Apologize without explaining yourself
Most apologies contain a defense, which converts them into an argument the other person now has to have.
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Why it lands
An apology with an explanation attached asks the injured party to accept your account of events as the price of the apology. They can feel the pivot coming at the word but, and what arrives is not repair but a negotiation. A clean apology is unusual, uncomfortable to give, and the only version that actually closes anything — because it leaves the other person nothing to argue with.
How
Name the specific thing, say it was wrong, stop talking. “I dismissed you in front of everyone and it was unfair.” No context, no explanation of your week, no request for reassurance. If they want the context they will ask.
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