“Yes.”
“At what cost?”
Now we arrive.
“Marriage,” Salvatore answers quietly.
The word lands without resistance. It doesn’t need explanation. In this room, marriage is not personal. It is structural. It binds blood to contract. It removes ambiguity. It creates consequence that cannot be negotiated away.
Giulio’s gaze sharpens. “Your son.”
“Yes,” I say.
A beat.
“He’s… unstable.”
“Correct,” I agree.
“And you intend to correct that through marriage.”
“Yes.”
Giulio exhales softly, almost amused. “You believe a wife will impose discipline.”
“No,” I say.
That draws attention. Even Marco glances up.
“Then what do you believe?” Giulio asks.
“That structure imposes discipline,” I say. “Marriage is structure.” I let that settle before continuing. “Right now, Dante operates without consequence. He moves, he spends, he acts, without anything binding him to outcome. That creates volatility.”
“Yes,” Giulio says. “We’ve observed that.”
“Marriage changes that,” I continue. “It ties him to an external system. To another family. To obligations that extend beyond himself.”
“And if he ignores those obligations?”
“He won’t.”
“You’re certain?”
“No,” I say.
A pause.
Giulio’s interest deepens. “Then why proceed?”
Because uncertainty is still preferable to decay. Because leaving him unbound guarantees escalation. Because the councilis already watching. Because if I do nothing, the system weakens.
“Because it is the correct action given the available variables,” I say instead.
Marco nods once. He understands. Giulio studies me for a moment longer. Then he smiles, just slightly.
Respect.
And a warning.
