Does Rihanna still love Chris Brown despite their tumultuous past?

Rihanna ended her tumultuous relationship with Chris Brown after she was physically abused by him in 2009. The 27-year old rapper had admitted to attacking the 29-year-old songstress after a Grammy party.

However, the Barbadian singer reportedly still has strong feelings for Brown despite sharing a not-so-pleasant history with the With You hitmaker and now, latest tabloid gossip reports claim that RiRi still "really loves Chris".

HollywoodLife reports that "Rihanna would take Chris back in a heartbeat, but she can't".

"Now that probably shocks a ton of people, but they don't know Chris or Ri," the source said and added, "she understands him and he's opened up to her about everything he's been through."

"It breaks her heart when she thinks of Chris, and she doesn't view him as some kind of 'monster' like other people do. You gotta walk a mile in another person's shoes before you can pass judgement on them," the source continued.

This comes after the gossip website previously claimed that Rihanna made a surprise phone call and wished her former boyfriend on his birthday.

"Rih was not about to let this day go by without hitting Chris up on his birthday. They FaceTimed and when he picked up she immediately started singing him happy birthday. He was speechless," a source had said.

"His eyes lit up and he had the biggest smile on his face. He was bobbing his head when she was singing and when she was done he was like wow. They talked briefly and she told him I love you," the source added.

It seems like the former couple are turning into friends as Brown also reportedly wished Rihanna's mother Monica Braithwaite on her birthday last month.

Meanwhile, Brown is involved in a bitter feud with his former girlfriend Karrueche Tran who filed a restraining order against the singer in February. The model has accused Brown of "threatened to shoot" her and "take her out". Brown and Tran dated on and off from 2011 to 2014.

"Chris Brown has been served and we will see him in court," Tran's attorney Patrick Blood had said.