That night, when Madelyn returned home alone, she discovered that both her child and the nanny had been attacked—and then she saw Billy Butcher sitting quietly in the shadows.
Butcher had infiltrated the house with ruthless efficiency, and he hadn't held back. He had rigged Madelyn with explosives, turning her into a walking bomb. Now, he simply waited in silence, anticipating Homelander's arrival.
It didn't take long. The sharp sound of wind outside signaled that the main event had arrived.
Butcher curled his lips into a smirk and looked up at the ceiling. "I know you're using your x-ray vision. If you're thinking about killing me right now—go ahead. Just know I will press this detonator."
Madelyn was now the hostage—her body strapped with explosives, the trigger clutched in Butcher's hand.
Butcher had finally confirmed it: this woman was Homelander's one true weak spot. But what happened next left him stunned.
Homelander didn't just show up—he casually brought the baby downstairs with him. The baby, who couldn't even walk yet, had been untouched during Butcher's break-in. But now, Homelander had brought the child straight into the blast radius.
Whether it ended in a firefight or a literal explosion, the child would be caught in the crossfire. Even Madelyn's expression shifted from relief to panic. She frantically urged Homelander to take the baby upstairs.
But he ignored her, sauntering around the room with the baby in his arms, like it was all a game—like he wanted to provoke Butcher.
Then, with a smile, Homelander started monologuing:
"Billy Butcher, right? Mind if I call you Billy? You've really left an impression on me.
Especially since you're just a fragile little human, yet you still dared to go up against me...
Most people in your position would've pissed themselves by now. But not you. Your heart's racing, sure—but it's not fear. It's anger, isn't it? All because of your precious Becca?"
Throughout all this, Madelyn kept begging him to take the baby out of danger, but Homelander paid her no attention. Instead, he smugly bragged about his time with Becca—saying she seduced him for fame, praising her skills, and implying they had a wild, mutually enjoyable night.
Onscreen, Butcher's face remained unreadable, but his eyes burned with fury. Still, he stayed calm. He didn't press the detonator.
Outside the video, Butcher wore the same grim expression, his clenched jaw audibly grinding.
Deadpool broke the tension with a shout:
"He's full of crap! Three times? No way he made her happy three times—not with his superspeed! Hahaha! The guy's overcompensating—classic."
Annie frowned deeply. "Why would Homelander do this? He's not only dragging the baby into this, he's also pushing Butcher's buttons... Doesn't he care about Madelyn at all? I thought their relationship was… something real?"
Stephen spoke in a low voice, "In the earlier scene, Homelander warned Madelyn never to lie to him again. She promised... then lied."
"Wait, really?" Annie asked, clearly having missed that detail—probably too embarrassed to watch that particular scene closely.
Strange gave a quick glance at the still-silent Butcher before continuing, "Becca and her child are still alive. Madelyn knew this, but lied to Homelander about it. What she didn't know… was that he had already found out the truth."
Annie's expression tightened. "So just because of that… he completely turned on her? Risked the baby's life? Pushed Butcher over the edge?"
Butcher finally spoke, voice gravelly and cold:
"You think there was love between Homelander and that old hag? Nah. That bastard doesn't do love. All he's got is a sick, twisted obsession with control. He even gets jealous of that poor baby who can't walk or talk yet. There's nothing he wouldn't do. Nothing surprises me with that psycho."
Back in the video, Homelander gently set the baby in a nearby cradle, still ignoring Madelyn's desperate pleas.
Then he looked at Butcher and asked, "So what—am I supposed to feel guilty about her? Is that why you dragged her here? You want me to apologize?"
Butcher stepped forward, locking eyes with him.
"I just want to hurt you," he whispered.
"Really, deeply hurt you. That's enough for me."
The quiet venom in his tone only made Homelander laugh.
"Fuck! You're darker than I am. I like it!"
He then pressed Butcher, asking what proof he had that Homelander had killed Becca.
Butcher said nothing—maybe realizing things weren't adding up.
Madelyn, meanwhile, kept begging Homelander to take the baby upstairs.
That's when Homelander snapped.
"Shut the fuck up!" he roared, spinning toward her.
The sudden, violent shift from smirking to screaming was terrifying—not directed at the supposed kidnapper, but at his hostage. His hysteria and instability chilled everyone watching.
Turning back to Butcher with eerie calm, he asked him to wait a moment. Then, he walked over to Madelyn, his voice ice cold:
"You promised me you wouldn't lie anymore.
You fucking promised. You and Vogelbaum rehearsed your stories, didn't you? Almost had me fooled. Almost. But your details didn't quite match. So I went back and asked him again.
And guess what? He cracked."
Madelyn lowered her head, visibly panicking. She apologized again, begging him to get the baby out.
But Homelander just stared at her, a smile creeping onto his face.
"Did you ever really care about me?" he asked.
Without missing a beat, she said, "You're everything to me. I love you."
But Homelander no longer believed her. He told her flatly: if she wanted him to stay, she had to tell the truth—otherwise, he'd walk out the door.
Madelyn swallowed hard, clearly terrified. After a moment of hesitation, she broke down, sobbing:
"I'm scared of you! I'm terrified of you!"
There had never been love—just manipulation, power plays, and fear.
Her "love" was more like a zookeeper trying to tame a wild beast.
But the truth was—Homelander was a beast she could never control.
He smiled at her one last time.
"Thank you for your honesty," he said sweetly.
Then he gently kissed her forehead—
—and unleashed twin beams of searing laser vision straight into her eyes, melting half her face and most of her skull in an instant.
_____
T/N:
For readers who would like early access, my Patreon is available for just $4 per month. You'll unlock 40+ advance chapters and help support ongoing works.
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
You may also search Translator-Sama directly on Patreon.
Your support is sincerely appreciated