A bridge is useless if only one side is finished. Half-done apologies work the same way.

An apology with a condition inside it never reaches the other person. Saying sorry and then explaining why you were provoked leaves the span hanging over the water, technically built and carrying nothing, which is why these conversations often end worse than they began. The second half is the part that does the work, and it is the part that costs something.

Next time you owe one, say what you did, say it was wrong, and stop talking. No because, no but, no list of what they did first. If something genuinely needs explaining, offer it a day later.