Yeah, this card shows the end and not the middle. Be honest with the querant.
In my experience, when this card appears, the situation has usually been “dead” for weeks or months already. The client just hasn’t accepted the body on the floor yet. That’s when I remind them: the Nine of Swords is the dark night of the soul, but every single dark night I’ve ever witnessed has been followed by the most beautiful dawn. The 10 of Swords (or 10 of Spades) is waiting right around the corner, and that one says, “It’s over. You can lie down now.”