Watching my son's practiced, hollow grief, my heart turned to ice.

Liam must have sensed my silence. His feigned sobs hitched, and he looked up at me.

"Mamma?" he asked, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

A wry, almost mocking smile touched my lips as I strode to Finnian's bedside. Without a flicker of hesitation, I yanked the white sheet from his body.

The move was so abrupt that the family doctors and guards standing by were too stunned to react.

My husband lay on the bed, his face flushed with an unnaturally healthy color. This time, I didn't miss the slight twitch of his finger.

How utterly ridiculous. To think I had fallen for such a clumsy act in my last life.

Back then, terrified of upsetting Liam further, I hadn't dared look at Finnian's face. Blinded by sorrow, I'd completely missed the guilty, evasive expressions on the doctors.

My gaze swept coldly across the room, finally locking onto the head physician.

The entire reputation of this private family clinic rested on our trust. Looking back, it was painfully obvious Finnian had bought them all off to stage this elaborate farce.

"Mamma! What are you doing?" Liam scrambled toward me, still too young to conceal the raw terror in his eyes—the fear of a lie being exposed.

"Papa is gone. Please, let him rest in peace. Don't disturb him," he pleaded, his voice trembling.

"The dead know no peace," I replied evenly, not yet ready to spring the trap.

Liam froze, visibly taken aback by my cold tone. He had clearly expected a different reaction, the same blind, weeping grief as before.

"Mamma, what's that supposed to mean?" he stammered.

I ignored him, turning instead to the family elders present in the room. In a clear, steady voice, I declared, "I demand a traditional open-casket wake for Finnian."

"He was a Capo in this family, and he deserves that honor. I want all the Made Men loyal to the O'Malley name to pay their last respects. Have the family morticians prepare him."

Liam's eyes widened in stunned disbelief. He stared at me, speechless, as I made the pronouncement in front of everyone.

"An open-casket wake? Mamma, what are you trying to do?" His voice was thin, laced with shock.

I met his gaze, my expression calm and resolute. "Your father died for the honor of this family. His body is still whole. It is only right that everyone sees him one last time, to remember his sacrifice."

It didn't take long for the family's morticians to arrive. They were stationed nearby and responded at once.

"Mrs. O'Malley. We're here for the arrangements," one of them said upon arriving.

I gave a graceful nod, gesturing toward my "deceased" husband on the bed.

"Yes. The body is here."

Several of the family elders looked at me with approval, clearly impressed by my composure. "You've done well, Aine. To think of the family's dignity at a time like this… you are truly a daughter of the Callahan house."

"It's nothing. My husband valued family honor above all. I am only doing what he would have wanted," I replied smoothly.

The elders nodded. "Time is of the essence. They will first embalm your husband's body and then transport it to the chapel for the ceremony. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course. That would be perfect," I agreed.

But just as the morticians moved to take Finnian's body, Liam finally snapped.

"Wait! Stop!"