Neither. Leave them alone.

I am going to say something stupid. Sometimes love makes you blind and you go back. She needs to look at those pictures and see what the world sees. Domestic violence is never ok. If that's what she did then I am disappointed.

Shocked. I just hope Rihanna will be ok.

ummm... I kind of saw this coming. It's a cycle of abuse.

Also- I hope she has some security if she is secluded.

whatever, if she wants to be with someone who beats her than she that is her problem. She has all the support in the world and yet she goes back to him.

I doubt that they're back together but if it is true, she's a typical 21 year old woman who will always go back to an abusive partner. She's just another example of why the cycle continues. Obviously, she can do what she wants because she has a mind of her own but that doesn't mean I will respect her from now on.

Chris Brown is 19! I understand how hard it is to break away from your first love or first real relationship but seriously...Chris Brown is a baby. She's older than him and it's about time she got someone older than her. Someone who is mature. I just find it sad that she can't let go if she indeed got back together with him. She's beautiful, rich, and has a great personality. I don't see why it would be wrong for her to find someone else. He literally punched her in the face repeatedly - I guess that's not enough to tell her that something like that is not love.

Truthfully, I'm not surprised. A lot of women, especially young women, are quick to forgive and reconcile with men they love (even if the men are bad for them).

Haven't we all had bad relationships?

poor rihanna. it's so sad when women go back to their abusers. i hope she finds strength to leave him and be on her own. she's so talented and beautiful and has so much potential.

neither shocked nor confused. They are both barely out of their teens.

Not shocked but saddened. Many women (and men) who are subjected to domestic violence go back to their abuser. They blame themselves for the violence, the think "everyone deserves a second chance", they think love can conquer all. But it's a sick fantasy.

Violence is the fault of the person who committed the attack.

No one deserves a second chance to kill you or just mildly break your face.

And love cannot conquer domestic violence because if the attacker really loved you they would have never committed the act of violence and breach of trust in the first place.

As she grows up, she will regret giving the second chance and the loss of self-esteem that will come from it.

All of that is JMHO. Of course that's if the story is even true at all.

I also want to say that I think they're "meeting" together to finally talk things out in person. Maybe it's not a good idea. Maybe it is. Though, I seriously doubt Rihanna went there to get back with him.

We're not sure of the incident, and sometimes people have to learn on their on. Just leave them alone, and let them figure things out.

If this is true...

Does anyone think that this is not the first time Chris Brown has hit her? because going back to him after he left her face like that shows me that there is a pattern in their relationship. It sounds like this is NOT the first time he put his hands on her.

you should put an option for other/neither in that poll because i don't feel shocked or saddened. it's none of my business. i don't know these people or anything that happened. i think the poll comes off as biased like we should all being feeling one of those emotions when really we are all strangers to these people and don't have a right to feel much of anything about it.

Don't go crying on Oprah when it happens again.

no, boo-boo... you don't go back to your abuser!!! The cycle of abuse continues... she is dumb! Plus I could not be with him after such a public embarrassment. RiRi get some pride!!! LAWD!

There should be the "I'm angry" option. In case this is actually true, I'm angry that she's even considering going back to that loser.

if this story is accurate, then No, i am not surprised at all. women tend to run back to the abuser. she is young. she's in love. she doesn't know better....she should know better, but she doesn't. it's sad.

are not 21 years enough to make her grwon up to Differentiate between what's wrong and what's right? Rihanna i though u were smarter that that....

Niether shocked or saddened. We all can't assume that we've got it all figured out. I don't know them or their relationship. Does their being together mean she's weak or stupid (like everyone who claims to support her will say) or does it mean she's forgiving, or feels partly responsible, or that what we think we know about that night isn't as it seems? I don't know, none of us do, we probably never will and it's not really our business anyway.
Besides we also have to realize Rihanna is not responsible for every womans decisions, she's not the domestic violence role model, and I really don't thinks it's about setting an example. She didn't publicize this or ask for it to be top headlines. She made a decision for herself, whether it's right or wrong isn't for us to decide.
In regards to the question of whether or not this is the first time, I have't heard any solid stories about that, just random gossip like the Paris Hilton and Leona Lewis rumors. I'm asumming that this is the first time because for this to happen with such media attention, and so much support she must feel strongly that she can trust him. When abused woman go back when it's already a pattern they kinda know for sure what their going back to but don't feel they have the strength to leave.

I don't think we have any right to judge. I doubt we actually even know the true story.

I know love is complicated but I wouldn't be going back to anyone who would do that to my face.

I pretty much agree with everybody here. There's no telling what really happened and their relationship probably is tumultuous and it really isn't anybody's business but one thing I don't agree with is the age factor. Regardless of age there is absolutely NO excuse for abuse.

I think this sets a horrible example for young girls who look up to her. Yes relationships are complicated and sometimes the only two people who know whats going on are the ones in the relationship, but when a man hits you that should be it.

There must be more to the story than what's been put out there if she's back with him. Rihanna really doesn't strike me as someone who would let a guy make a punching bag of her face. Just a thought...don't mean to offend anyone.

