I think a clean break is always the best way to do it. Before I met my wife, I really only had 2 serious relationships post-high school. Both lasted 1 year plus. One ended with the girlfriend I lived with cheating on me and then leaving me for the guy, the other ended with me breaking it off, and then she proceeded to take a bunch of pills and slit her wrists, landing her on suicide watch in the hospital.
So yeah, a clean break.
