You can explain the circumstances without asking them to erase the effects.

Context and consequence are two separate conversations, and merging them turns an explanation into a request. When you describe the pressure you were under, the exhaustion, the thing they did not know about, the other person often hears an invitation to stop being hurt. Explanation is useful when it is offered as information rather than as an argument for a different reaction.

Say the circumstances plainly and then say that they do not undo what happened. Leave a pause instead of asking whether it makes sense. Let the other person keep whatever they are feeling while holding the new information.