When Rihanna got back together with Chris Brown after four years, Oprah Winfrey gave the couple her blessings while fans flinched in shock and horror. Questions were raised numerous times about why the singer should reconcile with someone who abused her till she had to seek police protection. But the Barbadian star seems unrepentant about her decision.

"I decided it was more important for me to be happy, and I wasn't going to let anybody's opinion get in the way of that," Rihanna told Rolling Stone magazine. "Even if it's a mistake, it's my mistake."

The 24-year-old also insists that things are different between them now compared to what it was four years ago. Brown and Rihanna's relationship soured in 2009 when the rapper beat her up after a Grammy party and left her bruised. RiRi admits that she was angry and hurt and wanted to punish him even though she deeply loved him.

"I wanted him to know what it felt like to lose me. To feel the consequences of that. So when that (stuff) came back it hit me like a ton of bricks," she says.

The "Umbrella" hit maker admits that she knew she would face a lot of criticism for getting back with the 23-year-old but she says that what fans and others see on the outside is far from the reality. She believes that it is only the couple in the relationship who know what it is like to be together.

The couple has been putting up a strong front amid rumors that Brown has been cheating on Rihanna with a blonde executive assistant, Sommer Gargan, according to In Touch.

But Rihanna makes it very clear that she has learnt her lesson well. Just because she gave a second chance to Brown doesn't mean that she will stand by him through another mess. "He doesn't have the luxury of f***ing up again. That's just not an option," she clarifies.