VOLUME 06 — BREAKUP
Endings are
where the
damage happens.
19 situations, whether they ended it or you did — including the settlement, the handover, and the review threatened on the way out. Each one already has the email written.
The sample is the real file — one situation open, the other 18 listed, and the diagnostic quiz working on all 19.
SITUATION BU-2-3 — THE SECOND TIME
You already
said it once.
One of the 19, printed in full. Nothing is held back for the paid version — this is what every situation looks like inside.
The situation
This client was already warned once about a recurring pattern, nothing improved, and it's time to end the engagement.
Real riskList every instance of the pattern in the termination message, and the conversation turns into a re-litigation instead of a clean ending.
EVERY SITUATION HAS TWO OR THREE
You pick the tone.
The draft follows.
The same situation, two ways to answer it. Each one says what it gains you and what it costs — before you send anything.
State the decision without relitigating the pattern
State that you've decided not to continue, referencing the earlier conversation briefly without re-listing every instance.
- Gain
- Keeps the message from turning into a drawn-out debate about specifics
- Cost
- May leave the client wanting more detail on what went wrong
End the engagement without listing every reason
State the end date and settlement terms plainly, without cataloguing every incident that led here.
- Gain
- Closes things out cleanly instead of leaving room for a drawn-out dispute
- Cost
- Forecloses the relationship without a detailed explanation the client might want
The draft above is the first one. The others are written out in full as well — all 38 of them are.
WHAT YOU OPEN
One file.
No account.
Double-click it and you are already here. Nothing installs, nothing signs in, and it keeps working with the wifi off.
Pick the situation, or paste the client's email and let it work out which one you are in.
ALL 19 SITUATIONS
19 situations.
38 drafts.
The whole list, in the open. If your situation is not on it, this is not your volume — and that is worth knowing before you pay.
The client is ending it
They've decided to end the engagement — the question is what happens next
4 SIT · 8 DRAFTS- The client has ended the engagement, citing the notice and settlement terms already spelled out in the contract.
- The client has abruptly said "that's it, we're done here," with nothing in the contract covering how termination should be handled.
- The termination came suddenly with no explanation, and the relationship had already soured before this point.
- The wind-down is already in progress, but the client keeps proposing changes to the agreed notice period and terms.
You need to end it
You're the one who has to say it's over
4 SIT · 8 DRAFTS- Personal circumstances (health, being overloaded) mean it's time to step away, and the contract has a clause covering early termination.
- Continuing isn't workable anymore because of problems with the client, but the contract has no early-termination clause to point to.
- This client was already warned once about a recurring pattern, nothing improved, and it's time to end the engagement.
- Something serious and unrelated to money — a safety issue, being defamed — means the engagement needs to end immediately.
You're negotiating the terms of ending it
Notice period, handoff, final payment, and files settled as one package
3 SIT · 6 DRAFTS- Both sides have agreed to end things, and now the notice period, handoff scope, final payment, and file transfer all need to be settled together.
- The contract has no provision at all for how an early termination should be settled, and terms need to be worked out from nothing.
- The settlement terms have gone back and forth for a while now with no resolution, and it's reached the point where this needs to close.
They're using the ending as leverage
Reviews, reputation, or the threat of both come up as things wind down
1 SIT · 2 DRAFTS- Dissatisfied with the settlement, the client implies that a bad review or damaged reputation is coming unless terms change.
You're closing out the loose ends
Files held until payment, access handover, and late asks to continue
3 SIT · 6 DRAFTS- The engagement is ending with the final invoice unpaid, and the client is asking for the completed files now — payment 'to follow.'
- The wind-down is underway, and untangling access is turning out to be its own project — domains, hosting, repos, shared drives, some registered under your accounts, some under theirs.
- The renewal is being declined, and beyond this specific ask, it's time to close out the relationship entirely rather than leave it open-ended.
Before it starts
Settling it while nothing has gone wrong yet
4 SIT · 8 DRAFTS- The contract for a new project has no clause at all covering what happens if it ends early — no kill fee, no notice period.
- The contract covers deliverables and payment in detail, but says nothing about who owns the files or what happens to them if the project ends early.
- Early on, there was a passing comment that "we can always just stop if it's not working," but nothing about what stopping early would actually involve was ever defined.
- A prior engagement with this client ended without any real termination terms, and the wind-down was awkward as a result. A new project is starting now.
WHEN ONE VOLUME IS NOT THE SHAPE OF IT
By the ending,
it was never one thing.
Endings arrive after the late payments, the added work, and the silences. Six volumes, in one file that keeps a single history per client, is a different tool — not this one with extras.
BEFORE YOU BUY
Straight
answers.
What do I actually receive?
One HTML file. Open it in any browser — no install, no account, no login. Keep a copy and it keeps working, with or without us.
Does an AI write the emails?
No. All 38 drafts are written in advance. If your browser has on-device AI, you can paste the client's email and it works out which situation you are in. Without it, two or three taps get you to the same place.
They are threatening a bad review.
That is one of the 19, written for the moment leverage shows up in a settlement conversation.
The contract says nothing about ending early.
Two situations assume exactly that — including how to settle terms from nothing, and what to put in the next contract so this does not repeat.
I might want the other volumes later.
Then start here anyway. If you get the System afterwards, this $16 comes off it — email hello@useclearbound.com from the address you bought with and we will take it off. Starting small costs you nothing extra.
Does my data go anywhere?
No. What you type stays in your browser on your machine. There is no account and no server, so there is nowhere for it to go.
PRICE
One clean exit
pays for it.
The Breakup Playbook
- 19 situations — from the first sign to the last resort, for when it has to end
- 38 drafts, each one written out in full
- Two or three approaches per situation, with what each costs
- 4 to settle before the work starts
- One HTML file · works offline · no account · yours forever
Upgrading to the System later? This $16 comes off it.
VOLUME 06 — BREAKUP
Leave with
the reference intact.
19 situations and 38 drafts for the last email. Opens in any browser and stays yours.