The thing about romance? The ever-after isn't always happy.

Marin Beckett grew up in a real-life storybook romance. Her parents' marriage inspired millions through the pages of her dad's famous memoir, but only she was around later to watch it implode. It took her years to trust in lasting love, but her fiancé's romantic gestures have finally won her over. Between wedding planning and her flourishing writing career, Marin is sure she's found her own happy ending.

When a glamorous work trip beckons?complete with a Manhattan penthouse, chauffeured cars, and a visit to the set of her book-turned-TV-movie?it should be a thrilling adventure. Instead, she's thrust into a world of publishing elites eager to dissect her family's painful demise. These shadows of the past bring her long-buried doubts about love to the surface. Is she simply nervous? Or is her fear of commitment rooted in a truth she hasn't quite figured out?

In this poignant prequel to the Love Unscripted series, Sarah Madelin explores the weight of family legacy, the fear of repeating past mistakes, and finding the courage to believe in forever?even when forever feels impossibly out of reach.