angelita and Covadonga among the wounded, and Angelita passes away in Emilia’s arms. Emilia never discovers what happened to the other canteen girls. She feels that she abandoned them.

Despite being injured, Eric survives, but the blast of the grenade renders him temporarily unable to hear. When he wanders back into town, still disoriented and unable to remember how to get back to Emilia’s hotel, he is robbed.

Emilia is arrested in the middle of a surgery and taken to a prison. That night, the Chilean president resigns, sending his family to the United States consulate for safety. Trying to ensure that they remained safe, the president goes to the Argentine embassy.

Eric wakes the next morning in a shed behind a tavern. He sets off to send a telegraph to the Examiner that the war has ended, believing that Emilia is safe in her hotel. After he sends the telegram, he finds the bakery near Emilia’s hotel, but she is not there. The owner tells him that Emilia is at the hospital. At the hospital, he learns that Emilia has been arrested, but when he goes to the prison, the police report that Emilia is no longer there.