Two people disagree on apologies. One says they must feel genuine, not forced. The other argues that saying the words anyway, even if it feels obligatory, shows you care about the relationship.
I never said what I did was okay. And you never apologized also. Because if I apologize, I don't want you to ever think that I'm apologizing because I have to. I want you to know—
You do have to.
No, no, I'm not talking about that. I'm not saying that. I don't want you to think that I'm forcing myself to apologize. So what you're saying is you care about me now. I don't want you to say she's only apologizing because it's the right thing to do, not because you want to.
At least you can say the words. Like, you haven't tried to say the words. I'd rather you force yourself to apologize than to not apologize. That means you don't care about my feelings. That means you're not thinking about me and how I feel. This is gonna help me in the future.