Chapter 16 begins with the narrator reflecting on the emotional reunion with his wife, Helga, after many years of separation. As the couple ascends to the attic together, a mixture of joy and sorrow fills the air, as they both grapple with the weight of their shared history and the trials that have kept them apart for so long. They are not alone in this intimate moment; Father Keeley and Vice-Bundesführer Krapptauer are also present, observing the poignant reunion, further complicating the atmosphere. The contrast between the tender connection between the couple and the unsettling presence of these other figures adds to the emotional complexity of the scene, illustrating the tangled web of their lives since they last saw each other.

The narrator, still overwhelmed by the improbability of this reunion, asks Helga how she came to be found after all these years. Jones, a mutual acquaintance, shares the “fantastic coincidence” that led to the reunion, underscoring the miraculous nature of their circumstances. According to Jones, it was a reader of his newspaper who tipped him off about Helga’s presence in West Berlin, setting off the chain of events that would reunite them. Helga, uncertain about the future, expresses doubts that the narrator still feels the same way about her, believing that he must have moved on during their extended separation. This moment reveals the deep emotional scars left by the years apart, as Helga questions her place in the narrator’s life after all that has transpired.

As Helga recounts the harrowing experiences of the last fifteen years, she reveals the immense physical and emotional toll her journey has taken on her. Captured in Crimea, she was subjected to unspeakable horrors, including rape, before being transported to Ukraine, where she was forced into labor under brutal conditions. Her narrative paints a bleak picture of the fate of women like her—”stumbling sluts” as she describes herself—who were married to suffering and left wandering through a devastated landscape. Her suffering becomes emblematic of the millions of individuals who faced similar fates, their identities stripped away, their humanity ignored. The narrator listens closely to her account, reflecting on the history that shaped them both, recognizing how deep the scars of war run in their lives.

As Helga continues her story, she explains her escape from the labor camps, only to be captured again and sent to a prison camp where she was forced to oversee the very S.S. soldiers who had once been her captors. The stark contrast between her current role and the one she had been forced into highlights the absurdity and cruelty of her situation. Now, the S.S. soldiers, once powerful figures in the Nazi regime, are reduced to mere shadows of their former selves, symbolizing the collapse of the power structures they once represented. The horror of Helga’s experiences is made even more poignant by the fact that she survived it all, showing an immense strength and resilience. Yet even after her escape and a return to Dresden, she remains unsure of her future, constantly haunted by the past and the immense suffering she endured.

Eventually, Helga is repatriated, but not to Berlin as expected. Instead, she is sent to Dresden, a city that holds its own painful memories for her. After escaping again, she eventually makes her way to West Berlin, a final destination that represents not just her physical survival but also the emotional journey she has endured. The chapter ends with the revelation that Helga’s journey was funded by admirers of the narrator, who had recognized the bravery he demonstrated by speaking out during the war. This realization contrasts with the lies that had surrounded him, illustrating the complex interplay of truth and deception in their lives. As the couple confronts their shared past and the uncertain future ahead of them, the emotions between them grow more intense, reminding them both of the enormity of what they have endured and the changes they must face in a world forever altered by war.