otherwise
You know what this is all about. Why pretend otherwise?

at least
Couldn't you at least pretend to enjoy it?

just, merely, simply
They decided to just pretend it never happened.

can no longer
try to
be dishonest to, be foolish to, be idle to (BrE)
It would be foolish to pretend that there are no risks involved.

to
He pretended to his boss that he'd written the article.

go on pretending
I can't go on pretending any longer.

just pretending, only pretending
Maria knew he was only pretending.

let's pretend
Let's pretend it never happened.

stop pretending
there's no point in pretending, there's no point pretending (esp. BrE)

Pretend is used with these nouns as the object:
reluctance

Pretend is used with these nouns:
play