Honestly, I wouldn’t break ties in this case, if it were me. Just hold space for him. When he says hello, say hello back and have a nice conversation. Keep your heart open to others during this time, though, don’t just wait around for him because it may be a long time (years even) before he gets into a position where he could have a long-distance relationship again, but I don’t think you need to close the door entirely, because this seems like it’s 100% personal circumstances and not anything with you and his relationship, so once his circumstances return to a more normal and less stressful state, you guys may be able to work something out later on. Again, this may take years though, so be sure to remain open to other options for yourself as well.

In the meantime, it’s going to hurt to have less of him in your life, and it’s okay to miss him and to let yourself feel that pain and then let it out. But after some time, you’ll get used to not talking to him so much and it will feel less painful. I really hope his mom gets feeling better and that his situation overall improves. They’ve all suffered a terrible loss, and I’m sure the criminal investigation is extremely stressful, and that’s actually probably why his mom relapsed (stress hurts the immune system) so just expect that he’s going to have to get through all of that and allow his life to return to normalcy before he’ll be ready to commit to anyone.