I'm a little bit of both if this is true. The whole time this was going on I was thinking about domestic violence and hoping that some women stayed with their abusers because they were afraid of what would happen if they tried to leave. RiRi has money to hire body guards and protect herself if she left him so I prayed that she would. It just shows you the real problem of domestic violence isn't the physical pain but the belief that you aren't worth better.

One hand cant clap unless its knocking something ...they both know what happen that night and she knows her part in it and we never got a full story from both of them not that we need it because its their personal life but the news dose not shock me ...

Yeah, it's kind of sad but she's been through enough and doesn't need the world judging her right now. She'll figure it out...

Beautiful Price, I'm pretty sure that it's not the first time he has hit her. As some have said it's a cycle of violence and before someone hits another that way there always are insults, threats, the first knocks (it's called the "escalation of tension/violence" at least in spanish) and then it comes the beating... so yes it's not the first time. And I'm saddened that she's back with him because it was the time to leave him, but no, I'm not shocked... it happens all the time. Usually women let it happen more than once before realizing that her life is threatened.

Can I get 2 reliable sources please?

SBG, I can totally see where you are coming from. I thought I was alone when I pondered if he had hit her before because for such a person of her stature, to get beaten, and then go back to her abuser/attacker makes me realize that there was a pattern in their relationship.

I remember one time Rihanna had to wear an eye patch. I wonder if it relates?

I am saddened, but not shocked, this is the cycle of abuse. So sad, this is really going to jeopardize her career. A lot of people are not going to understand and feel as though she is squandering their good will. I really hope this story is not true. But People is a reputable source, so it probably is.

So wrong... although, the details of EXACTLY what happened have yet to be revealed (if they do at all)... but looking at their "history" that wasn't the first incident. I lost respect for both of them... not that I had much to begin with. This is just getting ridiculous.

If this is true then I am shocked, saddened, angry and very disappointed.

Since news of the assault broke I too have been wondering if it's the first time Chris hit Rihanna. If she really has gone back to him then I'm sure it won't be the last.

"for such a person of her stature, to get beaten, and then go back to her abuser/attacker makes me realize that there was a pattern in their relationship."

How do we this isn't the first time? Yes, we all know about these cycles and patterns, but how can you be sure this isn't a starting point? Not an argument, a question? I'd like to hear your opinion on that.

I saw the eyepatch way back when and wondered about it, because comments joked about why it was there, but I saw pics of her at the same event without the patch. I'll find the link.

I'm not surprised.She's 21 and probably in love and when you are in love you don't think clearly.I just hope she is okay and it doesn't ruin her career.

neither. none of us know the whole story anyway.

She should have left him for good. Ah well, I hope she has the sense to get rid of him the minute he shows signs of becoming violent again. And we all know he will...maybe she should just leave him now. *sigh*

No one knows exactly what happened that night but pictures don't lie they tell stories and that horrible picture that was leaked really made the whole story more real and for that I am saddened.

Kaygoodie

The reason I said it's not the first time because in the police report, Rihanna said that this was not the first time he hit her while her friends spoke to People basically saying the same thing. So when I read this, I wasn't sure. I didn't believe it in fact because I was naive to think that she wouldn't go back to him if that were the case.

Now we have story that says she did go back to him. So of course, I'm going to think that there was a pattern in their relationship as in they would argue, he would hit her, and she takes him back.

Makes me question her self worth and his malipulative way's. If Misery loves company so be it but someone needs to remind everyone that this is not Okay

For those curious about her eyepatch being worn at the 2008 AMA's to cover up a previous abuse incident, she appears on the red carpet without the eyepatch, and after the perfomance and winning awards she is without it. The eyepatch was strictly for the performances ghetto pirate trend. Anyway the event is easily to find everywhere if you're curious so I didn't provide a link.

She's an idiot.

Anyone remember that guy OJ?

Good luck with that one, Rihanna...you're going to need it.

(If this is true) I really don't know if going back to him is wise on either of their parts. If she's returning to him out of love and pity, it's going to damage her sense of autonomy. If Chris Brown really wants to defeat his anger and violence he should be focusing on himself and not trying to win her back. At this point it doesn't seem healthy for either one to be leaning on the other.

glint421 took the words right out of my mouth. We don't know all the facts, and everyone was so quick to jump on Rihanna's side. I'm not saying what he did was right, because it definitely wasn't, but it truly is none of our business. Love will make you do crazy things, if they are truly back together we should be praying and wishing that this will never happen again to her and that she has made the right decision. And the decision is hers to make, not anyone elses.

I saw this coming, too. It's sad, but it IS her decision to get back with him. They need serious therapy.

if he did indeed lay a hand on her, then it is a very sad day!
it is sad that she will believe that it will never happen again!

Way for a female celebrity to essentially condone domestic violence. I was never a fan of Rihanna before and I am certainly not now.

i hate to say it but i'm not at all surprised by this. i think that it's horrible and that she should NEVER stand for it, but i think that there are a lot of women out there who are in the same boat when they go back to someone hoping that they will change. i hope that chris does change and gets help from the anger management classes