diff --git a/system/Database/BaseConnection.php b/system/Database/BaseConnection.php
index d025453f74ba..9060931d4c55 100644
--- a/system/Database/BaseConnection.php
+++ b/system/Database/BaseConnection.php
@@ -1188,9 +1188,11 @@ public function prepare(Closure $func, array $options = [])
 
         $this->pretend();
 
-        $sql = $func($this);
-
-        $this->pretend(false);
+        try {
+            $sql = $func($this);
+        } finally {
+            $this->pretend(false);
+        }
 
         if ($sql instanceof QueryInterface) {
             $sql = $sql->getOriginalQuery();
diff --git a/tests/system/Database/Live/PretendTest.php b/tests/system/Database/Live/PretendTest.php
index b3e6506c1be6..c0548cc22f73 100644
--- a/tests/system/Database/Live/PretendTest.php
+++ b/tests/system/Database/Live/PretendTest.php
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 use CodeIgniter\Test\CIUnitTestCase;
 use CodeIgniter\Test\DatabaseTestTrait;
 use PHPUnit\Framework\Attributes\Group;
+use RuntimeException;
 
 /**
  * @internal
@@ -46,4 +47,23 @@ public function testPretendReturnsQueryObject(): void
 
         $this->assertInstanceOf(Query::class, $result);
     }
+
+    public function testPrepareResetsPretendWhenClosureThrowsException(): void
+    {
+        $this->db->pretend(false);
+
+        $invoked = false;
+
+        try {
+            $this->db->prepare(static function () use (&$invoked): never {
+                $invoked = true;
+
+                throw new RuntimeException('Error in prepare closure');
+            });
+        } catch (RuntimeException) {
+        }
+
+        $this->assertTrue($invoked);
+        $this->assertFalse($this->db->pretend);
+    }
 }