Ok. No, I didn't accuse you of saying that they were. No, I didn't accuse you of saying that it was an incorrect thing to say.

"Partner" was used to specify the other in this relationship. But, I suspect that you didn't really misunderstand that and was wondering why being specific about the relationship status was missing from the answer. ie. 'my husband'.

The short answer is that the word enjoys more usage as an umbrella term for the other in any relationship where the status of the partners is really none of your fucking concern.

The changing nature of the word's usage is what I mean to convey.