Los Angeles - Fans of singers Chris Brown and Rihanna expressed dismay last Saturday at reports the couple had reunited just three weeks after Brown was alleged to have assaulted her.

Celebrity magazines People and Us Weekly said the R&B stars were spending time together at the Miami home of hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs - and Rihanna's father was supporting her decision.

'I love my daughter whatever road she takes. I'm behind her win or lose. I will be supportive. If that's the road she wants to choose, I'm behind her,' her dad Ronald Fenty told Us Weekly from his Barbados home.

Fans could scarcely believe the news that came a week after a picture, showing the 21-year-old Umbrella singer with bruises to her face and swollen lips, was leaked on the Internet.

'All the abusive men are celebrating,' Highroller33138 wrote in a posting on MTV.com. 'It sets a terrible example for women everywhere. Rihanna really disappointed me.'

'Stupid, really stupid... I hate women like this,' wrote ladyofthelake on TVGuide.com.

Last Friday, People quoted a source as saying the couple, who had been dating for about a year, were back together. 'They care for each other. While Chris is reflective and saddened about what happened, he is really happy to be with the woman he loves,' the source said.

Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to file charges against Brown after his arrest on Feb 8 on suspicion of making criminal threats against a woman.