Don’t assume it’s easy to break-up with a person or cut off contact. It’s actually very difficult. However, it’s even more difficult to keep in contact with someone after you’ve broken up with them because every contact is like pouring salt on the wound.
And yes, just because they’re the ones who initiated the break-up doesn’t mean that they walked away unscathed.
When you make a decision to break-up knowing it’s the best thing for you in the long term, that doesn’t mean that you’re feelings for that person just go away. You still care about the other person and so there’s pain and suffering associated with seeing someone who know you shouldn’t be with or can’t be with.
Breaking off contact protects you and the other person from additional pain and suffering and allows you to spend time alone processing your feelings and emotions and taking the time to heal the wound properly.