adrene.joey :
I love the idea of this, but it is not realistic in most real-life betrayal dynamics. To betray someone who was good to you, a person had to choose their own ego, desire, comfort, image, or escape over your trust and dignity. They accepted your care and still let the cost land on you. For a true apology to happen later, that same person would have to reverse the entire mindset that made the betrayal possible. They would have to stop minimizing, stop blaming, stop defending themselves, face the harm honestly, tolerate shame, and admit that you were acting in good faith and they were not. Most people do not do that. They may regret consequences, miss what they lost, or want relief from guilt, but that is not the same as a genuine apology. A real apology from a betrayer requires a full moral reversal, which is a pipe dream. If you ever do get an apology, it is usually a bid for relief. to reduce guilt, discharge shame, test whether they still have access, get you to soothe them, soften how you see them, or give them a pass so they can go back to feeling like a good person. That is why so many apologies are really self-protective. They are not centered on the harm. They are centered on what the person who caused the harm wants back from you emotionally.
2026-04-06 21:16:42