I think you did something good, and she heard you. When people don't apologize for bad treatment they have doled out, we assume they are mean and uncaring. You don't know how much resentment builds up in a person who thinks her husband is mean and uncaring. You took a sledgehammer and knocked a chip out of the wall between you. She saw that you are not mean, you can be nice, and you do have some interest in her. You'd be surprised at the depth to which women are hurt when they think their husband is not interested in what they think and what they have to say.
