His Gaslighting Stole My Flame to Spark Another Woman’s Fame

“Tracy, your fireworks design... It had caused an accident.”

Alston Dior handed the tablet to Tracy McQueen. On the screen, fireworks bloomed brilliantly across the night sky—only to erupt into a deafening explosion a second later. Flames swallowed the crowd, chaos tearing through the main venue.

His voice was hoarse as he explained, “The main site exploded. Seven died, seventeen were injured. I was near the control booth. If the blast wave hadn’t thrown me back, I might’ve been... one of them.”

Tracy stood frozen in place, her voice trembling. “That’s… impossible. All the tests passed! There’s no way this could happen!”

“All the preliminary evidence points to a fatal flaw in the core design,” Alston replied apologetically.

Suddenly, sirens wailed in the distance.

Alston took her hand. “The victims’ families won’t care what you have to say. This isn’t the time to argue. Tracy, you need to leave right now!”

He moved fast, arranging for his men to escort her to a speedboat bound for a private island.

“Tracy,” he said at the dock, gripping her hand tightly, “I have to stay behind and deal with the aftermath. I’ll cooperate with the investigation, but once this is over, I’ll come to you, okay?”

Tears welled in her eyes. She threw her arms around him, crying, “Please be careful. I’ll wait for you.”

Twenty days later, just as he promised, Alston arrived on the island.

Overwhelmed with relief, Tracy ran into his arms, but something felt subtly different.

Something about his embrace changed. It wasn't as gentle and restrained as she remembered. It was hungrier now, almost possessive.

“Alston... You look exhausted,” she said softly, brushing his cheek.

“Yeah, it’s been rough lately,” he replied. His voice came out raspier than it used to, and in his eyes flashed a flicker of lust she’d never seen before. “The explosion left some aftereffects. My throat’s been acting up. But now that I’m here with you… It’s all fine.”

That night, he was unusually passionate.

And every night after that, he wanted her—desperately and almost endlessly.

Sometimes, she grew weary. But when she saw the desperate need in his eyes, her heart softened, and she gave in.

“Alston, you’ll wear yourself out like this,” she whispered one night.

“I’m just… too scared of losing you.” His arms tightened around her, his voice deep and rough. “Let me make sure you’re really here with me.”

Three years passed like that.

Then, one day, he said, “The investigation’s finally over. The truth came out. Your fireworks design wasn’t the problem, Tracy. You’re innocent.”

He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I’m going back to have our wedding ready. One month from now, we’ll finally get married.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she threw her arms around him. “Oh, Alston! I’ve waited so long for this day!”

After he left, she spent every day counting down for his return.

One week stretched to two. Still, he didn’t come back.

When she finally couldn’t bear it, she went looking for him through the pouring rain until she heard his voice behind a private room door.

“Hey, Alston, your wedding with Tracy’s in two weeks. Guess this whole act’s finally coming to an end, huh?”

“Yeah.” Alston’s lazy chuckle drifted out. “About time this farce was over.”

Tracy frowned, thinking, ‘Farce? What does he mean by that?’

“Dalton, you really went all in for your brother. Spending three years with Tracy on that island just to cover up for Alston? That place was dead quiet. You must’ve gone crazy!”

“Seriously! If you two didn’t look exactly alike, this twin-switch trick never would’ve worked!”

Tracy’s blood ran cold. Her hand flew to her mouth as she stumbled forward, peeking through the crack of the door.

Alston was indeed sitting inside. But next to him was another man identical to him!

The man beside him—the one she’d lived with on the island—wasn’t Alston at all!

“Dalton, you’ve done well these past few years,” Alston said, raising his glass. “Your acting was flawless. Tracy never suspected a thing.”

Dalton smirked, a wicked glint in his eyes. “Acting, sure. But I didn’t miss out on the fun. Gotta say, Tracy’s pretty damn good. That body, that face…” He made a suggestive gesture. “That woman looks all pure on the outside, but underneath, man, she’s wild!”

He paused, his tone dripping with mock regret. “If you hadn’t sent me abroad for the family business, I’d still be enjoying her.”

Laughter erupted around the room obscenely.

“Dude! You really hit the jackpot!”

“Yeah! We thought you were hiding out on an island. Turns out you had your personal plaything for three long years!”

Alston finally spoke again. “Alright, stop teasing him. He seriously did an outstanding job.”

Another man chimed in, his voice full of flattery. “Still, Alston, you’re the real genius here. Who else could think of something like this? A fake fireworks explosion, just to trap that woman in isolation, guilt, and pathetic gratitude!”

“All so Miss Avril could win that international design award, right?”

Alston chuckled. “That and more. As long as she was still free, she could ruin everything. The only way to stop her was to make her look like a criminal and keep her isolated. That way, all her designs would automatically belong to Avril.”

He paused, recalling something.

“Years ago, near the orphanage, I fell into the lake. Avril jumped in to save me without hesitation. Her dream was always to stand at the top of the design world. For her, I’d do anything. Tracy may have all the best resources and the talent, but she’s rigid. She stood in Avril’s way. Over the past three years, with those so-called ‘inspirational’ designs sent from the island, she’s won one award after another and completely established her international reputation.’

So that was it.

The explosion that had haunted Tracy for years had never happened.

The guilt she had been carrying for three years, every day of isolation on that island, every sketch she poured her heart into, every spark of inspiration she found—all of it was feeding another woman’s success!

And the most ridiculous part—the girl who’d actually saved Alston from drowning back then wasn’t Avril at all. It was, in fact, Tracy.

Alston’s voice cut through her shock.

“At the wedding, I’ll have her wear the most beautiful gown. When she’s at her happiest, I’ll let her watch her world collapse. And then, I’ll propose to Avril right in front of everyone. I’ll let them see who I truly love. Tracy was just a stepping stone for both of us. When something’s no longer useful, you toss it aside.”

Those words struck her like a death sentence.

That was completely different from the memories that flooded her mind.

One spring day, he reserved an entire rose park, kneeling beneath a cascade of petals while holding almost a thousand roses.

“Tracy, will you be my girlfriend?”

On her birthday, her face filled the city’s tallest building on an LED screen, his confession playing on repeat for the whole city to witness.

When she casually mentioned wanting to see the Northern Lights, three days later, he flew her to Tromsø, Norway. In the biting -30°C snow, he slipped a custom starry diamond ring onto her finger.

“Tracy, I want to see all the beauty in the world with you.”

He’d once promised, “Tracy, in this lifetime, you’re the only one I’ll ever love. No matter what happens, I’ll never leave your side.”

Those vows, those promises, those moments she thought made her the happiest woman alive—all of it was a lie.

All of it was a perfectly crafted trap for the sake of another woman.

Tracy clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound of the sobs that threatened to escape.

She stumbled backward, fleeing that suffocating place.

Once outside, she dialed a number she hadn’t called in years.

“Tracy?” Her father’s voice cracked with shock and excitement. “Sweetheart, where have you been these past three years?”

“Dad,” she said, her voice trembling, choking on tears, “book me a flight. And… I need you to erase all my records here. Every identity document.”

She added, “I also need all the surveillance footage from the orphanage lake from years ago.”

On the other end, there was a brief silence before her father replied, “Got it. I’ll have both ready within two weeks.”

“Great.” Her tone hardened. “Once it’s done… I’ll come find you.”

After hanging up, she removed the starry diamond ring from her finger and threw it into the trash.

That ring had once symbolized her and Alston’s love. Now, she didn’t want it, him included.

Hen had mistaken Avril for the one who saved him. But when all the evidence was finally laid before him, how would he react then?