“Protecting my peace” shouldn’t be the phrase you use to dodge every apology you owe.

Real boundaries protect you from harm, and the same words can be borrowed to protect you from discomfort you owe somebody. The language is identical and the direction is not: one keeps damage out, the other keeps repair from getting in. Distance chosen because a conversation would be hard is avoidance with better vocabulary.

Check which way it points. If the person is dangerous to you, the distance is right and you owe nothing. If the only difficulty is having to admit something, that is not peace you are protecting, and the conversation will be shorter than you think.