Whenever I had to gently set boundaries with someone who habitually and on a long-term basis crosses boundaries, it always resulted in distance.

[The keyword here is habitually and on a long-term basis]

Either they will not stop crossing them and I have to distance myself;

or they will get offended that I even tried to set boundaries and start distancing themselves.

And the people that do not usually cross boundaries but ended up doing so once or twice, or on temporary basis due to emotions; they would always come back and apologize that I never had the need to confront them.

So is it to be always expected, that if I were to confront someone who is habitually and on long term basis crosses boundaries, that we would never be close again?

Is that just inevitable?

Are people who are not self-aware also unwilling to take in external feedbacks?

P.S. I'm feeling a little down that I have no "success story" of confronting boundaries improving a relationship. I mean, it improved the state of life for me in that I don't need to bothered all the time. But I am yet to say, "I set boundaries with her and now, we have a thriving relationship!"