Ruined

Iulia Biro
He was lying on the carpet, arms stretched out to the sides. He opened his eyes and looked toward the door when he heard her coming out of the bathroom. She stood in the doorway, her skin shining white in the midday light, just looking at him and smiling. A grown man, and I can't even get up from here, he said. What am I supposed to do with all this contentment? How am I supposed to live now? I'm ruined. You've compromised me - you'll have to marry me. Her smile faded, and she nodded toward the wall clock: You'll only be ruined if someone catches you here.
 
 Mona Zelenco
Retired and divorced, Ionel hadn't opened his heart or his wallet to anyone - until he met Ileana, a MILF on the edge of summer, good as a poultice for a wounded heart. The real emotional and financial disaster began to take root when Ileana brought along her daughter, Elena - a blossom on the brink of spring, suited for activities that made Ionel remember muscles he thought had long since atrophied. The three of them lived in bliss from a winter's day until autumn, when the funeral savings evaporated - along with the girls.
 
 Aurelian Țolescu
Ruined, yes. After laying brick by brick in a relationship, always paying attention to every construction detail for strength, elegance, and prosperity - when you see even your bank accounts growing, and your sense of well-being and fulfillment increasing, you stop noticing that someone beside you is watching, waiting for the smallest, most insignificant mistake. A single heart emoji on WhatsApp, sent by a good colleague, was enough for all the carefully laid bricks to come crashing down - along with the money in the accounts.

 
(Translated by Teodora Anghelachi / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)