diff --git a/services/inputflinger/dispatcher/trace/InputTracer.cpp b/services/inputflinger/dispatcher/trace/InputTracer.cpp
index be09013..0be64e6 100644
--- a/services/inputflinger/dispatcher/trace/InputTracer.cpp
+++ b/services/inputflinger/dispatcher/trace/InputTracer.cpp
@@ -84,24 +84,24 @@
 
 void InputTracer::dispatchToTargetHint(const EventTrackerInterface& cookie,
                                        const InputTarget& target) {
-    auto& cookieState = getState(cookie);
-    if (!cookieState) {
+    auto& eventState = getState(cookie);
+    if (eventState.isEventProcessingComplete) {
         LOG(FATAL) << "dispatchToTargetHint() should not be called after eventProcessingComplete()";
     }
     // TODO(b/210460522): Determine if the event is sensitive based on the target.
 }
 
 void InputTracer::eventProcessingComplete(const EventTrackerInterface& cookie) {
-    auto& cookieState = getState(cookie);
-    if (!cookieState) {
+    auto& eventState = getState(cookie);
+    if (eventState.isEventProcessingComplete) {
         LOG(FATAL) << "Traced event was already logged. "
                       "eventProcessingComplete() was likely called more than once.";
     }
 
     std::visit(Visitor{[&](const TracedMotionEvent& e) { mBackend->traceMotionEvent(e); },
                        [&](const TracedKeyEvent& e) { mBackend->traceKeyEvent(e); }},
-               cookieState->event);
-    cookieState.reset();
+               eventState.event);
+    eventState.isEventProcessingComplete = true;
 }
 
 void InputTracer::traceEventDispatch(const DispatchEntry& dispatchEntry,
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@
                                    /*hmac=*/{}});
 }
 
-std::optional<InputTracer::EventState>& InputTracer::getState(const EventTrackerInterface& cookie) {
+InputTracer::EventState& InputTracer::getState(const EventTrackerInterface& cookie) {
     return static_cast<const EventTrackerImpl&>(cookie).mState;
 }
 
@@ -146,18 +146,17 @@
       : mTracer(tracer), mState(event) {}
 
 InputTracer::EventTrackerImpl::~EventTrackerImpl() {
-    if (!mState) {
+    if (mState.isEventProcessingComplete) {
         // This event has already been written to the trace as expected.
         return;
     }
-    // We're still holding on to the state, which means it hasn't yet been written to the trace.
-    // Write it to the trace now.
+    // The event processing was never marked as complete, so do it now.
     // TODO(b/210460522): Determine why/where the event is being destroyed before
     //   eventProcessingComplete() is called.
     std::visit(Visitor{[&](const TracedMotionEvent& e) { mTracer.mBackend->traceMotionEvent(e); },
                        [&](const TracedKeyEvent& e) { mTracer.mBackend->traceKeyEvent(e); }},
-               mState->event);
-    mState.reset();
+               mState.event);
+    mState.isEventProcessingComplete = true;
 }
 
 } // namespace android::inputdispatcher::trace::impl
diff --git a/services/inputflinger/dispatcher/trace/InputTracer.h b/services/inputflinger/dispatcher/trace/InputTracer.h
index c8b25c9..1acac6d 100644
--- a/services/inputflinger/dispatcher/trace/InputTracer.h
+++ b/services/inputflinger/dispatcher/trace/InputTracer.h
@@ -51,13 +51,16 @@
 
     // The state of a tracked event.
     struct EventState {
+        explicit inline EventState(TracedEvent event) : event(std::move(event)){};
+
         const TracedEvent event;
+        bool isEventProcessingComplete{false};
         // TODO(b/210460522): Add additional args for tracking event sensitivity and
         //  dispatch target UIDs.
     };
 
     // Get the event state associated with a tracking cookie.
-    std::optional<EventState>& getState(const EventTrackerInterface&);
+    EventState& getState(const EventTrackerInterface&);
 
     // Implementation of the event tracker cookie. The cookie holds the event state directly for
     // convenience to avoid the overhead of tracking the state separately in InputTracer.
@@ -68,11 +71,9 @@
 
     private:
         InputTracer& mTracer;
-        // This event tracker cookie will only hold the state as long as it has not been written
-        // to the trace. The state is released when the event is written to the trace.
-        mutable std::optional<EventState> mState;
+        mutable EventState mState;
 
-        friend std::optional<EventState>& InputTracer::getState(const EventTrackerInterface&);
+        friend EventState& InputTracer::getState(const EventTrackerInterface&);
     };
 };