I really don't know if my answer is going to help you but . . .
“Pretense” is a noun, and another form of the verb “pretend”. It is synonymous with “guise” “an act”, and can also refer to “a claim”, furthering its similarity to “pretend”. Pretense is the American spelling of the word, while pretence, with a “c”, is the British spelling. Here are some examples:
“He was hiding his anger under the pretense that everything was fine”
“She was not even making any pretence of hiding”
That is how you put "pretense" in a sentence . . . . . .
hope this helps even tho I do not think this is the answer