That night, lying in the dark, Elena’s breathing a soft, almost imperceptible tide beside him, he felt a strange, sharp crack deep inside his right ear. It was like the sound of a tiny knuckle popping, or a sheet of ice breaking on a pond.
It had started an hour ago, during the initial dip over the Alps. A gentle pressure, a dull ache, and then—nothing. A soft, cottony silence. ears blocked after flight
The next morning, he walked past a street musician playing a cello. The man’s fingers flew, his body swayed with passion, but all Leo heard was the thud of his own heart and a distant, mournful groan as if the cello were crying underwater. That night, lying in the dark, Elena’s breathing