Ljuset var dämpat, nästan hemlighetsfullt i den trånga källaren där bordet stod.

The light was dimmed, almost secretive in the cramped basement where the table stood.

Det gröna filtduken lös upp av de gulaktiga lamporna som hängde ovanför.

The green felt cloth glowed under the yellowish lamps that hung above.

Rummet doftade av cigarettrök och spänning.

The room smelled of cigarette smoke and tension.

Här nere, i hjärtat av Stockholm, satt Björn vid pokerbordet.

Down here, in the heart of Stockholm, Björn sat at the poker table.

Han höll sina kort hårt och fnös åt sitt eget öde.

He held his cards tightly and scoffed at his own fate.

Björn var en gång en framgångsrik aktiemäklare, men nu kämpade han mot skuldbergen som växt efter en plötslig krasch.

Björn was once a successful stockbroker, but was now struggling with the mountains of debt that had grown after a sudden crash.

Lena, hans älskade, visste inte exakt hur illa det var.

Lena, his beloved, didn't know exactly how bad it was.

Men hon anade att något inte stod rätt till.

But she sensed that something was not right.

Nu kämpade Björn för sin framtid.

Now Björn was fighting for his future.

Han behövde vinna ikväll, till vilket pris som helst.

He needed to win tonight, at any cost.

Mittemot honom satt Göran.

Opposite him sat Göran.

En erfaren pokerspelare med vana att utnyttja andras svagheter.

An experienced poker player with the habit of exploiting others' weaknesses.

Han såg både lättsam och farlig ut, som om han redan visste resultatet.

He looked both easygoing and dangerous, as if he already knew the outcome.

Spelarna runt bordet sa inte mycket.

The players around the table didn't say much.

Kort blandades och marker lades fram.

Cards were shuffled and chips were laid out.

Björn stirrade på sina kort, hörde Lenas röst i bakhuvudet.

Björn stared at his cards, hearing Lena's voice in the back of his mind.

Hon trodde alltid på honom.

She always believed in him.

Men skulle hon fortfarande göra det om hon visste sanningen?

But would she still do so if she knew the truth?

När spelet fortsatte började Björn känna hur trycket växte inom honom.

As the game continued, Björn began to feel the pressure building inside him.

Göran skrockade och bjöd över, självsäker och oberörd.

Göran chuckled and raised, confident and unperturbed.

Det var ett skickligt spel, ett som fick Björn att tveka.

It was a skillful game, one that made Björn hesitate.

Men han visste att detta var hans chans, kanske den sista.

But he knew this was his chance, perhaps the last.

Det var nu eller aldrig.

It was now or never.

Björn svalde tungt när hans tur kom igen.

Björn swallowed hard when his turn came again.

Han kände sina händer bli svettiga när han tittade på korten.

He felt his hands getting sweaty as he looked at the cards.

De var inte de bästa, men de kunde kanske lura Göran.

They weren't the best, but they might deceive Göran.

"All-in," sa Björn och sköt sina marker framåt.

"All-in," Björn said and pushed his chips forward.

Det var ett dristigt spel.

It was a bold move.

Ett som kunde krossa honom eller ge honom friheten han behövde.

One that could crush him or give him the freedom he needed.

Göran log brett, säker på sin seger, och synade.

Göran smiled widely, confident in his victory, and called.

Handen avslöjades.

The hand was revealed.

Björns bluff hade fungerat.

Björn's bluff had worked.

Han satt där, oförmögen att tro att han hade vunnit.

He sat there, unable to believe he had won.

Rummet exploderade i applåder och sorlet av förlorarnas mumlande.

The room exploded with applause and the murmur of the losers.

När kvällen slutade, bara de två kvar, satte sig Björn ner med Göran och tackade för spelet.

When the evening ended, just the two of them left, Björn sat down with Göran and thanked him for the game.

Göran erkände, "Du är bättre än jag trodde, Björn.

Göran admitted, "You're better than I thought, Björn.

Man ska aldrig underskatta desperationens kraft."

Never underestimate the power of desperation."

Björn gick ut ur den dunkla källaren, ljuset från gatlyktan ovanför var bländande.

Björn walked out of the dim basement, the light from the streetlamp above was dazzling.

Han andades in den svala sommarluften, lättad.

He breathed in the cool summer air, relieved.

Senare mötte han Lena och berättade allt för henne.

Later he met Lena and told her everything.

Han hade kanske vunnit spelet, men den största vinsten var att han nu var ärlig mot henne.

He might have won the game, but the greatest victory was that he was now honest with her.

"Vi klarar detta tillsammans," sa hon och tog hans hand.

"We'll get through this together," she said and took his hand.

Björn visste att han hade lärt något värdefullt.

Björn knew he had learned something valuable.

Spel och tur var flyktiga, men sann kärlek och ärlighet var eviga.

Gambling and luck were fleeting, but true love and honesty were eternal.