Here's The Best Way To Accept Apology From Friends Who Hurt You

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Accepting an Apology Is the First Step Toward Forgiveness

A better option is to accept the apology you're given (provided it is genuine and not a non-apology) and allow your acceptance to be the first step toward forgiveness. This means you'll still feel hurt but your will be on your way to letting it all go. With forgiveness, the decision to forgive comes before the feeling of complete forgiveness, so it's natural not to be "over it" when you accept your friend's apology. Trust that when you say you forgive your friend your feelings will come shortly after.

When You're Not Ready to Forgive
With the issue of wanting to make your friend suffer because they hurt you, putting off the acceptance of their apology can mean they'll think you won't forgive them and pull away from the friendship. No one likes to be reminded of the times they have messed up, so if you're not ready to forgive, instead say:

I appreciate your apology and I accept it. It means a lot to me. I'm not quite there yet with forgiveness but I want to be so I hope you'll be patient with me.

Then, don't continually bring up the issue. Instead, work to get through it so you two can be friends again. Don't insist that your friend apologize over and over.

This only damages your friendship and will make your friend less likely to apologize next time.

Embracing Acceptance When Your Friend Apologizes
Truly accepting an apology means that you have thought it through, acknowledge that your friend made a mistake, and embrace the fact that your pal is sorry. While you might still be a bit angry, you are on your way to letting go of that in favor of a solid friendship once again. Saying that you accept your friend's apology means that you are willing to put an end to the argument in such a way that it will not continue to be an issue going forward.

A good way to acknowledge this is to say something like:

"We all make mistakes. I accept your apology."

"After thinking it through, I realize this was just a misunderstanding and that you didn't mean to hurt me. I accept your apology."

Your friend will remember how you were able to accept their apology and when it's your turn to be forgiven, they'll be more likely to accept your apology quickly and let it go.