diff --git a/lib/util/container-phrasing.js b/lib/util/container-phrasing.js
index 3b4dc46..21a039c 100644
--- a/lib/util/container-phrasing.js
+++ b/lib/util/container-phrasing.js
@@ -104,7 +104,9 @@ export function containerPhrasing(parent, state, info) {
       if (
         results.length > 0 &&
         encodingInfo.before &&
-        before === results[results.length - 1].slice(-1)
+        before === results[results.length - 1].slice(-1) &&
+        before !== '\n' &&
+        before !== '\r'
       ) {
         results[results.length - 1] =
           results[results.length - 1].slice(0, -1) +
diff --git a/test/index.js b/test/index.js
index e47facd..24a75d9 100644
--- a/test/index.js
+++ b/test/index.js
@@ -746,6 +746,22 @@ test('break', async function (t) {
     assert.equal(to({type: 'break'}), '\\\n')
   })
 
+  await t.test(
+    'should not character-reference a break before an attention run',
+    async function () {
+      assert.equal(
+        to({
+          type: 'paragraph',
+          children: [
+            {type: 'break'},
+            {type: 'strong', children: [{type: 'text', value: ' x'}]}
+          ]
+        }),
+        '\\\n** x**\n'
+      )
+    }
+  )
+
   await t.test(
     'should serialize breaks in heading (atx) as a space',
     async function () {