Woman ended marriage after reading husband's 'SWMBO' nickname for her in texts

A woman decided to call it quits with her husband after discovering what his nickname for her really meant.

Her husband once referred to his then-wife as 'SWMBO' in text messages to his friends, and she found this out the hard way.

What does 'SWMBO' mean?

Over on Mamamia, the unnamed woman opened up about the issues that had been brewing in her relationship, after learning that 'SWMBO' means 'She Who Must Be Obeyed'.

"From the moment our son was born, nothing changed for my husband," she explained, back in 2018.

"He absolutely hated telling me what his plans were.

"Would he be home in time for dinner? Could I book a haircut on a Saturday morning? Was he having drinks with his mates straight from work?

"Who knew – because he certainly refused to tell me. He claimed he didn’t have to.

"It was a weird shift in our marriage that I hadn’t expected – this stubborn reluctance to tell us when he was going to participate in our lives."

The woman was stunned after learning what it meant (Getty Stock Images)

Then, one evening, after he got in late from a night out, she decided to have a look into his phone, which just wouldn't stop pinging.

While he was in the shower, she took a peak into his friends' group chat, and they they were trying to organise some drinks, but her husband told them that he probably wouldn't be able to make it because 'SWMBO will say no'.

After confronting her hubby, he said that the acronym means 'She Who Must Be Obeyed'.

"I felt like I’d been slapped in the face," she said.

"It wasn’t a matter of ‘obeying’ me, or asking my permission, as he often complained. It’s not called ‘asking permission’ like he’s a teenager and I’m his mother.

It was enough for her to call it quits (Getty Stock Images)

"It’s called respect. Courtesy in checking to see if you’re needed – to say what your plans are.

"And I knew in that moment, there was no coming back from that," she continued.

"I was never, ever, going to kiss, let alone sleep with, a man who called me that after 10 years together – even after becoming the mother of his son.

"This was no longer just about me: we deserved better.

"It had taken me a lot to get pushed to the edge, but when I was there – I metaphorically jumped.

"To me, I didn’t have a choice. Staying with a man who valued us so little wasn’t an option.

"I took my baby and I left my husband the next week."