Alla Pugacheva

Alla was the prima donna of the entire Soviet Union, whose voice was known in every kitchen, every shop window, every screen. Her smile sparkled on posters, but at home, away from the limelight, she often forgot who she really was.

Therese Belived, her housekeeper, had been living in a large house on the outskirts of Moscow for four years. Quiet, almost transparent, she moved like air—not a step, not a breath. Her coldness sometimes made Alla cry, not from resentment, but from a vague pain—as if a reminder of something lost lived nearby.

One ordinary evening, Therese was sitting at her desk reading a book when she suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass. Seconds later, Therese was already going down to the kitchen. There were shards of glass, and blood on the floor, and in the older woman's hands.