'Learn to love death's ink-black shadow as much as you love the light of dawn.' Yeah? Well, Nikolas doesn't do early mornings. It takes a certain kind of courage to live as if favoured by the gods, ignoring the ever-present ghosts of your past--or perhaps not bravery, but arrogance. And maybe not even that. Ben genuinely believes that the past is behind them--that they deserve to enjoy the life they have created. So it's not hubris that leads him to overlook the signs that Nikolas does not share his faith, it's love. But Nikolas knows something is coming. He can't stop it; he can only decide how he will choose to face it. And without Ben's support, he is entirely alone.