Daniel was a close friend of Derik Westman before the traumatic incident at Carol's birthday party. Drugged without his knowledge, he woke up next to Carol, leading to immense guilt and trauma that required years of therapy to process. He subsequently cut all ties with the manipulative Westman family, filing restraining orders against them to protect himself.
Daniel eventually found healing and love with a woman named Eleanor, whom he met in therapy. The two married and became surrogate parents to Matt, protecting him from his toxic father. Upon arriving in Vegas, Daniel is stunned to meet Kenna and overjoyed to learn he has a biological daughter, expressing a deep desire to build a relationship with her.