Renny Palmer was the subject of affection from both her husband Jason Palmer and his romantic rival Gofal Baziad before the love triangle turned deadly, a NSW Supreme Court jury has heard.
Two days after allegedly killing his friend Mr Palmer, Baziad tried to calm down the woman he perceived as his "girlfriend" over the phone, jurors were told on Tuesday.
"He said 'well perhaps Jason had gone to a nightclub and might have been drunk and slept at a friend's place'," Ms Palmer testified using a Bahasa interpreter.
Mr Palmer suddenly disappeared on February 6, 2004.
The two men had been seen chatting and smoking on the balcony of Ms Palmer's home in Sydney's southwest before leaving together late that night.
The 54-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murdering his romantic rival in a fit of jealousy in the hours following.
Ms Palmer testified Baziad had been late collecting her for work the day after the alleged murder.
She felt unwell on the drive and asked to turn back.
Baziad also said he was sick and the pair decided to go back to their respective homes, the jury heard.
That afternoon, he picked up Ms Palmer and took her to dance training at the Indonesian consulate.
She tried, unsuccessfully, to call and text her ex-husband.
Two days after he vanished, she went with Baziad to Mr Palmer's rental apartment, the jury heard.
While there, she noticed the interior of his home was messy, as if no one had slept there.
Ms Palmer separated from her then ex-husband in 2002 after he had an affair, she earlier told the court.
However, she reconciled with him in December 2003 after being asked to choose between the two men.
"I still loved Jason," she told the jury.
Despite her decision, Baziad still thought of himself as her boyfriend, she testified.
He compared her relationship with Mr Palmer to glass.
"Even if it was put together again then it would still be broken," he reportedly said.
Ms Palmer testified that Baziad told her he had to clean and move out of his unit the day after her husband disappeared.
When asked why he had to move, he said there was a problem with the real estate, the jury heard.
Mr Palmer's body was found concealed in a sleeping bag and weighed down with rocks in the Nepean River in Sydney's west 23 days after he vanished.
The trial continues.
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