You can take space from a friend without a speech, a post or a villain.

Needing distance does not require a story in which somebody was wrong. People reach for a justification because a reason feels necessary before stepping back is allowed, and inventing one turns an ordinary adjustment into a conflict that then has to be repaired. Space is allowed to just be space.

If you need room, take it quietly, answer a little slower, see them less for a while. No announcement and no explanation. Most friendships survive a quiet season far better than they survive a manufactured grievance.