Coronation Street has never been short on betrayal, but this week’s bombshell twist has sent shockwaves through the cobbles as Tracy Barlow sets her most cunning trap yet—and the target is none other than her cheating lover Carl. After weeks of quiet suspicion and carefully gathered clues, Tracy finally uncovered what fans had long feared: Carl’s been having an affair with none other than Abi Webster. And Tracy? She’s not just furious. She’s out for blood.

It all started with a lipstick stain and a lie. Tracy, played with delicious fire by Kate Ford, began to sense something was off when Carl returned home late one night reeking of petrol and perfume. When he claimed he’d been helping a mate fix a van, Tracy didn’t buy it—but she pretended to. Classic Barlow.

What followed was a masterclass in slow-burn revenge. For days, Tracy played the doting partner, giving Carl just enough rope to hang himself. She cooked his favourite meals, laughed at his unfunny jokes, even pretended to believe his stories about “extra shifts” at the garage. But behind the scenes, she was plotting—and her plan would make even Lady Macbeth flinch.

Viewers watched in stunned silence as Tracy pieced everything together. A crumpled receipt from the Chariot Square Hotel. A missed call from a number saved under “Gaz” that turned out to be Abi’s burner. And the final nail in the coffin? A steamy voicemail Carl forgot to delete—Abi’s voice, breathless, saying, “I can’t wait to see you again. Same place?”

Tracy’s eyes turned to steel. That was all she needed.

And so, the trap was set.

In a scene that left fans on the edge of their sofas, Tracy confronted Carl—but not with accusations. Instead, she played her boldest card yet: seduction. With the cool precision of a cat toying with a mouse, Tracy told Carl she’d been “thinking about spicing things up.” She whispered promises of passion, lured him with a bottle of whiskey, and even suggested a secret rendezvous at the very hotel he used with Abi.

Carl, hopelessly unaware that he was walking into a storm, agreed without hesitation. “Just the two of us. No distractions,” Tracy purred. “No secrets.”

What Carl didn’t know was that Tracy had already contacted Abi—and invited her to the same room, at the same time. “Carl’s planning a surprise,” she told her, sweet as poison. “You won’t want to miss it.”

The confrontation that followed was pure soap gold.

As Carl entered the hotel room expecting romance, he was greeted not with rose petals, but two furious women—and a camera phone already recording.

“You really thought you could have both of us?” Tracy snapped, arms folded. “Wrong. Tonight, you get nothing. Except exposed.”

Abi, shocked and heartbroken, turned to Carl with betrayal written all over her face. “You told me she didn’t matter. That it was over.”

Tracy raised a brow. “Oh, he says that to all the women he’s cheating on.”

Carl, for once, had no words. Just stammering, sweating, and the slow realisation that his world was collapsing.

The footage—Tracy’s “insurance policy”—has already made its way to several residents’ phones, thanks to a clever leak via Steve McDonald, who found the whole thing “bloody genius.” And though Carl tried to spin the story, his reputation has taken a fatal hit.

Social media exploded after the episode aired, with the hashtag #TracysTrap trending within minutes. “This is peak Tracy Barlow energy,” one user wrote. “You cheat, you pay — and she makes sure you suffer.”

Another fan posted: “Carl thinking he could outsmart Tracy??? Man hasn’t watched the last 20 years of Coronation Street, clearly.”

And the best part? Tracy isn’t done yet.

Sources on set suggest that this is only the first phase of her revenge. An insider hinted, “She’s got something even bigger planned — public humiliation is just the appetizer.” Could Tracy be planning to take Carl down professionally too? Rumours suggest she’s already spoken to Kevin Webster about sabotaging Carl’s garage prospects, while others believe she might have more personal dirt to air.

Meanwhile, Abi is left devastated, once again finding herself entangled in a cheating scandal that’s left her friendships and her self-worth in tatters. Viewers were quick to sympathise with her — but not excuse her. “Abi needs to stop getting involved with taken men,” one fan commented. “But Carl is the real villain here.”

As for Carl, his days in Weatherfield may be numbered. Word is spreading, bridges are burning, and Tracy Barlow? She’s got that look in her eye—the one that means she’s just getting started.

If he thought a little hotel room drama was the worst of it, he’s in for a rude awakening.

Because when Tracy Barlow lays a trap, she doesn’t just catch rats—she makes sure they squirm.